Brendan Rodgers returned to Celtic last summer to take charge in his 2nd period at the club. First being their manager from 2016 to 2019, winning two league titles and five cup’s.
The fact that he left to take on the challenge at Leicester and leaving Celtic behind, was probably not expected by their fans as the thrill of playing in Champions League probably looked a higher ambition, but the thrill of going back and possibly get a revenge and a good result at Leicester triggered more.
To take over from Ange Postecoglou was also one major challenge, with a number of players in demand, and changes to be made. Rodgers brought in 12 new players, seeing 18 players leave. He managed to build this winning squad on a tight budget with a gain of €20.34m. This is a major job done both financially and from a sporting point of view.
He was under a lot of critisism early on, having a job on his hands to get all of the changes under controll and of course himself also being new in the role from the start of the season. He was back working with John Kennedy as his assistant, and from January his former assistant at Leicester, Adam Sadler replaced Harry Kewell.
He had good start at Leicester but also had his challenges being told to offload his best players season by season and still deliviring very special results, ending 5th twice and of course winning the 2021 FA Cup. He sold Harry Maguire to Man Utd, Ben Chilwell and Wesley Fofana to Chelsea, for massive transfer fees, and found it difficult to cope with demands, but still with the 7th highest salary budget in the Premier League probably not expected to have a relegation battle on his hands and after his dismissal finding Leicester as a relegated team.
To judge football managers on just outside knowledge is a stupid approach as you do not all facts on board and cannot really understand the pressure, coming to players not willing to commit their future, owners having limited possibility to follow up on their word as the world changes. But still we all know what was achived at Leicester and what type of football the teams playing under Brendan Rodgers were capable of at their best.
Brendan Rodgers came into Celtic with Champions League football as part of his fixture list, having difficulties in group games vs. Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord and Lazio. adding up only 4 points with a home win vs. Feyenoord in their last game as the highlight, finishing at the bottom, but still possibly a fantastic experience to be back in this competition.
Celtic and Brendan Rodgers will of course look back at this season with great joy, coming out of it from a troubled start to progress and take on board the ideas of the man in charge.
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