Former Arsenal defender-turned-pundit Martin Keown has given Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers a stark warning following the Hoops’ 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund last night.

Brendan Rodgers Celtic
Soccer Football – Champions League – Celtic v Slovan Bratislava – Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain – September 18, 2024 Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers looks on Action Images via Reuters/Jason Cairnduff

The Bhoys were humbled on the European stage once more as the Germans took full advantage of their mistakes and general openness.

Emre Can broke the deadlock from the spot before Karim Adeyemi bagged a first-half hat-trick. Serhou Guirassy also got a brace, with substitute Felix Nmecha completing the scoring late on.

Yesterday evening’s result was another poor mark on Rodgers’ European record, which has been nothing to write home about in both of his Parkhead spells.

The Irishman’s tactical set-up is continually exposed against the big teams, and that was once more the case at Signal Iduna Park.

Surrounding the way he approaches games the ilk of last night’s, Keown has given the Celtic gaffer a stark warning.

“You can’t keep playing the same way,” he said (live on TNT Sports via RecordSport).

“They didn’t adjust. In their own domestic league they are just too good for everyone else and they are not used to being out of possession.

“It’s about learning from this but the manager is just as culpable as the players.

“You don’t win on your own and take all the credit for the wins in the domestic league and everyone is saying ‘Brendan is a fantastic manager’ – it’s a joint effort.

“You can’t go toe-to-toe with some of these European greats. They played in final of the Champions League last year. You have got to adjust. You can’t pretend there is not a difference in quality and that’s what happened tonight.”

Similar to Keown, former Celtic manager Neil Lennon, who led the club to the last 16 of the Champions League, thinks the Hoops’ approach to the Dortmund game was insane.

Celtic and Rodgers need to find a different way of dealing with the threats posed by these big European sides to avoid continual embarrassing hidings.

With Atalanta and RB Leipzig up next, things must improve in Europe.

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