Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers is pleased to have picked up a point against Atalanta on Wednesday.
The Champions League tie at the Gewiss Stadium ended in a goalless draw. The Serie A side dominated the tie with possession and had more shots on target. They weren’t able to get past Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
After the tie, Brendan Rodgers had a chat with Sky Italia and his comments are relayed by TuttoMercatoWeb. The Celtic boss was asked if he was satisfied with the result.
“Yes, absolutely. We played against an exceptional team, one of the best in the Italian championship, with a very strong attack. We managed to keep a clean sheet, and this shows the courage and audacity of my team. We are satisfied with this point,” he said.
The manager returned to Celtic Park in 2023, after spending three years at Leicester City. During his time with the Foxes, he managed Atalanta’s Ademola Lookman. Brendan Rodgers hugged his former player after yesterday’s European fixture.
Lookman’s hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen in the final helped La Dea win the Europa League last season. He’s subsequently been nominated for this year’s Men’s Ballon d’Or award.
When asked what he discussed with Lookman, Rodgers explained: “I joked with him saying: ‘I know you’re nominated for the Ballon d’Or but forget the Ballon d’Or tonight!’.
“Lookman is an extraordinary boy, I had the pleasure of coaching him at Leicester. He was a fantastic player for me, he scored important goals. I would have liked to have him back in my club, but in the end, he went to Atalanta, where he became an icon. It’s fantastic to see him play at this level.”
“He’s a great guy, very professional and a great athlete. And I’m happy he didn’t score tonight!”
Atalanta manager Gian Piero Gasperini insists Celtic had a point to prove against his side, after suffering a 7-1 defeat against Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League earlier this month.
“They were coming off a bad defeat, they defended themselves with energy. We did everything we had to do; we can’t blame ourselves too much, we did well,” Gasperini was quoted as saying by TuttoMercatoWeb.
“There were several scoring situations, we have to accept the draw, we tried until the end. We tried, their goalkeeper was also good. We were also unlucky in some situations.”
“It’s not easy to play every three days, with this continuity, the bench has always been decisive in recent years. We have little to blame ourselves for.”
