Brendan Rodgers Hits Back at ‘Experts’ as Celtic Rally to Defeat Sturm Graz in Europa League

SME News UK. By [Ahmed Elashry]Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has fired back at “outside experts” after his side produced a stirring comeback to beat Sturm Graz 2-1 in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday night.The Scottish champions arrived in Austria under heavy scrutiny, having suffered a 2-0 defeat to Dundee at the weekend and gone seven European matches without a win since January. That pressure only intensified when Tomi Horvat put the hosts ahead with a stunning 30-yard strike in the first half.But Rodgers’ men responded in style. Goals from Liam Scales and Benjamin Nygren after the break secured Celtic’s first Europa League victory of the season and lifted the mood among travelling supporters.> “It was a brilliant performance,” Rodgers told. “I mentioned beforehand that after setbacks, you need that motivation to go and show leadership. From pressure — and there was pressure going into the game — you can make progress. I thought the players did that. Our attacking play and energy were much more like what we want.”The result came just days after Rodgers made headlines for comparing his current squad to a “Honda Civic” when asked about expectations following Celtic’s sluggish start to the campaign — a remark some pundits took as a dig at his players.Responding to the criticism after the win in Graz, the Celtic boss didn’t hold back.> “Maybe all the outside experts will say it was poor management and it would never work,” Rodgers said. “But for me, these players know how much I trust them. Sometimes you have to be harsh to be clear. These are men — at a big club where competition and effort are everything.”Rodgers praised the mentality of his side for overturning their deficit, insisting the performance represented the true Celtic spirit.> “We were so good in the game. We had to come from behind to a brilliant goal, but we didn’t get disappointed — we stayed focused, and the football was excellent,” he added. “As poor as we were on Sunday, tonight was the total opposite.”The victory eases some of the growing pressure on Rodgers and restores belief ahead of a crucial run of domestic fixtures as Celtic look to close the gap on Premiership leaders Hearts.