How Rodgers earned 'one of his best results' in Atalanta draw

Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon says the team's gutsy goalless Champions League draw at Atalanta delivered "one of the best results of Brendan Rodgers' career".

Following a humiliating 7-1 defeat by Borussia Dortmund, pressure was on Rodgers to show he could orchestrate a resolute defensive display away to the Europa League holders.

And the 51-year-old's tactical tweaks paid off as the Scottish champions held firm to record just a second ever away clean sheet in the competition.

Speaking on TNT Sports, Lennon said: "They have now proven they can go away from home and dig out a result."

Meanwhile, Celtic boss Rodgers hailed his team's mental resilience to respond by shutting out the Serie A's top scorers.

"The concentration in the game was superb," he said. "The players showed great courage. I never doubted them and their mentality.

"I think if you look at our opening three games, I'm so, so happy to have four points. That's equal with what we had last year, so with five games to go hopefully we can add to that."

So, what changed?

Rodgers faced intense criticism in the aftermath of the Dortmund mauling and a debate about whether he was willing to adapt dominated the build-up to Wednesday's game.

Based on his pre-match comments, there was little to suggest he would change his European approach, which he has passionately backed.

"My coaching has always been aggressive. And until the day I finish, it will be aggressive," he said on Tuesday.

Post-match in Bergamo, he joked that he was unsure whether the performance "was pragmatic enough for some people".

Celtic certainly had to be aggressive in their defensive work, but it was lacking from their attacking display.

In no way is that a criticism, though, as the Glasgow side did what they had to do to get a priceless point by turning the dial down on their usual relentless forward play - and the numbers back that up.

In comparison to the chastening 7-1 defeat in Dortmund, Celtic had less of the ball (47% down to 34%), fewer shots (nine to four) and half as many touches in the opposition box (12 to six).

The numbers in both games also show the quirks of stats, given Atalanta failed to score with an expected goals (xG) tally of 2.33, while Dortmund smashed in seven with an xG of 2.64.

"We had to learn from the Dortmund game and defend for our lives," Celtic goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel told TNT Sports.

"To come here and get a point is a good point. We took a more practical approach in this one and took fewer chances in our build-up due to their man-to-man system."

'Outstanding' Celtic defence 'dealt with chaos'

Celtic's average positions map at Atalanta (left) shows a far more compact shape in comparison to the heavy Dortmund defeat (right)

The oddity of the xG figures at Atalanta and Dortmund perhaps highlight just how devastating the Bundesliga side's finishing was in Germany, but Schmeichel avoided his goal being breached in Bergamo by pulling off six saves.

The four-man defence in front of the Denmark goalkeeper will rightly be at the forefront of the plaudits, though, particularly centre-back pairing Liam Scales and Auston Trusty.

In the absence of first pick Cameron Carter-Vickers, Scales and Trusty defended resolutely by making 24 clearances between them.

"Scales and Trusty were outstanding," former Scotland forward James McFadden said on BBC Sportsound.

"The two of them didn't panic. Atalanta asked a lot of questions and Celtic had the answers."

Full-backs Alistair Johnston and Alex Valle, continuing in the place of injured Greg Taylor, also impressed.

Meanwhile, Adam Idah gave the team more of a focal point at the other end and Reo Hatate provided more energy and industry in midfield.

With arguably their two toughest Champions League games out of the way, Celtic can now look forward to back-to-back home matches against RB Leipzig and Club Brugge with four points already on the board.

"So many moments in that game, it felt like the pressure was similar to the Dortmund match," former Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart said on TNT Sports.

"Dortmund got out of control very quickly, but Celtic could deal in the chaos, win the big headers, get a little bit of luck, and some big saves from Schmeichel.

"Once it got through to 70 minutes it felt like Atalanta ran out of ideas. Celtic as a complete squad, brilliant effort."