Celtic

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No matter how old you are, always listen to your folks...

Peter Schmeichel urged son Kasper to "be a leader" in the deflated Celtic dressing room after last night's drubbing in Dortmund.

The legendary Manchester United goalkeeper was out in Germany on media duties and caught a word with the Celtic shotstopper as he left the field of play.

"You always want the best for your children, it doesn't matter what situation they're in," he told CBS Sports.

"This was just one of those days that you can never, ever explain. There were so many shots on goal, seven went in, there could've been a few more.

"As Callum McGregor said to me, it's just one of those days they couldn't get close enough to close them down.

"I spoke to Kasper as he left the pitch and I said to him: 'This was a bad, bad day at the office, take it for nothing more and move on. Be one of the leaders in the dressing room and help everybody else recover from this.'

"Don't forget, Celtic have played really, really good football and there is so much optimism at the club."

Kheredine Idessane
BBC Sport Scotland Senior Reporter

Let me open by borrowing a phrase from a former heavyweight champion of the world: "Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face."

Mike Tyson was talking about the rigours of the boxing ring. Right now, his famous quote equally applies to Scotland’s football champions.

Brendan Rodgers, remember, has never been better prepared for a tilt at the Champions League. His own words. So how on earth did his side, freshly bolstered by a recent transfer spend of over £30m, concede three goals inside half-an-hour, five goals before half-time and seven by the time the sorry, non-contest in Dortmund was put out of its misery?

That Celtic lost for the first time this season, at the home of last term’s European runners-up, is no cause for shame. The scoreline, however, very much is. As is the manner of the capitulation.

After a 21-match unbeaten run stretching back to early March – a ruthless streak featuring 20 wins - Rodgers’ men were always likely to come undone in front of the famous ‘yellow wall’.

Curiously, though, the last time the champions of Scotland went to Dortmund, the result was altogether different. Rangers ran out 4-2 winners against a team featuring Jude Bellingham, Marco Reus and Manuel Akanji.

Which begs the question: why couldn’t Celtic at least be competitive in the same arena?

It’s the one thing Rodgers was at pains to point out before a Champions League ball was kicked this time around. His team is not here to participate in the tournament but to compete. They singularly failed to do that against a side currently fifth in the Bundesliga.

No panic buttons need be pressed, of course. After two games in the new format, one at home and one away, Celtic are sitting on three points. Exactly where they thought they would be.

The concern for Rodgers is that this was yet another huge helping of humble pie served up at European football’s top table. He must have indigestion by now.

It was the third time as Celtic manager he’s watched his side ship seven goals in Europe. Granted, two of those were against Barcelona and Paris Saint Germain. The big worry, however, is that this is still happening eight years after Messi, Neymar and Suarez crushed De Vries, Toure and Gamboa in the Nou Camp.

Lessons very clearly are not being learned, meaning the same patterns are being repeated. What's that definition of madness again?

The impressive victory over the champions of Slovakia on matchday one shows Celtic can deal with a certain level of European opponent. The battering by Borussia suggests compromise must be reached if Celtic are to emerge with any semblance of pride, never mind points, from the more daunting arenas.

What do you do if the other team has better players than you?

A question very familiar to every other manager in Scotland, Rodgers will surely now have to give it proper consideration before his next venture overseas to face last season’s Europa League winners, Atalanta.

Not one of the giants of the game, but a team just as capable of embarrassing Celtic yet again if the Scottish champions can’t find a formula to allow them to compete with sides who are more savvy at this level and, frankly, technically superior.

In short, Celtic have to become something entirely new on foreign soil. Difficult to beat.

They won’t get any kind of preparation for that at home, they’ll return to their domestic comfort zone without too many problems. History tells you that.

What the recent record books also show is that the fearsome European beatings will continue against the better-ranked sides unless Celtic can find a way to contain and counter-punch.

Like a boxer taking too many blows to the face, it's surely now time for Rodgers to put up his guard.

Brendan Rodgers is the only manager to see his side concede seven goals in a Champions League match more than once (also 0-7 v Barcelona in 2016 and 1-7 v PSG in 2017).

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Callum McGregor was one of many to use the word "sobering" about last night's result.

In the immediate aftermath, the captain gave his thoughts on his side's shellacking

"A sore one, for sure," he told TNT Sports. "We were punished with every mistake we made. Before we knew it, we were 5-1 down. A sobering night.

"If you make mistakes like that, you get punished. Credit to Dortmund. We've been sobered a little, but we need to take that and bounce back in the next game.

"You get yourself back into the game. The quick goal killed us and rattled us a little bit. When you give good players time on the ball, they will kill you. And that's what they did.

"I think the game plan was to be in between the two. We understand when you play against good players, you have to suffer a little without the ball. We have to learn from it. We've got a lot to think about after that."

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The "acid test" Rodgers called this.

"For us, it's looking to bring our game to the next level," he said on the eve of the match.

Of course, he didn't say which direction he was thinking of when talking about the next level. Up or down?

Dortmund might have noted Rodgers' fighting talk about how great a place the team was in (he didn't mean Dortmund) and how he knew that they had the mentality to "hurt teams".

Based on weekly routings of clubs with a tiny percentage of their budget. Flimsy evidence that they chose to interpret as compelling. Again.

This was a monumental humiliation for Celtic, a team that once again fell into the trap of believing that just because you can play freewheeling football against St Johnstone in Perth on a Saturday means that you can try to do the same against Borussia in Dortmund on a Tuesday.

Pragmatism? Closing the space? Staying in the fight? Keeping it tight and compact in the face of Dortmund's obvious pace and danger? No, no. They set up like they set up against St Johnstone and Falkirk and Hibs and Rangers.

They felt they could go toe-to-toe with Dortmund because that's what they do in Scotland and opponents fall at their dancing feet. They were pretty bullish about their readiness to transfer domestic superiority into the unforgiving fields of Europe. They're nowhere near.

Until Rodgers introduces some overdue realism when playing some of Europe's best, then this is likely to continue. There'll be another shellacking down the line if he doesn't change course.

Read more from Tom English's piece here.

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• Celtic remain without a Champions League win against German opposition, losing each of their last five such matches (P9 D2 L7)

• Brendan Rodgers is the only manager to see his side concede seven goals in a Champions League match more than once (also 0-7 v Barcelona in 2016 and 1-7 v PSG in 2017).

• Celtic are the first British team to concede five goals in the first half of a game in major European competition since Cwmbran Town against Progresul Bucharest in the 1997-98 UEFA Cup Winner's Cup.

• They have failed to win any of their last 28 Champions League matches when conceding first, losing 27 (D1).

• Kasper Schmeichel conceded seven goals - two more than he had let in across his previous nine Champions League appearances combined (5).

• Dortmund extended their club record unbeaten home run in the Champions League to 12 matches (W8, D4)

• Karim Adeyemi is the first Dortmund player to score a first half hat-trick in a major European game since Marcio Amoroso in a 2002 UEFA Cup semi-final against Milan.

• Dortmund had 13 shots on target – their most in a Champions League match since recording 15 v Legia Warsaw in a 6-0 win in September 2016.

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On a night like last's, the finger is out pointing at people to blame pretty promptly.

From the manager's decisions to individual errors, everyone has a thought for who's at fault. But after a dishing like that from Dortmund, no one can escape.

"Everyone gets the blame on a night like last night," Stephen McGinn said on the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"There's games where you maybe lose 2-1, where there's maybe been a substitution or a tactical tweak from the bench that wasn't the right thing, or there's been a defensive howler where an individual player has cost his team the game... A night like last night's is everyone's fault.

"I didn't have any problem the way Celtic set up to go into the game. They went to Dortmund to have a go.

"The bit that was alarming for me was the space Julian Brandt had. I've played against many a good Celtic side and the big message before the game was, 'don't let Tom Rogic get the ball,' for example.

"Don't let him get at the heart of your team, especially early on. Celtic allowed them to get into their rhythm and allowed them to get in to their best players.

"Who cares if the goalkeeper's got it? Stop chasing him, he's not the problem, Brandt is, Adeyemi on the edge of the box is.

"There's a lot of lessons to be learned."

Listen and subscribe to the Scottish Football Podcast on BBC Sounds here

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Celtic got a taste of their own medicine in Dortmund last night, says former striker Darren Jackson.

From firing six against St Johnstone in relentless fashion to being on the receiving end of a Dortmund demolition, it was a sobering night for Brendan Rodgers side.

A classic case of "roles reversed" was the view of Jackson.

"It was embarrassing," he told Good Morning Scotland. "I've been there, I've lost seven and that's not having a real go at the manager or the players, they'll know themselves - they'll be embarrassed."

When asked on Celtic's approach and attack to the game - which was similar to the way they set up against Saints - Jackson conceded Celtic "just can't play that way" on the European stage.

"Everyone has a philosophy and a structure in the way they play, and they've been playing that well, they had the confidence to go and play the Brendan way.

"That's where they have to say, 'can we play like this?', and I don't think they can because what they do in the Scottish Premiership to teams, was done to them last night. It was a role reverse from the Bratislava game where Celtic pressed them and they just gave the ball back.

"The players have to be better. People will have a go at the manager, but the players have to be better in possession of the ball.

"Dortmund were ruthless, but all the top teams are ruthless."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland in Dortmund

Full-back Alistair Johnston insists Celtic will not be shaken by their heavy defeat to Borussia Dortmund.

"They were clinical. Any little mistake that we made, they punished us," said Johnston following his side's 7-1 Champions League thrashing.

"It was never going to be easy coming to a place like this. We set ourselves up a little for our own downfall with some of our turnovers.

"We've got to learn from it. We had a better second half, but the game was gone by then. We were playing a bit more for pride.

"We don't want to lose in the first place but conceding seven is never fun. We are not used to losing, so it's a humbling experience.

The demolition in Dortmund has sparked calls for Celtic to set up differently against top opposition in continental competition.

"There is a really good opportunity for us to build on it and understand what went wrong," said the Canadian international.

"In terms of us losing the ball to quickly from the back and being more compact, especially on the road against these teams to give ourselves a fighting chance.

"There are still six more matches, we are still in this. We always knew this was going to be a difficult one. We won't get too down over it, we will learn from it.

"We are not going to let this wobble us at all. We understand it happens but we can't let it happen again."

Nick McPheat
BBC Sport Scotland

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Neil Lennon called on his former side to "stop the bleeding" amid the first-half demolition, but Celtic seem unable to prevent the floodgates from opening on occasions like this.

By the break, Rodgers' side had bled out, becoming the first British team to concede five goals in the first half of a major European game since Cwmbran Town against Progresul Bucharest in the 1997-98 Uefa Cup Winners' Cup.

A sobering stat for a sobering night, which Lennon said was all part of a learning process. Not long afterwards, Serhou Guirassy scored the German side's sixth goal.

Lennon was struggling to watch by the time Dortmund's seventh lasered past Kasper Schmeichel, but he was keen to stress that the defeat "can't all be on the manager".

In the aftermath, captain Callum McGregor also said Celtic "have to learn".

But over the course of the past eight years, there's been little sign of improvement or learning against this calibre of opponent.

With the Westfalenstadion clock ticking towards minute 82 and the scoreboard at 7-1, every Celtic player was in the Dortmund half as the ball turned over.

It resulted in the relentless home side racing clear with ease again, but only Schmeichel's boot prevented an eighth.

Actions like that give fuel to the criticism of naivety that will come Rodgers' way.

Across the Celtic manager's two spells, there’s been a 7-0 defeat at Barcelona, 5-0 at home to Paris St-Germain, plus another 7-1 in the away game in France and six shipped at Atletico Madrid last term.

The Celtic boss is the only coach to watch his team concede seven goals in a Champions League game more than once. Tuesday was the third occasion.

And with a trip to last season's Europa League winners Atalanta to come next, the Scottish champions risk being run ragged again against another high-octane side who thrive off their man-to-man approach.

Read more from Nick McPheat here.

Honduras winger Luis Palma has told manager Brendan Rodgers he is determined to stay with Celtic and fight for a starting place, with the 24-year-old taking a break from social media after fan criticism following his only start of the season against Falkirk. (El Heraldo), external

Hammarby winger Bazoumana Toure has welcomed interest from around Europe as reports in Sweden suggest Celtic are leading the race to sign the £8.3m-rated 18-year-old who has also been scouted by Arsenal, Crystal Palace, Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen. (Fotbollskanalen via Daily Record), external

Royal Antwerp chief executive Sven Jaecques admits that they might be forced to sell forward Michel-Ange Balikwisha, who has been linked with Celtic, if they are not able to agree an extension to the 23-year-old's contract, which ends in 2026. (De Standaard via Daily Record), external

Read Wednesday's Scottish Gossip in full here.

Celtic’s unbeaten start to the season came to a shuddering halt as they were taught a Champions League lesson by a rampant Borussia Dortmund inspired by the electric Karim Adeyemi.

Daizen Maeda cancelled out Emre Can’s early penalty in a frantic start, but it proved to be the briefest of respites for the Scottish champions.

Adeyemi ran riot with a lethal hat-trick, with another spot-kick from Serhou Guirassy helping the home side to a 5-1 half-time lead.

Guirassy struck again after the break and Felix Nmecha completed the rout with the seventh goal.

Whether you were at the game or following from home, we want to know your thoughts Celtic fans.

Have your say on tonight's 7-1 defeat here, external.

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Speaking at the post-match media conference, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers said: "It was a tough watch, to be honest. We weren't at our best. They showed why they are a top, top team. We didn't make the start we wanted.

"I don't think I've been involved in a game where every mistake got punished. Any misplaced pass seemed to end up in the back of the net.

"At this level, away from home against a top team, you need to be at your highest level and we were not there. You can see the quality that they have.

"That's the learning that comes away from this level. We got spooked early on. Very quickly we go 2-1 behind and they get a foothold in the game, and we have to chase it.

"We went in high in confidence. We felt we were in a really good place. We had to start much better than we did, as we gave away really cheap goals. And we got punished for loose bits of play and passes. They were ruthless in their finishing. It was incredible to see.

"It's very difficult for us to get to that level. It's a different level, with the greatest respect. We want to be more competitive, that's what was disappointing from our perspective.

"My job is to go away and inspire the players again. We need to learn from it or we will get punished at this level."

Andy Burke
BBC Sport Scotland at Westfalenstadion

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After nine wins from nine this season – including an impressive 5-1 destruction of Slovan Bratislava on matchday one – confidence was coursing through this Celtic side before what Brendan Rodgers described as an “acid test”.

Celtic have only ever won twice away from home in the Champions League, and never in 14 attempts on German soil. That never looked like ending here.

Drubbings at the hands of Europe’s big guns have become an unfortunate habit for Celtic in recent years, and this mauling will be filed alongside similar thrashings by the likes of the Real and Atletico Madrid, Barcelona and Paris St-Germain.

This Celtic side was supposed to be different, supposed to have found defensive solidity to go with the attacking potency they have displayed this season.

Missing their defensive lynchpin, Cameron Carter-Vickers, it was always going to be a huge task to contain a Dortmund team who looked like scoring every time they flooded forward.

Had it not been for some last-ditch interventions from Liam Scales and good saves from Kasper Schmeichel, Celtic's record European defeat of 7-0 could have been beaten.

Sometimes you have to accept the opposition are just levels above, but Rodgers will be frustrated at the unforced errors that compounded Celtic’s problems.

This was always going to be Celtic’s toughest test and they came up desperately short. Now the challenge is to rediscover something much closer to their best for the remaining Champions League games.

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Not a difficult choice for man of the match - Karim Adeyemi was just sensational.

His pace terrorised the Celtic defence whenever he picked up the ball and the quality of his finishing for his hat-trick of goals was of the highest order.

His combination with Jamie Gittens and Serhou Guirassy looks capable of troubling any side and they took Celtic to the cleaners tonight.

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Paul Lambert insists Celtic have to "thrive" on the Borussia Dortmund crowd if they want to cause a Champions League upset against last season's beaten finalists.

The former Scotland midfielder - who played for both clubs, and won the Champions League with Dortmund - believes the game will test if Celtic can "handle" the top level of European football.

Brendan Rodgers' side got their Champions League campaign off to the perfect start with a 5-1 win against Slovan Bratislava last month, but face a far sterner test away to the German giants.

"Celtic are used to playing big games, but you're going up another level, no disrespect to the Scottish league but you’re playing against a team that got to a Champions League final," Lambert told BBC Scotland.

"You have to handle the atmosphere, you have to handle the crowd, if you don't, Dortmund will make it so difficult. You don't want to have any regrets, that's important," said Lambert.

"Last year and a few years prior to it, [Celtic's] level has not been quite high enough for European football. The way the team has started this year gives them a lot of confidence to come here and see where they go with it.

"You're playing another few notches up and this is where you'll have to test yourself, if you can handle this level, that's the key and if you do that then you've got a chance.

"I'm intrigued to see if there is a difference in levels, don't take anything away from Celtic, they're a good side and playing really well but Dortmund are playing well in the league, got a good result in Europe so it's the makings of a good game."

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German football expert Derek Rae doesn't know what to expect from Borussia Dortmund as they prepare to face Celtic.

Currently fifth in the Bundesliga, Nuri Sahin's side recently suffered a shock 5-1 defeat to Stuttgart who sit eighth in the German top flight.

That result was sandwiched between a 3-0 victory over Club Brugge in their Champions League opener and a 4-2 win over VfL Bochum at the weekend.

Having reached the Champions League final last season, the German side only finished fifth in the Bundesliga as they struggled to find consistency.

"I think that is what you have to say about Dortmund. You look at the points total, it's respectable but it's nothing amazing", Rae told the BBC's Scottish Football Podcast.

"The Stuttgart result does stand out, that performance stands out as well. It wasn't good enough.

"I would say at the moment they are the fourth or fifth best team here in Germany. You know, you have Bayern Munich and Bayer Leverkusen, you have RB Leipzig who I think are actually better than them, you have Stuttgart who might be, well certainly in a head-to-head contest were better than them."

Midfielder Arne Engels says "if you can play at Celtic Park, you can play anywhere", before Celtic take on Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League.