Brendan Rodgers has emphasized the importance of being compact and aggressive as Celtic prepare for their crucial UEFA Champions League clash against Atalanta. After letting a two-goal lead slip in their 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at home, the focus now shifts to Wednesday’s trip to Bergamo.

Reflecting on the Aberdeen draw, Rodgers acknowledged the challenges ahead but expressed confidence in his team’s ability to remain resolute and hard to break down against the Italian side.

“Listen, you can always concede goals. It’s all about how we handle the press, and it’ll be a completely different game,” Rodgers said.“

Atalanta, having faced them before and watched their style, it’s a totally unique challenge. They’re arguably the best man-to-man marking team in world football, the way they operate.

“The football will be different, but we’ve prepared for that.”

“If you’re not fully switched on, and you’re not compact, tight, and aggressive, you can be punished at the highest level,” Rodgers admitted. “We’re disappointed with the two goals we conceded.

“We showed a great reaction, though. Based on the chances, opportunities, and the dominance we had, we should have won the game, but we didn’t.”

“And you have to give credit to Aberdeen; they defended resolutely, especially during that final period,” Rodgers acknowledged.

Celtic displayed excellent form in the first half but failed to capitalize on their chances when leading 2-0, a situation that clearly frustrated the manager. Kyogo’s missed opportunity to make it 3-0 looms large, as just moments later, Aberdeen pulled one back and quickly equalized. Celtic must avoid being as slack in possession and passive in their defending as they were against the Dons if they want to succeed against Atalanta.

Celtic’s European performances so far have been nothing short of Jekyll and Hyde. Their opening-night victory over Slovan Bratislava showcased all the qualities of this Celtic team, thrilling the fans under the lights of Paradise and setting the stage for their trip to Dortmund. However, the Celts were completely out of sorts in Germany, suffering a heavy 7-1 defeat at the hands of last year’s Champions League finalists.