Brendan Rodgers promised that Celtic will be ready to qualify for the Champions League despite labouring to an opening day win over St Mirren.
The Parkhead men required Luke McCowan’s deflected strike with three minutes left to avoid slipping up as they began the defence of their crown.
Rodgers finds out tomorrow which side Celtic will face in the Champions League play-off, with Sturm Graz, Basel, Dynamo Kyiv, Slovan Bratislava, Kairat Almaty, Qarabag and Shkendija all possible opponents.
Last Friday, on the back of a quiet summer to date, he challenged the club’s board to match his ambition. But he remains confident the team will be to his liking come the first leg of the £40million shootout at the end of the month.
‘We’ll be ready for the games,’ he said. ‘The players are working very hard. They are always tense games but we’re in a good place and we’ll take that game on when it comes.
‘I’m feeling really good. The players are shaping up very well. There’s real spirit and solidarity in the team. Whoever we get, it’s going to be tough, but it will also be tough for them. And we’ll accept whatever challenge comes.’
Luke McCowan celebrates scoring the late goal that gave Celtic a 1-0 win against St Mirren
Brendan Rodgers says his team are shaping up well ahead of the Champions League draw
Defender Kieran Tierney’s competitive return to Celtic was cut short by a bout of cramp
Rodgers took a straight bat to questions over whether his team’s solitary goal against St Mirren underlined the need to add more quality in forward areas.
‘We got into a lot of good areas,’ he said. ‘We’ll always take the game to the final third of the pitch, but we created a lot today.
‘You have to give credit to the goalkeeper (St Mirren’s Shamal George). He made some great saves. We were creative, dominated the game.
‘To win the first game is always good and I’m absolutely pleased with the performance.
‘St Mirren are such a hard team to break down. You have to be aware of the threat on the counter-attack, the physicality at set-pieces.’
Asked if his side could have had three or four goals on another day, the Celtic manager said: ‘I think everyone who was at the game or watched it on TV would say that. Sometimes you need a wee bit of good fortune as well. We didn’t quite have that, but some of them hit the post and the bar.’
Kieran Tierney’s competitive return was cut short amid fears he had suffered another injury, but Rodgers revealed the defender was only suffering from cramp.
‘He got a great reception and you see the qualities he has,’ he said. ‘He had a wee bit of cramp at the end.
‘He hasn’t played a lot of football. We need to build him and his fitness.’
Manchester City defender Jahmai Simpson-Pusey was at the game, with a one-year loan deal now all but agreed.
‘We’re still waiting for clearance on that one,’ said Rodgers. ‘But he’s up here ready for the move.’
Saints boss Stephen Robinson felt his side gave an extremely good account of themselves.
‘It was disappointing because we lost to a deflection,’ he said. ‘Our level of performance showed when Celtic were trying to waste time in the last five minutes of the game. Defensively, we were superb.’
