Rodgers and Schmeichel on Celtic bid to shock Bayern and turn around UCL playoff
17/02/2025
uefa24
17/02/2025
uefa24
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00:00Hi, good evening. Just welcome to this evening's conference. Just in terms of format, Brendan will speak first, followed by Kasper Schmeichel. Thank you. Al, would you like to go? Thank you.
00:19Evening, Brendan. Would you expect to require your best performance of the season to achieve what you need to tomorrow night?
00:28Obviously, clearly, we won't be the favourites for the tie, but everything is possible. I think the goal that we scored brings a different view of the game totally.
00:44Coming in at 2-1 and 2-0, there's quite a big difference. But we know that over the two legs, we'd have to play really well to come through.
00:58Is it a full squad to choose from tomorrow?
01:08Yeah, everyone available.
01:13Just in terms of the way the team are playing, especially going forward now, you've brought in Xhota, you've got Adam scoring goals through the middle, Dyson's played through the middle, scored goals out wide as well.
01:24How good is that for you as a manager? Is it one of those good headaches that you've got tomorrow night to decide who starts in the line-up?
01:31I think we look at the game and we decide and design the plan for the game, but knowing that whatever team starts the game will need the players coming off the side to affect the game for us.
01:45It's such a demanding level physically, so we're prepared for that. We've seen it in the first game.
01:55We didn't give away so much defensively. The team worked really well and then, obviously, in that last 25 minutes, we were able to show our football. So we'll need all of that in the game.
02:12Vincent Kompany spoke earlier on today and he was telling us that Harry Kane's a doubt and he wouldn't determine whether he was actually going to play or not. Does it change anything for you whether Kane plays or not?
02:23It doesn't change anything in terms of we need to win the game and we want to win the game. If Harry didn't play, then, of course, it's a big miss for them.
02:37But I'm pretty sure there's another world-class player that can come in and play. But I would expect Harry to play.
02:46Tony?
02:49Brendan, it would be one of the greatest results in Celtic's European history if you can pull this off, but these things have happened down throughout the years.
02:57I think the miracle on ice, the miracle in Modena, you are looking to perform a sporting miracle here because not many teams come here and win, but you've still got a fighting chance.
03:08Yes, absolutely. And that was the key for us in the first leg. When you play two-legged games, it's important that you come into your second game and you have the opportunity and you have the chance to do that.
03:20So we had to be smart and we'll have to be smart again tomorrow in the game. But we have players that can score goals.
03:30I think for us, we defend it well. We didn't give so much away. We were disappointed with the goals that we conceded just on the timings and especially the second goal.
03:41So we know we can defend at this level and it's just having that courage and that bravery to go and play our game.
03:51And that'll be key for us tomorrow. So it's a beautiful pitch. The arena is amazing to come and play in and it's, as I said, it's the second leg.
04:01So we want to make sure we leave everything out there on the field. And as I mentioned, anything is possible in the game.
04:09Anything can happen and hopefully we can go and produce a performance that gives us the result in the end.
04:16Hi Brendan. In terms of your approach to the game tomorrow night, how much of a balancing act is there between knowing you have to obviously score and making sure that you're not on the end of something that's too bad?
04:31Cheers Chris. I don't really think of the too bad. I just think of us and the mentality is to get through the tie.
04:44I think we learnt from the too bad. The setback was there and we understood what we had to do better.
04:53You can't go, no matter how much emotion there is, you can't go chasing the game. This is a level where it's very difficult to press the game for 90 plus minutes.
05:04So being in balance, the word that you mentioned, is absolutely spot on. You have to defend well. They're going to have spells with the ball.
05:15I think up until the weekend, I've seen something where our game was the lowest possession that they had, Bayern, over the course of the season.
05:26And for those in XG and everything else, it was the lowest expected goals in the game. So that tells us that we defend it well.
05:36We'll have to defend well again and then we're going to have spells with the ball and we know that we have the quality to score.
05:45But balance is the right word. We have to be clever and smart in how we play the game and then make sure that we're in the game.
05:58In terms of broader context, is it tougher than ever to pull off a result against a top, top team in Europe, which obviously Bayern are?
06:06Has that challenge got stiffer over even the last few years?
06:11I think it's definitely grown. There's no doubt about that. It's just the challenge of this level.
06:20But it's something that we want to embrace, that challenge. I think that we've done very, very well to get to this point.
06:28When you get to this point, you're going to play top-level teams. This is a team that has world-class players.
06:35But for us, it will be about our collective and we've shown already in this tournament that when we can play at the very top of our game,
06:43and if a team has anywhere near enough game or they're not at their best, that we are a team that can punish it.
06:52Is this a game where all the pressure is on Bayern Munich, the fact that at home there's a big expectation on them and obviously the final this year is in Munich as well?
07:02I don't think there's any doubt. Everyone will look at this game and us being the underdog in the game.
07:09That's totally understandable with everything this is. The club that it is, the revenues, everything.
07:16We respect that. But that doesn't change for us. We're still very mindful to be super competitive in the game.
07:26As I said, we know that if we can play to our level, then it can make the game really difficult for Bayern.
07:34But there's no doubt we come in here as the underdog in the game.
07:44How is it you go about getting the players to rise to the occasion as a manager in a night like this?
07:53I think it's just spelling out that you come to this level and you have to play without any fear.
08:03I think there's worse things in life that can happen than lose a game of football.
08:10So for us, we want to ensure that when we come in after the game, if we don't go through, we've given it absolutely everything.
08:23I have a look at this game and I'm so glad I have this group of players that have a great mentality
08:29and an incredible professionalism. If they can go and show that, then we know that we're in with a chance.
08:38As long as you can take that opportunity to give your very, very best, then you know you can come in and just say,
08:45listen, we're beaten by the better team. The regret is always if you don't and you just turn up too late for the game.
08:53There's no second chance after tomorrow night. We've got the one opportunity. We've got to be clever, we've got to be bright and we've got to be brave in the game.
09:00If we can do that, we've shown and history has shown in sport that anything can happen.
09:07So that's what we focus on.
09:12Brendan, across your two spells at Celtic, you've won so many trophies, played in so many big games.
09:18But here tomorrow night in the Allianz Arena, with a place in the last 16 of the Champions League on the line, is this one of your biggest games?
09:25It is. In the context of our European season this season, it's a huge game.
09:33But it's also a huge opportunity. I see it as a wonderful opportunity.
09:38I know that when we come out after tomorrow night, win or lose the game, this has been a great adventure for us this season.
09:47We've shown progress at this level and that's what we wanted to do.
09:54We wanted to bring stability. We wanted to make our supporters proud.
10:00We wanted to show that we have that respectability at the level and that we can compete.
10:07And I think we've done all of those things.
10:10But tomorrow night, with the opportunity to get through into the quarter-final, it will be huge.
10:17It's one I'm so looking forward to, to see us take on the challenge.
10:23Hi Brendan, just going back to last week's game in Glasgow.
10:26It was obvious for the final 20-25 minutes how much Dijs in Maida was able to impact things for you when he played centrally through the middle.
10:33I'm just wondering for tomorrow whether that might influence the way you look to shape the team up?
10:37It's certainly something that we looked at and talked about as coaches.
10:42But whatever we go with, whether it's Adam or Dijs in Maida, we still have the ability to affect the game.
10:54It's something of course the design of the team and what it is we want to do, it was certainly a consideration.
11:04I just wonder what lessons have you learnt from the Dortmund game that might stand you in good stead for this game here in Munich?
11:13I think you can become too emotional at this level and I think that was clearly what happened for us in Dortmund.
11:24I think in the Dortmund game we chased the game.
11:30We went behind them.
11:34As I said, we had scored early on and the lessons that we learnt from that of course.
11:41Even though our plan was to be stable and steady and compact, we showed that if you're not that and you go off-piste as such, then you can get really, really punished.
11:52I think that's been the big learning for us from that game.
11:56If you're not tight and you're not stable and you're not compact and you're not concentrated and you leave space for world-class players, you'll get punished.
12:03So we were able to learn from that, step back, go away and it's the mark of the group.
12:09They're a humble group. We had to take that on the chin and we came away and had some really good performances after that.
12:18Then we've taken it into our games at Atalanta and other games where we've been calming our defending.
12:24That's what you need to be at this level. You need to be in balance and have that calmness to your defending but also then provide that threat with the ball.
12:34Hopefully we can see that tomorrow.
12:37Is Jota fit enough to start a game like this?
12:43Yeah, if we decide that's what we need to do, he can start the game.
12:50There's no doubt he's working his way back to his highest level physically in terms of how I want the team to press.
12:58But there's no doubt he can look after the ball.
13:00In arenas like this here, you need players that can take the ball and look after it.
13:07He's a wonderful player. I've seen the talent now close up. I've seen it in the games.
13:11It's just about him working his way back to that highest level.
13:16If I need him to start, he's ready to start.
13:19Okay, all good. Thank you.
13:36Hi folks, I'd just like to introduce Kasper. Can we just kick off please? Who would like to begin?
13:55Al, over here please. Thank you. BBC.
14:02Kasper, you've obviously achieved a lot in your career as a football player.
14:07But if you were able to turn this tie round, would that rank up alongside pretty much everything you've done?
14:13Yeah, I think it would be a massive achievement for sure.
14:18If you were able to put Bayern out of the Champions League, that would certainly be up there.
14:24We're under no illusion it's going to be difficult.
14:29But like you said, I have been a part of teams that have done things against the odds, so why not?
14:43Just in and amongst the players, Kasper, what does it take to get a result like this?
14:48What has to go right and what's the sort of message within the dressing room about making sure you leave everything out there?
14:56Yeah, well, you answered your own question there.
14:59Yeah, you have to leave everything out there.
15:02What has to go right? Well, pretty much everything.
15:05You're coming up against one of the best teams in the world.
15:08But that's not to say that it's not just 11 versus 11 men.
15:12So we go out there with confidence, with hope. We're in the tie.
15:16We're not here just to make up numbers. We're here to try and win.
15:19We're here to try and go through.
15:21That's definitely going to be a difficult test, but nothing worth achieving is ever easy.
15:31Hi Kasper, you mentioned there about achieving things against the odds.
15:35Does that help you in any shape or form when you prepare for this and can you translate that to the other guys as well?
15:42What you've been around and what you've done?
15:45I don't know if you can translate it.
15:47I think the only thing you can do is to remind people that it is just a game of football
15:54and anything can happen in those 90 plus minutes.
15:58And the most important thing is just to have belief.
16:01We're a good football team as well. Don't forget that.
16:05That's probably the message that we're trying to reinforce,
16:10is remember that we're a really good football team ourselves.
16:13Like I said, we're coming up against one of the best teams in the world,
16:17but who knows on the day, we can give anybody a good game.
16:20I believe this team is a very good football team as well.
16:31Kasper, how much do you use your big game experience,
16:34winning the league with Leicester, playing in the Champions League, knockouts, World Cups, Euros,
16:38how much do you use that to players who won't have played in the Champions League knockout stages at a stadium like this?
16:45I think it's just being as calm as can be
16:50and just emphasising the point that these occasions don't just come around every year.
16:57I think when you're young, you just think that they're going to come around every year,
17:01but they don't, so just enjoy them.
17:04It is the accumulation of all the sacrifice and all the hours of work,
17:10all the sacrifice your parents have made to drive you to your football games.
17:14It's to be in occasions like this, to be in nights like this, so enjoy them.
17:18It'd be a shame not to.
17:24Kasper, tomorrow is a match between two old goalkeepers, I say.
17:29Manuel Neuer has extended his contract to 2026, so he will play with 40 years in goal.
17:37What's the limit for you, for goalkeepers? Is it 41, 42, 43?
17:45I don't like that word. I would rather use the word experienced.
17:49I think experience is the biggest gift you can have in this game.
17:53If you're physically still able and you have 800, 900 games under your belt,
17:58then it's the biggest advantage you can have.
18:01I think it's probably about 19 years ago since I played against Manuel the first time,
18:08and I've followed his career very, very closely.
18:11He's probably one of the best to ever play in goal.
18:15I'd probably say he's the most complete goalkeeper I've ever seen.
18:20No weaknesses, just lots and lots of strengths.
18:24If he plays like he did the other night, then there's no limit.
18:29I'm certainly not the type of person to set limits.
18:33I look at every opportunity as a gift, and you've got to take them.
18:39I'm delighted for him that he's got that.
18:43He had a massive injury and he's come back from that.
18:46He's still one of the best goalkeepers in the world,
18:49so it's always a pleasure to play against him.
18:57There's been a suggestion that Harry Kane might not play tomorrow.
19:00He didn't train today, missed training.
19:02As someone who's in direct competition with him,
19:04is that the kind of thing that would give you a boost,
19:06or does it really make no difference at all?
19:08He'll play.
19:10I know Harry from our time together at Leicester,
19:13and I've played against him so many times,
19:15I can't imagine he wouldn't play.
19:20Kasper, the Schmeichel family name has some fairly rich history
19:24in the Champions League against Bayern Munich.
19:26I'm just wondering if you have any memories at all
19:28of watching your dad in the final in 1999 against Bayern?
19:34Yeah, memories.
19:35Probably a lot of it's a bit of a blur.
19:38Obviously an incredible night for them.
19:41It's funny because Bayern have been one of those clubs
19:44that my family has followed forever.
19:48My grandfather loved Bayern Munich,
19:50and through that we've always kind of followed the club,
19:54so that night was special to play against Bayern Munich.
20:00It was an incredible occasion,
20:03and obviously for our family it was a very joyful occasion.
20:07I think Bayern went on to win it once or twice after that as well,
20:10so I think everyone got out of it what they needed.
20:15OK, any more?
20:17OK, all good?
20:18Cheers.