Glasgow: Celtic may have suffered a humbling loss at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, but defeat is something the club’s management team is yet to experience in Scottish football.
The Hoops were dealt a harsh lesson when the French superstars led by the world’s most expensive player, Neymar, handed the Scottish champions a 5-0 Champions League defeat in their Group B opener at Parkhead.
It brought the Glasgow giants, who are used to sweeping all before them in Scottish football, back down to earth with a bang following a period of unprecedented domestic dominance.
Since Brendan Rodgers and his backroom team arrived in Glasgow last year they have gone on an incredible record-breaking unbeaten run.
This landed the former Liverpool boss a treble at the first attempt as his side broke a host of club and league records in an undefeated season.
The remarkable run has continued into the new season and the Hoops will attempt to extend it to 55 domestic matches unbeaten when they welcome Ross County to Celtic Park on Saturday.
Assistant manager Chris Davies knows that the management team will need to lift the players to ensure they don’t suffer a European hangover from their midweek mauling
But the 32-year-old says the winning culture created by Rodgers means the Celtic players know they can’t allow their standards to drop if they are to keep their place in his side.
“The key to the invincibles’ season was the manager’s relentlessness and his demands on the players. Their ability to stay at a really high level and their qualities allowed them to never lose a game,” the Celtic assistant manager said.
“Here we are again, we are still going and nothing has changed and, if anything, we are stronger than last year. We will lose a game at some point, but hopefully it’s not this weekend.
“The manager is our leader who we all follow. He is someone who has an expectation and a demand on his team and his staff and everybody to keep driving forward. He sets that and leads by example, and everyone else is on board and working right behind him.
“That’s how a culture is created, but of course the players have to go out on to the pitch and try and maintain those standards in all sorts of different conditions, home and away, which isn’t easy. It’s a massive credit to them that we have managed to keep that going.”
Rodgers’ side could find themselves in the rare position of playing catch-up on Saturday if rivals Rangers can win by four goals away to Partick Thistle on Friday.
Pedro Caixinha’s side have bounced back from a shaky start to the season to record back-to-back wins and travel to Firhill with Colombian striker Alfredo Morelos in fine form with five goals in as many games.
Aberdeen, second on goal difference to Celtic, will attempt to get back to winning ways following last week’s draw with Hearts when they host second-bottom Kilmarnock on Saturday.
