Brendan Rodgers thinks the Celtic support showed something at the end of Lazio loss

Brendan Rodgers thinks the Celtic support gave him a good indication of the team’s performance against Lazio.

It was a tough midweek defeat for the Hoops as we went down to the Italians despite taking the lead and dominating large spells of the match.

Luis Palma’s disallowed goal and Pedro’s last-gasp header brought real frustration to Celtic Park as the visitors escaped with all the Champions League points.

Despite that, Rodgers says the supporters showed the performance was good, as he explained that the pain will be important in the side’s learning process.

“I think we will get better,” he told The Herald. “But we know the challenges of the teams that we will play. That won’t stop us fighting and working.

“As the squad develops and develops in quality then [qualifying for the knockout stage] is something that absolutely we aim to do.

“The indication of [the performance] was the supporters at the end. They were obviously as disappointed, as we were, but they also recognised the effort that the players put in.

“At that level here it is a big challenge. But we were really competitive in the game, showed some great moments of quality and looked like we were going to win the game. There is absolutely no doubt that the team is progressing and working well. Nights like the other night are a big part of the learning for a lot of the players who come into the club.

“There always is [a learning curve] when you are working with young players. I think the attitude of the team in the second half was to go and win. We looked like we were going to win. We had that feeling of wanting to go and push to the very, very end. Unfortunately for us, when we lose it, it has cost us.

“I can’t complain about what the players gave to the game, the effort they put in and the quality that they showed as well.”

Much of Celtic Park did stay to applaud the team after Wednesday’s defeat. There was a general sense that they couldn’t have done a great deal more in the game, despite both Lazio goals being soft from our point of view.

That hard luck story has been present at a fair few of our recent Champions League matches. Last year we took one point from our three home games, yet were heavily involved in every match beyond the halfway stage.

The Celtic support roared the team on near the end of our 5-1 loss away to Real Madrid. The feeling was that it was just good to be back at Europe’s top table after five years away.

Wednesday night was another gutter in a game we could have won. The support were right to show the team their appreciation. However, that kind of attitude won’t last forever.

We need to start turning these solid performances into positive results. That’s the big task for Rodgers and his players.