Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers says his team could be a ‘top six’ club if they were playing soccer in the English Premier League.

Brendan Rodgers Thinks Celtic Would Be Major Threat In Premier League

Rodgers spoke after the Scottish club’s 3-3 Champions League tie with Premier league leaders Manchester City on Wednesday.

“There’s no doubt Celtic are a major threat to nearly every English club,” said the 43-year-old former Liverpool boss.

The English Football League announced last week that no Scottish clubs would be invited into any expanded setup in the future.

“If Celtic were in England, they would be in the top four/top six clubs there,” said Rodgers, who took over for Ronny Deila as Celtic boss in May. “If you are another club playing in that league or Championship, or League One, would you want that type of threat coming in? I don’t think you’d want it and that’s the reality.”

Rodgers continued: “It is going to be difficult for Celtic to be in the English pyramid system because of the sheer scale of the club. Most of our games are packed out now. Can you imagine Celtic with that resource? Then it can go as far as it wants then. It would be frightening prospect but an exciting prospect.”

The EFL are also considering adding eight new members, so they can create four divisions of 20 below the Premier League.

Rodgers added that Celtic’s performance against Manchester City was proof that the Champions League should not become a closed shop to all but teams with the largest finances.

“Wednesday was a perfect example of that,” said the manager, whose side bounced back from an opening 7-0 defeat by Barcelona. “After the Barcelona game, there were critics, which is natural when you lose so heavily.”

Rodgers continued: “But I think, when you put it into perspective, there has to be opportunities for clubs like Celtic – one of the great clubs of world football – to play in this competition and the competition is better for a club like Celtic being in it.

“I know League One clubs that probably have greater resources than Celtic, but that shouldn’t stop us having an opportunity.”

Following pressure from Europe’s richest teams, UEFA agreed in August to guarantee each of the continent’s top four domestic leagues– currently Spain, Germany, England and Italy– four spots each in the group stage.

Nevertheless, Rodgers believes Celtic proved that they deserve the opportunity to be in Europe’s elite club competition.

“It was an incredible advert for Glasgow Celtic,” he said of the draw with Pep Guardiola’s City.

Furthermore, Scottish Professional Football League chief executive Neil Doncaster has warned of the risk of “an inexorable slide towards an NFL-style closed-shop system.”

Celtic next face Dundee in a Scottish Premiership game on Saturday.

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 23: Celtic unveil their new manager, Brendan Rodgers at Celtic Park, Glasgow on May 23, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers stated there was “no embarrassment” in losing 1-0 to Gibraltar part-timers Lincoln Red Imps in his first competitive game in charge of the Scottish Premiership club in Gibraltar on Tuesday.

Celtic Manager Brendan Rodgers Not Embarrassed By 1-0 Loss

Lee Casciaro, a police officer, scored the only goal in Tuesday’s first-leg Champions League qualifier in the 47th minute.

The Imps also included a fireman, a customs officer and a taxi driver.

“I’m not really [shocked]. I know these results can happen,” said Rodgers, the former Liverpool boss who took over from Ronny Deila in May. “We stay calm. We need a performance next week.”

Celtic will welcome the champions of Gibraltar to Glasgow next Wednesday for the second leg of their second qualifying round tie.

“We dominated and had enough chances, but sometimes it can happen like that… one ball up the pitch and they’re in,” said the 43-year-old Rodgers.

“You let the local team have their night, we press on, another week’s training and be better for it.

“We’ve given ourselves a bit of work to do, but there’s no panic. It’s a two-legged affair and our objective is to get through.”

The manager’s message to Celtic fans, over 300 of whom were in the tiny stadium that was not full to its 2,000 capacity, was to “stay calm.”

Lincoln Red Imps’ captain, customs officer Roy Chipolina, stood behind his comments earlier in the week when he said victory over Celtic would be the biggest shock in European football.

“When you look at the history of both clubs, nothing has changed,” he said. “Celtic are still a massive club and they are still favourites in the tie, but I don’t think anyone expected us to be going over to Glasgow with a 1-0 lead.

“We will be going over there more confident than we thought and, if miracles can happen again, we will knock Celtic out of the Champions League.”

Casciaro added that his team benefited from the artificial turf, weather conditions and the fact that they have been training for almost two months.

“The manager set us up to get them on the counter attack,” he said. “It was really, really a dream for us, to score and win 1-0 against the mighty Celtic.

“Just walking out and have Celtic supporters singing You’ll Never Walk Alone, and it’s a historic pitch, we have to enjoy ourselves this doesn’t happen very often for us. We’ve only been in Uefa last three years.”

Rodgers led Liverpool from 2012 to 2015. Prior to that, he managed Swansea City and Reading, for whom he also played from 1990 to 1993.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5M55B3oceoo

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – MAY 23: Celtic unveil their new manager, Brendan Rodgers at Celtic Park, Glasgow on May 23, 2016 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Steve Welsh/Getty Images)