Celtic fans have been laughing at Rangers expense but they must make mark in Europe like their rivals - Chris Sutton

Brendan Rodgers has made no secret of his desire for improvement.

It might be the start of the Premiership defence this weekend, but surely the eye stretches beyond domestic battles and into Europe. The time has come for Celtic to make a proper impact. Having managed to secure a third-straight title at the end of last season, Rodgers is again spared the anguish of the qualifiers. While Rangers are heading off to Poland on Tuesday for a cut-throat qualifier against Dynamo Kiev, Celtic will have feet up at home.

It’s the middle of September before Rodgers and his team take to the new format of the group stage, but it has to be a focus right now. For all Celtic fans have been having a laugh at Rangers’ expense in recent weeks with the trials and tribulations at Ibrox, it is just over two years ago that the Light Blues were a penalty shoot-out away from winning a European trophy. Celtic now need to try and make a similar mark. Europe seems to be feared now from them and not embraced, but it’s the best and maybe only barometer for whether progress on the pitch is being made.

Should that ambition be on par with winning the title? I’d feel it should do. As a player, I’d want proven domestic dominance coupled with getting a proper foothold in Europe, to get to the next level. Now is the time and Celtic have to be ready for it. They have to get the men in place and give the squad a chance to go into the competition with some fluency. The transfer situation is something I have spoken about regularly and I only do so because I didn’t feel Celtic were ready going into the group stage last season.

I’m not going to waste time going over all of that again because I made my feelings clear. At the same time, I understand that it is not