Strachan: Barca lesson never to be forgotten
The teenage Lionel Messi sealed a 3-2 win for the Catalans on a memorable night as Paul Caddis and Barry Robson made their Champions League debut.
Celtic were in the middle of some turbulent domestic form but had beaten AC Milan, Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk to reach the last 16 of the Champions League for the second year running.
With two Champions League campaigns in the bank the Celtic management team had squared up to some of the biggest names in the game but 90 minutes of Barca threw a whole new light on how the game was to develop.
“When Barcelona came to Parkhead that was when everyone here first realised this was a special team,” Strachan recalled.
“We did analysis with the Prozone system and, when Man United came here they got 340-odd passes.
“I think AC Milan made 360 or so — we cut down Andrea Pirlo’s passing and contained him. But Barcelona came to Celtic Park and completed 700 passes.
“I looked at the analysis the next morning and thought: ‘There’s something wrong with our Prozone’.
“But it was right. It was hypnotic football. It was passing we had never seen before, just keeping the ball moving.
“We all had an idea of what Xavi and Iniesta did but we didn’t realise we were watching some of the best players ever that night.”
Shortly after losing 4-2 on aggregate to Barcelona Strachan brought Neil Lennon back to Celtic as first team coach.
Four seasons later Lennon is leading Celtic back into the Champions League with his former gaffer impressed by the way that Lennon has developed in management.
“Lenny has learned a lot over the past couple of years, that’s for sure,” Strachan added. “You learn every day you stay in the game, so he’s obviously not at his peak, because he’ll have years to come.
“He will be better in two years’ time than he is now, that’s for sure. What he’s doing now is a very good job. But he’ll get even better.”
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