Lennon's toughest talk

Neil Lennon will face one of the most testing team talks of his career tonight as he prepares his side to face Barcelona.

No-one respects Tito Vilanova’s side more than Lennon but he must ensure that respect doesn’t turn into fear.

Getting the balance right will exercise the thoughts of the Celtic boss who knows that his players face a 90 minutes like no other tonight in the Nou Camp.

“Listen, they make great teams look ordinary,” the Celtic boss explained. “It’s a totally different set up for me as a coach.

“The normal instincts of the players will be curtailed. Not by choice – just by the sheer force of the players they are going to come up against. There is anxiety there. I’ve thought about nothing else. You are wary of being embarrassed. You don’t want that, I certainly don’t want that.

“Everyone says it’s very exciting going there, but these guys have to go out and play against them. They have to be totally focused for 93 or 94 minutes and it won’t be enjoyable at times.

“It possibly won’t be that enjoyable for myself. The build up is great, but from here on in it’s just total concentration.”

Celtic’s 3-2 win away to Spartak Moscow has changed the landscape for the current Celtic side.

That win was well deserved and delivered with power and pace rather than a coach parking exercise.

Tonight’s match will be vastly different but Lennon wants his side to maximise any opportunities that they get.

“I believe that every team has a five, ten, 15 minute period in a game where they get some sort of encouragement and I’m sure we will get that at some stage,” the Celtic boss added. “Whether we capitalise on that, who knows?

“I think it’s better to play with a wee bit of fear, a bit of edge. It gets the adrenaline going quicker and it sharpens the mind.”

CLICK HERE for Lennon sees the best and worst of Barcelona

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