Neil Lennon isn’t the only Celtic coach with Europe in mind this week.
Tomorrow night at Firhill, kick-off 7pm, Celtic face PSV Eindhoven in the Next Gen Series looking to get their first win on the board.
Hard luck stories from the defeats by Sporting Lisbon and Aston Villa don’t cut any ice with John Kennedy who knows the demands of playing for the club at the highest level.
Five years ago Kennedy helped Celtic to a 1-1 draw away to Spartak Moscow in a dramatic Champions League qualifier but after watching tonight’s action on telly his thoughts will focus on bringing alive the clubs’ hopes of qualifying in the Next Gen Series.
“We have to put together a good 90 minutes against PSV which hasn’t happened so far in our Next Gen matches,” Kennedy admitted.
“Against Sporting and Aston Villa we’ve started both games slowly and you can’t afford that at any level. The Next Gen Series is a very high standard of football and you can’t afford slow starts.
“The frustrating thing is that we’ve played well for spells in both matches and shown that we are capable of getting results. Last season we took nine points and this squad is just as capable.
“We’ve prepared well for the PSV match and know that they are a good side. There’s a few experienced players in our side and they know the standards that are required.
“They’ve seen players like Tony Watt and Dylan McGeouch move into the Champions League squad and that opportunity is there for everyone in the squad.
“Domestically we’ve got a 100% record but the standard is higher in the Next Gen Series and that’s where our players are judged.
“The players are aware of that and are looking forward to putting things right against PSV. Hopefully there’ll be a good crowd at the match because that can give players an edge.
“There’s a good set up at Firhill and we’re all determined to do ourselves justice and get a win over PSV to get our campaign up and running.”
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They do say Football is a funny old game, With PSV beating both Sporting Lisbon & Aston Villa boh of whom have beaten us. We should not be looking to take much from this game. However I continue to live in hope, although I don’t think this years squad is as talented as last years.
Hope lessons have been learned from the previous setbacks and we start pressing them from the first whistle to the last. 3 Points are a must to try and get back into contention in this group.