Chris Sutton delivered a measured reaction to Celtic’ Champions League exit- mixing the frustration of defeat to RB Leipzig with pride at the way the side pushed and pushed before falling behind in the 72nd minute.
Last night’s defeat from RB Leipzig seemed to sum up the four matches of the campaign to date, playing well and threatening to score before eventually being picked open by experienced, street-wise opponents.
As the fans streamed out the ground there was a feeling of dejection but everyone inside the ground had witnessed a top class match that pushed Celtic to the edge without two of their most influential players in Callum McGregor and Jota.
The better team won. Celtic looked tired in the 2nd half and gave away too many chances. Leipzig eventually capitalised. So many missed opportunities the story of this season’s campaign. Got to stick with what this manager is trying to achieve though and trust the process?
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) October 11, 2022
Ange Postecoglou has plenty to ponder after last night’s match but the one huge frustration is the inability to convert chances. Had Kyogo Furuhashi sent a first half header into the net rather than floating it over the crossbar it would have been an entirely different evening.
The faiulre to convert chances is putting extra pressure on the Celtic defence, eventually opponents like Liepzig are going to find the net, when that happens it becomes a mountain too high for Postecoglou’s side to overcome.
I just hope this form does not continue into league games as I said before we better get our act together because if not we will get skekped 3 or 4 nil in the league and it won’t just be sevco dishing it out.
Achieve what?these tactics do not work against quality European teams,every game we have run out of steam after 60 minutes and gotover run by fitter,stronger and better coached teams,we are a good spl team but a poor champions league or europa league team,we need a plan B for European games.
This was never going to be an easy one after so long without playing at this level and with the overhaul in the squad that was required. Getting the squad to a level where it could win back the title was a massive achievement, given the carnage that Ange inherited and the lack of time he had to do it initially, thanks to Howe stringing us along.
Getting direct entry to the CL group stage and the money that goes with it was the aim. That remains the case this season. Getting back in again will help get us to a stage where we can afford the players and gain the experience to seriously compete on this stage (by which I mean go beyond the group stage – not suggesting we will be favourites to win it any time soon), but that will will take longer. First season back was always going to be a big step up. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.