Life begins with a new chapter at 40. Or so they say… Celtic crashed to a 34th defeat in 40 Champions League away games with a humiliating 7-1 loss to Borussia Dortmund in Germany last night…
Celtic had only conceded four goals across their nine competitive outings so far this season. Within 42 minutes the Hoops had let in five and became the first British team in 27 years to concede five goals in the first half of a European group stage game.
The stats are important to put into perspective of how bad a night it really was. Reflection, and ‘learning from our lessons’ no longer wash with a Celtic support who are exasperated by performances away from home in Europe’s elite club competition.
The Celtic manager, who has broken countless domestic records in Scotland and has rightfully been praised for is starting to break a few in Europe, all for all the wrong reasons. He has now managed Celtic teams in Europe that have shipped in seven goals on three occasions (Barcelona 7-0, PSG 7-1, Dortmund 7-1), six goals once (Atletico last campaign) and five once (PSG, 2017). Why are his Celtic teams not learning from their lessons?
READ THIS…Dortmund Thrash Celtic 7-1 – But Why?
Invariably, the Irishman’s side tried to stand toe to toe with Dortmund. It was a firm reminder that the Champions League finalists can embarrass you with either a defence splitting pass, outstanding movement or clinical finishing. The key differences at this level. Coupled with shooting yourself in the foot, life was made easy for Nuri Sahin’s side who hardly got out of second gear.
This is not something new for Celtic, sadly. Rodgers, Postecoglou, Lennon and Deila teams have all been at one stage given more than a few knockout blows on the continent. Some more than others. Surely, it is time for Rodgers to offer a more pragmatic approach to these games?
READ THIS…“Every single mistake that we made got punished,” Brendan Rodgers
When he guided his Leicester team to a Europa Conference League semi-final, narrowly missing out on reaching the final, his side was compact and hard to beat. Instead of trying to always throw punches against top opponents, the Celtic manager should take a step back and be cautious when travelling to arenas like the Signal Iduna Park. Coming out with a high-press, all guns blazing approach only leads to one result. As we all saw, it is not a very nice one.
Furthermore, this abject, shambolic record of continuing to be embarrassed in the Champions League cannot continue. The scoreline is a horror show for Rodgers – who is in badly need of some signs that Celtic can compete away from Glasgow’s East End at this level. Since his return to Glasgow, it has been four Champions League defeats away from home, conceding 17 and only scoring once.
READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic at Rhinoland. Battered, humbled and slaughtered
Nights like last night only point towards that there is still major work and healing to do in order to turn a corner and move on from past results like we watched unfolding in Dortmund yesterday evening.
Radical planning needs to be done prior to Bergamo. Europa League winners, who are a very similar profile to Dortmund. Will Rodgers learn from his harsh lessons in Italy?
Conor Spence – Hurting badly in Dortmund
