Faux outrage at Celtic’s valuable 0-0 draw against Dinamo Zagreb is bizarre – it’s time to reflect and have some perspective on the outcome, writes Conor Spence who is just back from Zagreb…
The Hoops stalemate in Croatia’s capital took us to an impressive nine points from matchday six of the new revamped 36-team Champions League format. In our last three previous campaigns in Europe’s elite club competition [2023/2024, 2022/2023, 2017/2018] Celtic accumulatively amassed nine points meaning it took seven seasons [18 games] for the club to take as many points as they have already reached in the opening six of this campaign.
Know your history
Brendan Rodgers’ side’s draw with Dinamo Zagreb takes Celtic’s unbeaten run in the Champions League group phase to four matches. For critics of the result, it is now Celtic’s longest unbeaten run at the top table of European football since Davie Hay’s Celts four games versus Real Sociedad, Shamrock Rovers home and away, and Dynamo Kyiv in the early stages of the 1986 European Cup campaign – 38 years ago.
Should Celtic make it five games undefeated against BSC Young Boys in just over a months’ time, you would have to go back to Jock Stein’s outstanding continental period of 1971-1972, where the Scottish champions went 10 matches unbeaten – Celtic’s own longest unbeaten run in European competition to date.
Celtic’s resolute backline
Notably, Celtic have been abject defensively in the Champions League for far too long. However, Dortmund being the obvious exception, just like domestically, the Hoops have had a resolute backline in the top tier of European football this campaign.
Another clean sheet in the competition, this time against Dinamo Zagreb means that is back-to-back shutouts away from home. Before this season, Celtic’s last victory on the road in the Champions League courtesy of a 3-0 victory over Anderlecht was the last time the Hoops had kept a clean sheet outside their Celtic Park environs.
UCL cleans sheets at Paradise are rare
Indeed, Champions League clean sheets in Glasgow’s East End don’t come about too often either. The last time Celtic prevented an opposition team from scoring in the competition at Paradise was Benfica, 12 years and 21 Champions League home matches ago.
Those compilation of stats exemplifies why Celtic’s 0-0 draw in Zagreb should not be sneered at. Similar nights have occurred in the past, and Hoops teams have walked away with nothing to show for it. Albeit creating very little, to bring a point back to Glasgow edges us one step closer to knockout playoff round football. That is progress.
Dinamo Zagreb are a decent outfit
Also, the notion that Dinamo Zagreb are not a decent outfit is nonsense. Nenad Bjelica’s men have taken eight points from six matches and are only two points away themselves of reaching a knockout playoff round tie. Albeit difficult encounters await against Arsenal and AC Milan, their performances and results in this season’s competition are credible.
Going into the second last group phase match knowing that three points secures double digit matches in the Champions League and an opportunity at Last 16 football should excite our support. Celtic have not been in this position for more than a decade. And to have that chance to qualify against the bottom ranked team in the elongated 36-team format should relax nerves.
Celtic’s point versus Dinamo Zagreb will be a crucial
Ultimately, a point versus Dinamo Zagreb will be a crucial one come full-time on 22 January 2025, of that I am certain. The team are finally making progress on Europe’s biggest stage, and Tuesday night’s result is yet more evidence of that when they were not at their best.
Conor Spence
Celtic in the Thirties
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When you start to look at the bigger picture with ourselves at CL level, then maybe our own attitude towards the revamped competition, needs to change also?
Still remain confident that we will still reach the knockout phase?
Is that a much bigger and better stage to be looking at, moreso than trying to qualify for the Europa league to prolong a European venture?
Also add in, that we are also starting to look a far better and more resolute defensive team, with plenty of quality available in attacking terms also?
Aren’t these the qualities that would be required, to actually win knockout CL matches, moreso than counting the money in what is potentially getting earned?
We have waited long enough now to get ourselves into such a position within CL level football?
So why there is so much criticism on show instead of the enjoyment of gaining results at this level, remains way beyond myself at present imo?
I don’t fall into the Outraged camp but I was disappointed with our guile in the final third of the pitch.
We were wasteful on several occasions: Hatate’s failure to find Kyogo with a simple pass inside the box on the stroke of half time and Ralston ballooning a straightforward cross out the park with two men well positioned spring to mind.
Getting those basics correct is where it really matters and it is that what separates the good from the mediocre.
I will certainly take nine points with Young Boys, who I don’t think have a point, at home should see us over the line but we need to get quicker, stronger, and more clinical in the final third. That would be real improvement.
We have currently earned €6.3M in prize money and another win would add another €2.1M to that.
I’ve enjoyed the competition playing eight different teams
Celtic have are doing brilliantly from our first game we have amassed 9 points got our goal difference down to zero two away draws and still the Scottish media can’t praise us seems only team spl can’t do without as long as there is a team above us we get no good press for what our history has done to this country spl and sfa get invited to Europe get together been that Celtic won the top European trophy yes it was years ago but what an achievement jock stein is praised for his international achievements even though he had the most successful team every in our history that spl get to sit in the big table and fifa to first UK team to win the big trophy and other trophies epl treat us fairly but we are respected by them and European clubs and media more than our own yes we know how we don’t have the right tie or handshake but we have all the top trophies European teams want and that gets scottish football respect SFA spent millions on Hampden put a roof on but most money was spent on SFA accommodation for the old duffers to sit and wine and dine everything in like bar meals rooms for entertaining guest should be billed to sfa yes all these places like supporters have to pay for it it’s like the house of Lords all freebies while the native starve they don’t pay for a thing what have they done for Scotland football from grass roots to professional not one is associate to one if the most successful and run club in Scotland there own clubs are poorly run and they get to run our football to the ground our kids should be able to play for there school teams instead of been snapped up by professional clubs and hardly playing once a week we need to rid football of these old duffers and run it for the future the kids