It’s hard to blame any of the players for tonight’s second leg Europa Conference Play-off defeat against Bodo/Glimt, after all the manager sent out the message he’d already conceded this tie pre-match, with a team selection suitable for a home Scottish Cup-tie against Raith Rovers, rather than one designed to overturn a two-goal deficit in the latter stages of European competition.
As such, expecting the players to perform when the manager had to all intents has chucked the tie is a hard ask.
The pre-match message the manager sent out, that he’d selected a team to win this tie, was disingenuous at best. He said the right things, or at least what is expected, as he did post-match, but in truth the team lines submitted was an early surrendering of European football for another season, as Celtic ultimately exited the third of three European tournaments this season with a 5-1 deficit to the Norwegian champions over the two legs.
It’s just a shame no-one told the hardy bunch of Celtic supporters who travelled out there, spending hard-earned money, that the manager had little intention of travelling to the Arctic Circle with the same level of enthusiasm and ambition as they exhibited, despite the positive noises extolled in the build-up.
Of course, there is a sense of perspective to be taken here. Celtic under Ange Postecoglou are miles ahead where any of us expected to be, and with a three-point lead in the title race a marginal one, with just eleven games to go, Sunday’s lunchtime fixture against Hibs at Easter Road probably takes precedence, and that showed in the team selection.
We shall not be moved pic.twitter.com/E5Prvp6lZz
— Gal (@ryangall88) February 24, 2022
However, even if the manager wanted to give the players every chance to turn the tie around, the façade of attempting to progress tonight had long faded by the full-time whistle. At that point the manager could have at least admitted his eyes were on another prize, and he felt to play a full team tonight, against a superior opponent, was something the squad depth he had at his disposal couldn’t stretch to at this stage of his rebuild. Say that and then we’d all have understood, to then continue to talk afterwards as everyone had given their all only to fall short was a poor show.
Celtic’s first eleven, and now second string, have both been given the run around by Bodo/Glimt, as has Ange Postecoglou, and if there is one message the manager did get across, by accident or by design, is those players in supporting roles may well cope with coming in as covering options for first team players in domestic cup competitions, but they are nowhere near the standard required for Celtic to compete on a domestic front and in Europe. Was that team selection for those holding the purse string to see? Perhaps it was.
Ange Postecoglou gives his thoughts on the match. #UECL | #BODCEL | #CelticFC🍀 pic.twitter.com/2dvG4QPefV
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) February 24, 2022
All eyes will now move to Easter Road on Sunday lunchtime, and there can be no excuses as European football has been surrendered in exchange for three points in Edinburgh. With automatic Champions’ League group stage qualification attached to a league title win, then perhaps even a European big picture was at play tonight.
One thing is certain however, I never want to see a Celtic team sent out to chase a two-goal deficit in knockout European football with anything other than the best players we have at our disposal, and if we have to, I expect honesty from the manager rather than blowing smoke up our backsides in the build-up and after the fact.
Niall J
"Over two legs we were not good enough."
"It's my responsibility to make sure we improve and next year perform better."
Ange Postecoglou dissects a disappointing night for Celtic following elimination from the Europa Conference League.#UECL pic.twitter.com/uk0S70vIXe
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) February 24, 2022
I thought you’d stopped talking bollocks but I was wrong.
Passing way off first touch not there I’ve yet to see a good game on plastic surface just glad no injuries I can understand eufa allowing these pitches in these countries with severe weather but not Scotland I watch game on tv must praise be makes sky look very poor well down BT
It’s absolutely the players to blame. What you are saying is that it’s ok for the players to chuck it because there were changes.
If they aren’t good enough to do the job (which they are) they shouldn’t be at the club. Poor, poor journalism.
That may well be said of Ange’s thinking, however we keep hearing about “Opportunities” for other players – Forrest, Bitton, Scales, McCarthy etc, Surely if they want to be first picks then they would be bursting a gut to show the boss. Afraid I did not see this tonight, so all in all, yes I do blame the players.
I agree with the manager, better out of this Mickey Mouse competition and concentrate on Champions League next year
I think the manager set the scene with the team selection – it sent out a message we couldn’t win .It’s natural then that would seep into any performance.
There is no doubt however some players simply didn’t perform but how many would we have expected to in a game against that standard of opponent.
That said I do get the decision was based on the Hibs game no doubt, and as I’ve said in other articles since, it may well have been a message to the board that the rebuild has a long way to go, and there are players we are having to lean on who are perhaps not of the standard we require to battle on a domestic and European front. Perhaps underlined by having to introduce Calmac.
Players who needed opportunities didn’t step up, but there has been plenty of evidence that although few lack for effort, too many have already shown they even struggle to cope at domestic level, the other players in the changing room will also know that, as such a manager making so many changes in a game where we’re chasing a two goal deficit to a team who schooled us at home, sends the message we’re beaten before we started and for me that’s on the manager more than the players.