John Kennedy knows all about the demands of playing in the Group stages of the Champions League for Celtic and he’ll be in an ideal position to pass on as many pointers as possible to the current crop of Celtic stars who will find out just after 5pm tomorrow afternoon the three teams that they’ll face home and away over the next few months.
The Celtic Assistant Manager spoke to the club’s TV channel yesterday afternoon and that interview was available to Celtic TV subscribers last night and should be open to all fans via the club’s You Tube channel over the next day or two.
Kennedy reckons that five years away from the Group stages of the Champions League has been too long and the big nights under the lights at Celtic Park and away from home to face some of the top sides in European football is something that has been badly missed.
“It’s great, because it’s something we’ve missed,” John Kennedy told Celtic TV. When you see them [Champions League nights] for yourself, and be part of it, it’s special. It’s one of the greatest nights you’ll see at Celtic Park. Having that again, the hysteria is building and I think everyone is looking forward to the draw and seeing who we are getting.
“Whoever we get it’s going to be tough, that’s the reality of it. At this level, every team will be strong. There will obviously be the big ties against the big clubs that the fans maybe want, but for us, whoever gets put in front of us we will attack in the same manner and we’ll test ourselves against the best. That’s what we’re here to do,” Kennedy admitted.
“It will be a real good gauge of where we are at. We know ourselves in house that we’re in a good place. We’ve had a solid start to the season, but we still know there is room there for improvement. So, the players, the staff, everyone knows there is room to grow there, and certainly when you come up against the best teams they will test that.
“They will give you a real clarity of exactly where you are at, so that will be the biggest thing coming out of it for us. It will be great to have it, there will be tremendous atmospheres and everyone is looking forward to it. But it’s really exciting for us to see how we test ourselves against the best.
“These are the games you see the reality of where you are at. Sometimes we dominate domestically, and sometimes there are faults there that don’t quite get shown up. But in these games, you have to be on top of your game. You have to continue to do what you do, and test yourself against the best, and that will show you where you’re at.
“The other side of it, and I’ve seen this many times before, is that you are actually able to go up levels, because playing against the better teams and the better opponents brings out your game even more,” the long serving Celtic coach said.
“That’s what we hope happens – we’ll soon find out – but it’s certainly an exciting time for everybody to see these games once more.” For us, as much as it’s exciting, we have to keep our minds on the job. The draw will come, that will be what it is, but we’ve got games to play before that comes around.
“It’s a bit of cliché but it’s one game at a time for us, because football can change ever so quickly, it always keeps you in check. We need to focus on what we can affect, which is the here and now and obviously the weekend, but certainly in the back of your mind you are looking forward to what the Champions League brings,” Kennedy added.
John Kennedy also had a word or two about the decent start to the season that has seen Celtic win the opening four Scottish Premiership matches against Aberdeen (2-0), Ross County (3-1), Kilmarnock (5-0) and Hearts (2-0) to go two points clear at the top of the league looking down on theRangers.
“It’s been a solid start. We’ve been scoring goals and keeping them out at the other end, so it’s a positive start. We know there’s still room for improvement and we’ll get better as the season goes on, but it’s been a very solid start,” JK said.
“For us, as much as it’s exciting, we have to keep our minds on the job,” JK said. The draw will come, that will be what it is, but we’ve got games to play before that comes around. It’s a bit of cliché but it’s one game at a time for us, because football can change ever so quickly, it always keeps you in check.
“We need to focus on what we can affect, which is the here and now and obviously the weekend, but certainly in the back of your mind you are looking forward to what the Champions League brings.
“It’s been a solid start. We’ve been scoring goals and keeping them out at the other end, so it’s a positive start.
“We know there’s still room for improvement and we’ll get better as the season goes on, but it’s been a very solid start.”
🗣️🎥 Our Assistant Manager John Kennedy speaks about the upcoming @ChampionsLeague draw on Thursday in this 𝗘𝘅𝗰𝗹𝘂𝘀𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 ONLY on #CelticTV!
Subscribe now to #CelticTV to watch in FULL!#UCL pic.twitter.com/brNTDS84Wn
— Celtic TV (@CelticTV) August 23, 2022
Mind people used to moan about Kennedy and Strachan not celebrating or smiling.
Ange’s Army
Leave it to those who are willing ✊🏻 pic.twitter.com/cVepNq0fXz
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