Paradise Lost for Celtic
Despite dominating the game, Neil Lennon's side were knocked out of Champions League by Hungarian champions Ferencvaros.
There is no greater sight than Celtic in full flow on the pitch at Celtic Park on a European night, but just like the atmosphere in the empty stadium, the players were empty jerseys on Wednesday night as they crashed out of the second qualifying round of the Champions League to Ferencvaros 2-1.
I purposely left my critique of Celtic’s defeat until now to let the dust settle a bit and to take stock, and in all honesty my opinion hasn’t changed since the full time whistle. We blew another Champions League campaign once again. It wasn’t the board’s fault, it wasn’t bad luck, it wasn’t the referee to blame, it wasn’t down to a Dundee United defender sticking the boot into Edouard at Tannadice - it was all down to the management and players on the night.
There is no denying that we dominated proceedings, that we were the better side [on paper at least] but when it mattered most the players and management were found wanting and no amount of excuses will whitewash over that.
Yes, Edouard was out injured due to some rough housing during our 1-0 win over Dundee United at the weekend but Lennon’s decision to use Ryan Christie as a makeshift striker instead of using Ajeti or Klimala was a major error on the manager’s even before the game kicked off. Christie may have scored on the night - but he was ineffective in the forward position and the goal actually came from a position that he normally takes up as an attacking midfielder - from outside the box.
Other than that selection, the team itself ahead of kick off looked good enough to down the Hungarians if they played to their strengths - but games are won on the pitch and this is where Celtic failed. We may have limited the opposition to chances, but they were clearly a threat on the counter attack and it looked like little analysis was done ahead of the time - especially when we had Hatem El Hamed and Scott Brown at times as the last man when we had a corner or free kick in the opposition half. The lack of speed - as well as indecision from El Hamed - cost us the second goal. The goal that knocked us out of the competition.
Despite a number of fans criticising Barkas’ performance there was little he could do with either of their goals. The first was a superbly taken strike that he could do nothing to stop, likewise the second cannot be laid at his feet. Both goals could have been prevented however.
Their first goal could have been prevented if Ajer and Jullien had not been out of position, if our players didn’t casually stroll out of the box and Scott Brown wasn’t left in no man’s land with three Ferencvaros. If our central defensive pairing were in their actual positions, it would have limited the chances of a long range shot getting through. Likewise, if our players had raced out after the ball was cleared then the Ferencvaros goalscorer would not have had the time to control the ball and his composure before firing such a sweet strike into the back of the net - and that would have not seen Brown left in no man’s land by himself.
Simple enough. There was a complete lack of urgency not only in this one instance but throughout the match and this is a failure of management as much as the players failing to do the basics.
I touched briefly on the second goal we conceded after the failure of El Hamed to properly put in a challenge and clear the ball. What he should have done is what Frimpong did later on in the match after coming on as a substitute, when the Celtic defence was caught out with the counter once again. The youngster put in a determined and strong tackle to deny the Hungarians to add a potential third and while hindsight is a wonderful thing - the pace of Frimpong in those short minutes he was on the pitch for caused trouble for the opposition and this leads me on nicely to the issue of substitutions.
Just like the failure to play a recognised striker from kick off, Lennon’s failure to make a single change until the 78th minute was criminal. Everyone saw in the first half that Christie up front wasn’t working and that Brown was ineffective and off the pace. Replacing Brown early in the second half, moving Ntcham and Christie back to accommodate Ajeti up front would have definitely helped our offensive play. But it took the 78th minute to bring on Ajeti - when we were already 2-1 down. Likewise, replacing El Hamed earlier other than after he failed to clear the threat ahead of their second goal could very well have seen Frimpong not only cut out the threat early but also produce more threatening play in the Ferencvaros half.
And when we were chasing for an equaliser in the dying minutes, rather than changing things up and bringing on Klimala - a recognised striker - he left him on the bench and instead sent Ajer and Jullien up front to try to nick a header. Both of whom, had been ineffective at set pieces all match.
As I said before, hindsight is a wonderful thing but the fans could spot these issues quite easily yet Lennon failed to react and this is a clear failure on his part as much as the poor defensive play from the players.
What made it even more galling was Lennon’s post-match comments about players not wanting to be at the club, such comments are nothing more than excuses to try to pass the buck. We ridiculed Rangers and Steven Gerrard numerous times for his tactic of throwing the players under the bus to deflect from his failings - but now Lennon did likewise and he too should be treated with the same amount of criticism for this.
His post-match comment about the game being ‘easier’ that what he thought it was going to be, was downright laughable also. This is the last thing you should say after losing, it makes you look like an absolute clown and taking the fans for mugs. As the Ferencvaros head coach Sergei Rebrov said, “….football is about scoring goals, not about the possession of the ball."
It was Celtic’s earliest exit in the Champions League for 15 years and that must lead to more than players and management being read the riot act. It will almost certainly spell the end of several players’ careers at Celtic whether it is through their own choice of not.
Many will argue, myself included, that despite paying more on wages than our opposition we are not a Champions League side. We may see ourselves as one but our level is of a Europa League side whether we would like to admit it or not. Defeats against Cluj, AEK Athens and now Ferencvaros in the Champions League qualifiers in the past three seasons is evidence of this fact. All three teams on paper, weaker than ours, but on the pitch we can’t cut it.
Again that comes down to the players and management rather than the board failing to invest in players.
Neil Lennon is culpable in Wednesday’s defeat - no one can argue against that fact without looking crazy. He must take the lions share of the blame. He chose the team, he chose the tactics, he chose not to play with a striker up front until 12 minutes from time, he chose not to make a substitution until the 78th minute mark, he chose not to bring on a striker until we were 2-1 down with minutes of the game remaining, he chose to send his two defenders up front in the dying minutes of the game rather than the other striker we had warming the bench. No amount of post-match finger pointing towards players allegedly not wanting to be at the club will mask Lennon’s abject failures on the night.
Lennon continues to live off THAT result against Barcelona and the loyalty that fans have for him as a former player and captain, but he is clearly out of his depth in Europe and sentimentality needs to be thrown out of the door followed swiftly by Lennon no matter what happens in the league this season.
This season’s exit just like the previous years will cost Celtic tens of millions and no wonder Peter Lawwell’s head was in his hands at the thought. It is his job to balance the books to make Celtic profitable and to do that now will almost certainly lead to player sales - with Ntcham and Ajer two that look odds on to be heading out of the door, while Edouard our biggest prized asset one that we cannot afford to lose now no matter what the offer is.
One thing is clear however, if Celtic exited out of the Champions League at the hands of anyone else other than Lennon then the likes of John Hartson and Chris Sutton would have been demanding their head - as they did from day one with Ronny Deila - but you won’t hear them saying anything bad about their pal Lennon that’s for sure. They won’t be as venomous in their abuse and criticism of Celtic under Lennon as they were under Deila. Even Rodgers was afforded their respect despite Celtic being on the end of absolute pummellings in Europe - despite his clear failings also.
Ultimately, keeping Lennon in the job could prove to be a huge gamble that Lawwell could ill afford to make when looking to qualify for another Champions League - if or when we win 10-in-a-row. Which is at greater risk of not happening now than ever before. Not because, Rangers are superior or a greater risk than what they have been before - nothing I have seen has changed my mind on them - it is Celtic who are the greatest threat to 10-in-a-row. The managerial failings, the individual player mistakes at the back, the inability to take our chances going forward, and by the looks of it our camp being divided under a manager who is happy to throw them under the bus one minute and the next act as if everything is rosey.
Europa League group stages is a MUST for Celtic anything less than there needs to be a close hard look at the position of Neil Lennon as manager. Yes, ten-in-a-row is and always has been the prize - but the failure to reach a European group stage competition is a dereliction of duty and all faith I have of Celtic securing 10-in-a-row under his management would evaporate more so than it has at this moment in time.
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