Former Celtic manager Neil Lennon has suggested this season’s Champions League campaign could be a “stepping stone” for his former club to progress.
Celtic have competed to varying degrees in their four Group F fixtures so far but have failed, due to a combination of errant finishing and individual errors against high-quality opposition.
Now manager of Omonia Nicosia in Cyprus, who face the second of two games against Erik ten Hag’s Manchester United tonight, Lennon was asked about Celtic’s Champions League efforts during his pre-match press conference. match.
As Glasgow Live reported, he said: “Celtic are going to be disappointed because much like us they missed a lot of good chances to win the game. They haven’t been outplayed in many games at all.
“It’s a stepping stone if you want to call it that. The club will want more and I’m sure Ange will too.
“Just accept it for what it is. Learn from it and hopefully come back next year and be strong for it. Everything is cyclical with Scottish clubs for the minute with the Champions League.
Lennon was keen to stress the value of experience at this level, with Celtic in the competition proper for the first time since the 2017-18 season under manager Brendan Rodgers.
He said: “They are really novices. I know it sounds a bit silly, but they haven’t played there in four or five years. It’s like starting from scratch in the Champions League and finding your bearings and performing well.
“Maybe both teams could finish third in the group and have a run in Europe. Maybe that’s where they are right now. There has to be a reality to that too. They don’t spend tens of millions of pounds as other clubs do.
“It’s a blue ribbon event. It’s the hardest to compete in, as I know from my experiences as a player and a coach. It will be bitterly disappointing, but it has been very exciting for them in their time there.
Lennon okay but far from flawless in Celtic’s Champions League inexperience
Lennon’s assessment of Celtic’s Champions League campaign is reasonable and largely correct, the Postecoglou side have fought well against teams with far greater financial resources and only the best margins have kept them from take more than their solitary point in the group so far.
However, Celtic had two chances to reach the group stages in Lennon’s second term as manager, losing at home to CFR Cluj and Ferencvaros in consecutive seasons, eventually qualifying for the Europa League two-way. occasions.
Although the resource gap in the tournament proper is significant between teams in the top five leagues and everyone outside of a small handful of regulars, Celtic have stalled against teams with financial might. vastly inferior, so he might have few complaints about having to fight for scraps. far from the top of European football.
Teams like Club Brugge have shown that sustained involvement in the Champions League can give teams from weaker nations a fighting chance, and Celtic appear to be on the right track under Postecoglou, despite the lack of results so far.
In other news: Former teenage Celtic hero Marshall anticipates the strange return of Paradise
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