In July when we started this European campaign if you’d have told me it would have finished in a 5-0 Agg hammering by Juventus I’d have laughed at you. For me we should have dispatched of Helsinki then looked forward to the next round, praying for a decent draw that would see us with a chance of making the group stages. We were off to Helsingborgs after that and I fully expected Celtic to progress, and we did so, remarkably winning 2-0 away from home before completing the job at Celtic Park.
Now then, when the draw was made I was more than confident of Celtic reaching the last 16 of the Champions League. Barcelona are a great team and sure as they did, ran away with the group. Moscow aren’t any great shakes and are more than capable of being beaten. Benfica were a funny one, they’d sold their engine room on deadline day and were left weakened. Can I be honest? I fancied us for the last 16. When I saw we had Benfica first I thought magic, get them done then go and get a point over in Moscow before the double header with Barca. Alas we reversed results, draw 0-0 in a very poor game with Benfica before amazingly beating Moscow away with a terrific Samaras header resulting in our first ever away win.
Then the Barca double header. Don’t get humiliated away, win at home. That was my thoughts on it. I knew we could beat Barca at home, we can beat anyone at home. Then 92 minutes into the first Barca game, I thought we were going to get a point before a brutal last minute winner broke my heart. For the first time since 2005 when McDonald scored 2 against us, I’d felt real genuine heartache at a goal being scored in at Celtic. I was empty, broken and determined that no matter what happened in the return game, nothing would erase that empty feeling inside me. Don’t get me wrong I was still proud of a few Celtic players that night, some were absolutely heroic.
I was proved right, on our 125th Birthday when our very own Tony Watt went through and burst the net, I went right through the roof of the pub, everyone and anyone got a hug, drinks were spilled, tables were moved and throats were tested to their absolute limits. But I still couldn’t shake that feeling from 2 weeks previous. I’m not even a pessimistic Celtic fan. On Twitter I take a very comical/negative look at the games but If truth be told I don’t want strangers knowing I’m hurt. Barca hurt me in a way I’d never felt before. Beating them was great but still, I don’t know why, I just felt empty.
Benfica away, we only need a point to qualify, well a score draw to be precise. Benfica score then what we thought was deliverance. Sammy header. 1-1 but just like we had in the previous game against Benfica we took them for granted and they popped one in. We then had to beat Moscow and hope Benfica couldn’t win in Barcelona. I was raging that night, I didn’t want to take a reflective look and be proud of what had already happened in the group. If truth be told I was adamantly expectant on qualifying for the last 16. We’d won away. We’d beaten the best team in the group. So why shouldn’t I expect us to go through?
Go through we did as somehow Benfica couldn’t take advantage of the fact Barcelona were trying to score for them and a late Commons penalty ensured Celtic with 10 points knocked out Benfica with 8. Right so we were there in the last 16. Yes all expectations to this point had been appeased. But hey, expectations grow. We wanted Celtic to have a right good go at whoever we got in the last 16.
Juventus came out the hat along with Celtic. Juventus were probably the happiest team in the competition at that stage. I don’t know why this time, but I did really fancy Celtic to go through. Maybe their previous exploits had tricked me into thinking we could go through. But the tie was over as soon as it started as Matri scored at Celtic Park. I’ll tell ye for why the tie finished on that moment. Celtic gave up. Twitter became a this is your life neil lennon tribute act and started talking about the Barca game BEFORE THE JUVE GAVE WAS EVEN FINISHED! Juve added another 2 goals that further planted our European campaign into the ground.
For 2 weeks. Twitter was awash with the reflective nonsense, they’d already gave up. People were more interested in talking about Celtic beating Barcelona WHICH WAS SO LAST YEAR BTW, than wanting to find out where it all went wrong against Juve. No tactical discussions, no logical explanations, just avoiding the elephant in the room. We’d just been f**ked 3-0 at home in the Champions League and everyone had total kacked out of wanting to discuss it.
Then the last week. Twitter was full of this  blind faith that we were going to go over to Juventus and win. I never wanted to believe for a minute but I’ll admit I did start thinking what if? a wee early goal here or there but nope not to be. People were convinced we’d get a penalty over in Turin. The ref was only ever going to give Juve free kicks for pushing in the box because thats what referees do. We lost another two totally unavoidable goals and crashed out 5-0.
Some would say they’re proud because for the last 25 minutes all you heard was ‘here we go 10 in a row’ and I’d like to take this opportunity to praise the Celtic fans for actually going to Turin in the first place. Each person that was there was a credit to themselves and Celtic. They do deserve immense praise for their efforts to galvanise some sort of effort from their team in defeat thats not my problem.
My problem is that folks would rather hide behind our amazing fans than dare ask questions. Thats not right. People shouldn’t fear other Celtic fans. I want to know where it went wrong v Juventus. I want to know why we decided to completely kack it out of a european tie. I don’t want to sit and continuously praise the Celtic supporters. Its no surprise that they travelled in their numbers and gave it laldy. God bless every single one of them. But c’mon people don’t hide behind that, ask questions. Its good to be curious.
So I’m sitting here thinking What If Celtic? What if we didn’t decide to save our worst performance for the last 16? What if we didn’t go running crying to the referee and instead stood up to Juventus ourselves? What if Neil Lennon trusted Anthony Stokes? What if we didn’t play right into Juve’s hands? Every single one of Juve’s goals against us came off of a Celtic attack. We could of won the tie 5-0!
As Celtic’s reputation in Europe rises, and deservedly so, why shouldn’t my expectations? Why should I be happy just to be there? I’m chuffed to have been invited to the party, but I don’t want to sit myself.
If we deserve praise for getting to the last 16 on our budget does that then cheapen on SPL wins because we spend more money than every other team?
To sum up, Thank you Celtic for what have been some of the best nights in my life. Samaras’ goals in Barcelona/Moscow will live with me forever, its the moments I’ll remember most not the results. I just wish we’d have carried our belief on into the last 16, I think we let ourselves down when it really mattered.
Who knows, but the eternally unanswered question will go on.
What If, Celtic?
Celtic gave up …. at 1-0. What a load of f****** Ballocks.
Wasn’t enough fight in the team mate, I’m shocked as we’d showed so much heart in the previous 6 games, but the tie was as good as over at 1-0
The disaster that Ambrose is strikes again in Turin.
Why Lennon continues with this idiot is way beyond my comprehension.
i have to disagree with u. i thought we played really well in our 2 games with juve. we had the most possesion and 32 attempts on goal. what cost us was some basic errors and not having lady luck on our side. we carried alot of luck in most of our european games, it just ran out.
if there was one game where we didnt perform it was benfica away but to say we gave up against juve is unfair. i think we got tought a valueble lesson against them, the balance in defence and attack(very clinical) was excellent, something we must learn to do at the highest level.
well done to celtic, more of the same next season.
Juventus did to us what we did to Barcelona. Juve let us have the ball we didn’t press them high enough in the first game. The damage was done after 90 minutes. I do come across as very critical but that’s just because I feel its a chance wasted. Still though, chuffed with the overall campaign
I think that I agree with you both if that is possible. The team did well, winning through a group where Benfica and Spartak didn`t even rate us.
Against Juventus luck wasn`t on our side but tactical errors were also made and the selection of Efe just after he got off a plane from South Africa can be questioned.
Hopefully the team can perk up to give us some happy days in the next couple of months.
Last 16 better than expected BUT- striking poor-terrible shooting.High ball into box that Celtic players seldom get onto ? Things aren’t as bright as they seem ! Struggle against St Johnstone,defeat to Motherwell,likely defeat to Ross County this Saturday.Run of defeats at Hampden.Need class Centre Back,creative mid-fielder,and Big Striker.A Double Please.
Glass half empty, fella?
I don’t know where the “likely defeat to Ross County” comment comes from..
I agree that we pumped too many balls into the box, bread and butter to defenders like Juventus’, but things look exceptionally bright.. Onwards and upwards!
The stats say that we had 32 shots or chances to score over the two legs. Nearly every shot on target was hit straight at Buffon. I think that we need a sports psychologist more than a coach. Players that score great goals every week seemed overwhelmed in front of goal against Juve.
Thats something glaring I missed! Even the Hooper deflection took the ball back into the path of Buffon! Catching practice for the legend it seemed
We played well in both matches, individual mistakes and the fact Juventus just have that extra quality won the tie for them, certainly no shame in losing to the Italian champions. Easy to forget this is Lennon first CL campaign as a manager and its the first CL campaign for most of our players.
To say we’ve let ourselves down in the last 16 is nonsense mate, it really is..
Its all about opinions mate and yours is valid, theres no shame in losing to Juventus and for his first CL campaign Lennon has done brilliantly as well as the players. Just can’t help but feel that Juve were there for the taking, certainly after the first half of the first leg
As Neil Lennon said there is a huge gap in the cost of the two teams, but, it still can be done.
There was probably the same gap between Inter and Celtic all those years ago but we done it.
There is the same gap between us and the rest of the SPL,but we still get beat.
For my money the tie was lost because of dreadful schoolboy errors when defending.
Izaguirre is a classic case in point, the number of goals we have lost in the last few weeks with him ball watching and allowing forwards in behind to score is ridiculous. (Juventus’s second goal being almost a carbon copy of Motherwells second two weeks ago.)
Sure we needed to score to win the tie but if we had been perhaps just the one goal behind going to Turin we were still in with a decent chance,however despite us playing in my, opinion, as good as we have all season at Celtic park, to give away three cheap goals was game over.
We still can be proud of the team for getting as far as they did. We now need to concentrate on winning the double to ensure the season doesn’t end with a whimper !.
To that end I would say to all the players who want to “further their careers elswhere” ‘thanks for your efforts to date but you will be on the bench for the rest of the season’,and concentrate on the players who want to play for THAT jersey and further their careers with Celtic.
Just my opinion.
Hail Hail to Celtic fans everywhere
I think my whole disappointed was based on the fact we had nothing to play for Turin. Credit to Juve they had all the answers to us but I’m just deflated about the fact we seemed to go out without a whimper
Had to add.What in Gods name was Samaras doing for 90 minutes when we had an actual goalscorer sitting on the bench.No offence to Neil but he seems incapable of seeing past the Greek.He was only mentioned a couple of times in whole match by commentators and,before anyone mentions the ‘Hooper miss’,the ball was hit so hard it was past everyone before they realised.Does anyone else not realise he is a perennial passenger.As for Captain-dont make me laugh.
I said as much to my friends last week, every European game no matter whos playing well or whos struggling, Samaras is the name on everyone’s lips before the big games. I think the big man is a bumper but Juve had sussed us out, they must’ve been delighted when he didn’t play the first leg and even more so he did in the second as the tie was over and they knew to isolate him out the game.
Think your telling porkie pies!!! NO fan thought we would have made the last 16 beating Barca along the way. At best we thought a good fight was on the cards to get the Europa league spot.
So in reality we have gone beyond our wildest dreams this season in Europe.
Where I agree is that I feel a little disappointment at not getting the treble but if we manage a double then I think this has been a magical season and the building block for many more.
Thanks Neil Lennon and the team for a wonderful European adventure.
WE’LL BE BACK
HAIL HAIL
Why not? I’m sure you like to tell your friends that Celtic are a big massive team worldwide? So Why not qualify for the last 16? Why not watch us match Barca for 90 mins in the nou camp then think we’ll beat them at home? IF you’d have saw my twitter in the weeks leading up to the home game you’d know I was truly all over Celtic
Lads, just something added on for the blog, regarding the first 6 group games. IMO, We showed Barca, Benfica and Spartak far too much respect and got very little in return. Juventus studied us and showed us the utmost respect and I don’t think Celtic returned it. I don’t think we scouted them properly for me