After the two matches against AIK I expressed my anger at us having lost at home to Cluj. They aren’t that great a team.
We had the beating of them. We should have taken them at Celtic Park but suicidal tactical decisions did for us, and that becomes clearer with every passing day.
The team was sensational last night in Stockholm; we should have knocked Cluj out with ease.
They are not a good side. Prague took care of them with some ease.
At Celtic Park our defending was awful, but there was more than that, of course. The manager’s mistakes were shocking. He has denied that his decisions were responsible for the defeat, but let’s be honest, he has to know that he got it badly wrong that night.
His comments today are revealing.
He’s looking forward to this one, and you can tell.
He wants to put this right, and I’d like to see him do it for more reasons than just the result.
It’s his one major error since he returned to the club and I have to believe that it burns him and that he wants to settle up. I will be glad for the manager if he avenges that night, and that will be good for the team and also for the fans. This was a good draw for us.
Celtic is facing a very difficult group.
Lazio and Rennes are quality sides from quality leagues and we’ll need to be on our toes against them both. There’s just enough to these teams to give us real tests, and just enough vulnerability that we could get something especially at Parkhead. It might not be my favourite competition, but there’s stuff to look forward to.
Cluj will not have enjoyed the draw.
They know that on another night we’d have put their lights out, and coming to Celtic Park will not be an experience they look forward to.
The ideal outcome here is for us to show them up right, see them finish bottom of the group with zero points and to have to acknowledge that on the night in the Champions League a combination of factors came together at just the wrong moment for us … and they plain got lucky.
Rout them Celtic, the way we did AIK.
Show them what we’re really all about.
The CelticBlog is your site, and it thrives with your support. Please share our articles on social media, and subscribe to receive updates whenever we post a new piece. Remember, we have a Facebook page for all the articles and a Facebook Group for discussions about the pieces and other issues, and you can follow us on Twitter and on Celtic News Now.