For a right few years now one of the themes that we return to over and over again here is the one about Ibrox’s “brilliant” European record. It doesn’t stand up to scrutiny. But they are apparently more capable of getting results in those competitions than we are.
That’s a consequence of them taking those competitions seriously and having enough experience in their side that they cope with them in a way that Celtic don’t. We don’t help ourselves with our club policies, and our style of play does not lend itself to getting continental results. To be blunt, we put too much focus on attacking football for our own good.
Like everything else, European football is about trade-offs. To properly prepare for it, you need to play in a manner that is suited to it, and that style of play doesn’t translate well domestically.
Rodgers is trying to walk the middle path. Postecoglou didn’t even bother to. One of the reasons we did so well in Europe under Strachan is that he played that deadening sort of football which hits on the counter and gets those sorts of results in massive matches.
It is not always pretty. But in European terms (and in domestic terms; we won three titles in a row under Strachan, which few enough Celtic bosses have ever done) it worked. My way of looking at it last year was that we can either have Ange-Ball or we can have something far less attractive but that on the continent might be more effective. Give Rodgers credit in that he’s making an effort. His gung-ho approach in his first spell here was a costly mess.
And of course, in trying to play that way domestically … disastrous. Awful to watch and terrible for our form with players who can’t handle the system.
There are two other reasons why the Ibrox side gets results in Europe whilst we appear to struggle. The first is obvious; they play in the second-tier tournament whilst we’re playing football with the big boys.
The gap between the Champions League and the Europa League has never been this vast, and the reason I was not terribly disappointed to see Ibrox get a place in this stage from second place in the Groups was that a drop into the Conference League sees the quality decline massively again, to the point where with the right draw they might have been contenders.
The Champions League is a killing field. Their fate the last time they were there was an annihilation, and vindicated everything this blog had said the season before during their march to the Europa League Final with seven wins in twenty-one games. That they would be found out and humiliated on that bigger, more unforgiving stage. Oh, and how.
But there’s another reason they’ve done comparatively well in the Europa League these past few seasons, and it’s simple enough; they carry incredible, almost supernatural, levels of luck. They have a knack for drawing teams who are in challenging circumstances, whether that’s full-blown crisis of form or carrying major injury issues or whatever else it might be.
I would take their luck any day. We never seem to get the rub of the green in the way they do. Last night was a case in point, playing a Benfica side badly off form and in the midst of a club meltdown which already threatens the manager’s job. They looked every inch a side in disarray, with players all over the pitch looking scared of their own shadow.
Their football was very one dimensional; everything they did, they played through Di Maria. Goldson tried, in vain, to get him sent off at the end of the game; I almost wish he had because it would have forced a second leg rethink and one is badly necessary because if they play such a transparent system at Ibrox they’ll be lucky not to be on the end of a defeat.
As it is, I think the Ibrox club are the favourites to get through.
I would not want to be playing in the lesser tournament, although our board might have condemned us to that fate for next season. I would not particularly want to play their style of football, because I think they were poor last night and usually are.
But man oh man, I’ll take their luck any day of the week, especially in drawing teams who are falling apart at the seams, and whose managers look like people waiting to be put out of their misery.
Truth is we’re barely at the level of the conference. We wouldn’t make a dent in that competition, not even a ding.
The club is an amateurish mess, top to bottom thanks to Desmond and Lawwell.
Let’s be honest:
if we got to the Final of the Europa Conference League,
we’d all be going mental, with 100K+ 🙂 heading to the
host city.
We’ve been denied a decent European run for so long,
that progress in any one of the 3 competitions would be a welcome change?
But our Board ‘doesn’t do Europe’, apparently… 🙁
Good result for them, nae denyin that. As usual tho, the media hype here beggars belief. Even tho Benfica, who have their problems right now, were clearly a far better side and ye could see they were misfirin all over the park, they still created enough chances tae have been out of sight. How many corners did they get for instance ? Seemed like they were gettin one just about every 5 mins. It’s the usual media trouser-wettin reaction from the usual suspects. Every chance the ibrox club could get through this tie, tho first good team they come up against that has it’s act together they’re out. Nae doubt about that imo and back tae reality.
It would be good if we could do it on both fronts the way they do but they finally got better than us on both fronts this season unfortunately…
Their big bulky physical guys have done well for them in Europe while our lightweight after lightweight that Sonny Lawwell spunked millions on simply haven’t and I doubt they would’ve managed it in The Europa League either had they went through the trapdoor to it in December –
One thing which is an amazing anomaly (but not really an amazing anomaly when you factor in the cheats with whistles flags and monitors in Scotland) is that Sevco have had 6 penalties against them in only 21 games in Europe but had the same 6 penalties against them in an incredible 153 games in not so Bonnie Scotland !
Tells us all we need to know about Scottish Football for certain !
To be fair, we would have lost that game in Portugal.
Everything you have just written was my exact thoughts last night as I watched the horrors from ibrox
People can debate their record in Europe, and they seem to like the Europa League, judging by recent seasons. They’ll argue all day long that they’re brilliant on that stage blah blah blah, but there is certainly obvious proof of the luck they do seem to benefit from !
Two very poor teams last night and I expect Sevco to advance.
Nevertheless, the only thing I care about is our club and our club starting to invest and prepare properly for Europe. God willing, we win this title and get a crack at CL yet again. However, no point if we continue to persist with the lack of investment, and the recruitment ‘model,’ we’ve used for far too long, and which doesn’t work!
The question of success, brings us back to our unambitious, frugal board.
Till we get the necessary overhaul in the boardroom, a proper structure and plan, reform of officials and governance, levels of professionalism in every department and buy ‘ game changers,’ rather than projects, then we shall stay stagnant.
Let’s see if we can finish this season with an unbeaten run, win this title and hopefully get the requisite changes and massive cobwebs blown away ! Win or lose this title , shall we see anything of significance ever change?
How can they be a poor side if their squad value is millions plus ,according to the commentator the winger is on a £108 m pre-contract. Also james I love you to bits but they
been doing this for years we couldn’t get past the qualifiers and it pains me to say this ,if it wasn’t due to there co efficient we wouldn’t have got into the champions league group stages and that’s a facts.
We need a board that backs the team and manager before any of us that will or can ever happen.
Wishful thinking that’s way beyond our current board desires for the club. HH
To be brutally frank ,James people in England see sevco doing well in Europe and think they’re great,no one down here sees Motherwell beating them or us for that matter,as I’ve said in many occasions Scottish teams are judged on how they do in Europe that’s the only time anyone outside Scotland mentions how good or bad we are ,they see the SPFL as a 2 horse diddy league and I’m not sure they’re wrong.We as a club need to start making a name for ourselves in Europe again otherwise it is just a diddy league, unfortunately we’ve got liewell and desmond in charge and they don’t give a fuck how we do as long as the ST money comes in and with that attitude they are dragging the manager down with them because his hands are tied behind his back.
I think we need to be much fairer. Our record in Europe is nothing short of shocking (CL and EL). We reached UEFA final in 2003 and last 8 in 2004. – yes 20 years ago!!! Since the Ibrox club have reached a UEFA final and have a much much better better record than us in Europe. WE need to accept our club is not managing its resources well, we have a MASSIVE financial advantage over our rivals but they sit top of the league, have the league cup in the bank and could be on course for a treble. And continue to get decent results in Europe. If you were to pick a Celtic/Ibrox 11 on current form they would have more players in it as our defence has been woeful. Butland, Tavernier, Goldson, CCV Yilmaz. McGregor, O’Reily, Diomede, Lawrence, Idah, Kyogo. And that is being generous. Point is we have MILLIONS in the bank – they have invested in their squad better than us. Our leadership needs to lead or step aside they are shocking. INVEST PROPERLY IN THE SQUAD SOME OF OUR SIGNING ARE ABSOLUTELY AWFUL
How can they be a poor side if their squad value is millions plus ,according to the commentator the winger is on a £108 m pre-contract. Also james I love you to bits but they
been doing this for years we couldn’t get past the qualifiers and it pains me to say this ,if it wasn’t due to there co efficient we wouldn’t have got into the champions league group stages and that’s a facts.
Our horrendous European record ties in beautifully with Peter Lawwell being at the club. These are no coincidences these are proof of failure.