Be clear, Bayern Munich are lucky to still be in the Champions League. While they had most of the ball last night, Celtic controlled the game. The visitors determined the pattern of play, the pace of the game, where it would be played and the nature of chances each team would create.
That control came within 15 seconds of securing a win on the night and was enough to raise the reputation of Celtic to a level not seen in a decade. Celtic created enough excellent chances to win the tie outright. Bayern progressed as Celtic tired late on, which resulted in them dropping ever-deeper.
There are so many chasms to bridge for Celtic in Europe, but it was only the energy gap which differentiated them from one of Europe’s elite sides. The difference between playing against pedestrian opponents 40 times a season, then being plunged into an Olympic sprint in Europe, remains a challenge.
Brendan Rodgers’ decision to open with Jota and Nicolas Kuhn on the wings setup the treat that was to follow. Jota was inspired. His close control and sheer artistry was unmatched by anyone on the pitch. After an early chance beat the keeper but was clear off the line, Kuhn’s took a while to recover, but when he did, he sat Mauel Neuer on his bum and rolled the ball into the net for the opening goal.
That followed great work by Adam Idah and Daizen Maeda, both of whom were second favourites in their challenges. A winning attitude throughout the Celtic team was evident throughout. The foul on Daizen Maeda in the lead up to the Bayern goal was a mistake by VAR. Had it not been a possible red card, I think it may have been given.
Alistair Johnston was authoritative all night. The Bayern coaches must have thought, ‘Where did they find this guy?’ [More on that at a later date] Jeffrey Schlupp was a big call at left back. The player did not particularly impress me against Raith Rovers 10 days ago. He has made the most of that time to settle into Celtic as he was as imperious as were the rest of his defensive colleagues last night. I even tought Alan Shearer put in a good shift; it was that kind of night.
What is the biggest gap between two towns in Germany? Dortmund to Munich. The growth Celtic have achieved since the game against Borussia is exceptional. We are a proper Champions League side and can look forward with some confidence.
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Champions Ligue ?
Best performance since . . . ? Our passing out from the back was the best I have ever seen from us. Time and again we did it without any unforced errors.
That was a great deal better than a ‘Queens Park’ in Munich.
That was a performance.
That was quite the Tuesday wasn’t it?
Tough one to take. Well done to all players and coaches. They must be feeling totally deflated, but they should also be filled with pride and confidence at what they can achieve in future.
Been saying for years that there’s an exciting world out there waiting for us if we were prepared to break free from the shackles of old firmery and we have had a nice little taste of that.
Show even more ambition and have a vision that extends beyond the city limits (no pun intended!) and there will be more to come.
Brendan wants to establish us as a champions league club. Let’s ensure every aspect of the club is geared towards that. This is where we need to be.
Well done to Brendan and his players. That was the best I’ve seen from any Celtic side in Europe. No doubt about it.
From previous thread
McPhail Bhoy on 19th February 2025 11:49 am
Scottish Cup game v Hibs, Sunday, 9th March at 3pm!
Major takeaways for me were that Trusty is now trusted, AJ is back(!), Engels is imperious, Schlupp plays better against top quality opponents.
And Kasper, what can you say?
I hope we can build on this core to finish the domestic season with aplomb and build for pre-season and CL qualification.
Great showing lhads 🍀💚
Said to some pals that Trusty quietly cruised it too; his best show in a Selik shirt.
Calm on the ball; nice bit of pace; showed appropriate feistiness against the big Minjae defender as well.
A complete team performance from strategy to application.
As AJ said in an interview last week ‘…if you switch off for half a sec, you get punished’.
And it came to be.
No disgrace tho; just embellished reputations all round !
setting free the bears
All our signings since going off piste made telling contributions – Idah, Kasper, Kuhn, Trusty, Schlupp, Engels & Jota. The transformation in 12 months is immense.
“We are a proper Champions League side and can look forward with some confidence.”
Only if we can retain and enhance, or the cycle starts again if Khun, Maeda and Reo are sold and we have more disappointing transfer windows.
Hopefully Engels and, to a lesser extent, Idah will prove that if BR commits for a longer haul, then there is reduced risk in backing him with a higher calibre (and likely higher cost) set of projects mixed with seasoned pros, if we can win the league and qualify for next years CL.
I get a feeling tomorrows article might be back to recruitment…
“‘Where did they find this guy (AJ)?’ [More on that at a later date]”
I get that AJ, Kuhn and other gems are available but they are diamonds in the mud and we have kissed a lot of frogs along the way. If we could maintain a try to buy approach (as we did previously with Jota and CCV) we should be aiming to punch up from here as Ange talked about with an aggressive player recruitment model, even if it does perhaps does still mean selling the odd player for top whack when they want to go. I would argue Engels is a great example of that model in action.
Re: Kuhn and Maeda – I think both could be kept happy for at least a year or two with a better deal. Reo I think may be looking to move on going by some chat similar to Kyogo but I thought he had a great game last night as did almost every player.
Exciting times. Bring on the Hibs and the Dons – hopefully the nature of the exit will ensure there is no post-CL dip as we’ve seen on occasion in seasons past.
Just on the energy levels – all teams will tire. The key is to be able to bring on substitutions that keep the levels similar.
We still have a significant drop off – hence why only 2 subs from a possible 5 were used. One of them in Yang brought on because of an injury.
Bournesouprecipe, Well said
It was a pity we couldn’t hold on for a historic victory and bring the game into extra time which we thoroughly deserved.
Bayern would probably have won in extra time as we were really knackered.
However Brendan has got to be given the cash to increase the quality on the bench as unfortunately Yang is just about SPL class and is nowhere near Champions league quality.
The lack of depth from the bench was a critical factor in the match. In the final 10 minutes, it was clear that Reo and possibly Engels had run out of steam, and without Bernardo, there was a noticeable absence of fresh energy. As the game went on, the team dropped deeper, which is often a sign of fatigue and lack of options to change things up.
There’s no doubt that strengthening the squad with quality reinforcements r could make a huge difference, With the financial earnings and restoration of CL credentials we should look forward to a busy summer
Well done to Brendan and the players.
It was unusual for us to make only two substitutions. Bernardo’s absence really hurt us. We should have two players for every position, which means six for the three midfield positions. With Bernardo missing we only had four and McCowan is a purely attacking midfielder. That’s my only criticism of Brendan. Why does he dislike Holm so much? Why can’t he be coached? The same goes for Lagerbielke.
AN DUN
That , in a nutshell is why we didn’t win the game and why we probably would have lost had it gone to extra time , such was the fatigue .
Bayern were able to bring on more subs to keep up the energy levels without diluting the quality . If our bench matched the quality of the starting 11 , we would have been able to do the same and the likelihood of winning the tie would have been so much greater . That has to be our aim .
Yang is just about SPL class and is nowhere near Champions league quality.
—
There was a play last night that seen Maeda, Idah and possibly Hatate pressing all the while Yang is standing hands on hips on the half way line – the result being that Bayern easily played out his side.
After 18 months there can be no excuse for that – Yang has to at least understand the trigger for the press.
Yes, Bernardo was a big loss to come on from the bench, but, more so was James Forrest, either to start or a sub. Vastly experienced in European games. Surely 1 or 3 additions, maybe more if we lose someone in the summer, would give us that ability to maintain the press and energy for the full 90. Also, perhaps now is the ideal time to ask BR to extend his contract, would be a confirmation of where we are heading as a club, por cierto
An Dun
Engels and Kuhn both absolutely fit the model.
It’s too many of the other kind which tip the financial structure over.
Brendan Rodgers continually talks up Yang. He really seems to regard him highly. It seems we see it differently. I genuinely do agree with the manager that we are seeing a far better player now than a year ago. The question is how much further can he go in my view.
Why is it concluded that Brendan dislikes Holm and Lagerbielke. Maybe, he did not see them as ready for the first team and that they needed to go out on loan to get regular first team football. The time to make the assessment will be after this period. The judgement then will be whether they can be become meaningful players within the first team squad.
Schlupp does not fit the model but I would definitely seek to get him longer term if we can.
He is older but he has less miles on the clock than many and is versatile.
He is also pretty smart and has his non football business interests but he might well enjoy a few years of being appreciated.
As a back up to KT who is showing signs of wear and tear and as a utility option for midfield he would be a real asset.
Alongside a couple of younger replacements for those who depart he would be my priority.
BR will have seen all of the first team squad including those on loan now, his judgement on their suitability for where Celtic want to go as a team will be a coaches manager decision based on what he sees and what their stats are for fitness etc, sadly some wont be suitable, like results in football these decisions although considered can be hard for those deemed not to be what is required.
I see reports here that Celtic are lining up a friendly during the summer against Cork City.
Fill your boots Corkcelt!
Top tier 4000 supporters, at 30 Euros a pop to see the champions play.
Brendan Rodger’s Celtic side silenced the few remaining cynics once and for all, and over the last seven days now look the best coached side in Europe, never mind Bavaria.
That was their finest hour CSC ☘️
Jeff spoke after last night’s game he was articulate and expressed the feelings of the team , seems it’s not taken long for him to settle, a huge asset for the team, I hope we do attempt to sign him, fit, robust quick not easy to barge off the ball exactly what is needed and will be an asset for the team.
Very proud of our whole club last night. Bhoys were tremendous. I would like to focus on Calmac. what a player this Bhoy is and what a fantastic captain to put in front of the press. You could see the hurt and pain in his eyes, and the reporter gave him a get out of jail card with the comment about a foul on Daizen but he just brushed it aside as he wasn’t looking for excuses!!! It takes a helluva lot to be the Captain of Celtic. Look at the shoes that he has filled and replaced from years past. The Bhoy just oozes class on ands off the field. Our Bhoys promoted the name of Celtic again for all the world to see. I don’t think many of us envisioned a win or a draw last night, hoped, prayed maybe??? when some people come on the blog after a game like last night and find a negative at that moment with our club, I truly feel sorry for them because to me they REALLY don’t get what it feels to be a Celtic supporter. The Jason Cundys and Kris Boyds of the world can smile at our pain,but they will never know what it feels like to be a true fan of a club, a club like no other, Celtic Football Club. A club for everyone. Thank you Players, Brendan, Coaches, fans, and the Bhoys on this blog that make me proud to be a Celtic Supporter.
Hail Hail.
Sean
B78
Schlupp was excellent last night, everything you’d want from a player in that position with 10 years of EPL experience behind him.
However, as a back up next year to KT I’m afraid he’s a hopelessly ill-fitting choice – (relatively) huge wages, diminishing performance and no market value.
The back up to KT needs to be at the opposite end of the career path.
I do hope big Idah doesn’t take losing his place to Maeda too hard. The sense is that he needs to feel he belongs in the side, and being dropped for a big match for a winger is unlikely to help.
Aside, as others have noted, removing the glass ceiling that was the “buy young – sell high” strategy has delivered a capable team in just two windows. How we manage the evolution of the team from here will be interesting to watch.
Scottish Cup quarter-finals
Friday, 7 March – Heart of Midlothian v Dundee, kick-off 19:45 (Live on Premier Sports)
Saturday, 8 March – Aberdeen v Queen’s Park, kick-off 12.30 (Live on BBC One Scotland & iPlayer)
Sunday, 9 March – Celtic v Hibernian, kick-off 15:00 (Live on Premier Sports)
Monday, 10 March – Livingston v St Johnstone, kick-off 19:45 (Live on BBC Scotland & iPlayer)
A real top quality performance over the tie, brave, bold, intelligent and full of individual and team excellence. Expertly managed by Brendan.
A fitting way to end the champions league campaign.
Stop gap Schlupp.
The only way is Schlupp
Burnley78 on 19th February 2025 1:13 pm
“Brendan Rodgers continually talks up Yang. He really seems to regard him highly.”
We do see that differently. I find BR is quite condescending of Yang – he talks up his attributes I find but can seem a bit back handed when complimenting him as a player for me; “bless him” type patter in there saying he worked on shooting all week then scored with a header for example ?
If JF was fit I don’t think he’d be getting much time though I think there are signs of progress though I am still not convinced, defensively and in the press as well as final ball/decision making for me.
philcool on 19th February 2025 1:49 pm
“The only way is Schlupp”
baby! for you and me now, the only way is Schlupp
Yazz (and the Plastic Population?) was it?
I can hear the fans singing it already :)
Wee Greg’s a chancer, Schlupp is the answer?
Shoorly Schlupp shtays.
THE BATTERED BUNNET on 19TH FEBRUARY 2025 1:35 PM
I would say it but I think putting our improved results down to a change on strategy is a bit simplistic. Our key players in the campaign were already at the club, signed as part of the old strategy, I think the £40 million we’ve spent over the two windows, with more young players added to the usual experience we do also sign, could easily have provided as good or better quality. None of our new signings had been a stand out yet, without Kuhn’s form in the earlier part of the group stage I don’t think we get through.
I think the step change is our tactics. We have a very good football manager who had a blind spot in Europe. The change since Dortmund is obvious, Atalanta was a bit of a watershed in terms of how we approach more difficult games. Our players have the sort of confidence in a new system that only results can bring
We have had luck with the draw for the first time in a while, but the realism we’ve showed with our approach is what’s really different tgis season for me.
Lessons learned by everyone