Celtic floored by lack of mobility

I don’t know if there is a good way to go out of Europe but that was certainly not one.  Copenhagen won their first match by more than a solitary goal since 3 November.  That they had a two-month winter break since then is not a mitigating factor.  We could not have hoped for a better opponent in the knock-out stage of a European competition.

Neil Lennon was correct to say individual errors was to blame; he was also correct in not throwing players under the bus, but this does not tell the whole story.  Copenhagen, tactically and individually, played the game of their season.  They knew what to do to leave Glasgow with a result and set about doing it.

Celtic were the better team until Copenhagen took the lead, but that superiority never overwhelmed the visitors.  In particular, we were short in midfield, where Copenhagen had greater mobility.  Odsonne Edouard was a spectator for much of the game and he often found himself surrounded with three defenders when the ball came his way.

Christopher Jullien was very good, Mohamed Elyounoussi was a real danger until the tank ran dry.  The same affliction befell Tom Rogic, who looked dead on his feet long before the second Copenhagen goal.

While this was a poor performance and dreadful result, it does not compare to the Cluj defeat in August.  Going out of the Europa League at this stage, the last sixteen or quarterfinals makes little difference.  As I said a few days ago, this week’s biggest game in St Johnstone on Sunday.  That becomes our immediate focus.