Paradox for Celtic as Lazio and Rennes both sit third domestically

Lazio won their ninth successive Serie A game at the weekend, a club record.  Currently, the second longest winning streak in the league is two games.  They are third in the table, three points off top.  They have not dropped a point since before their first game against Celtic in October, and in that time they beat Juventus in the league and Supercoppa Italiana.

Apart from the two defeats to Celtic, the only other game they have failed to win in this sequence was the Europa dead rubber in Rennes.

Not that Rennes are a pushover.  They have not dropped a point in five Ligue 1 games since their loss at Celtic Park in November, a run that puts them in third place.  By contrast, Moussa Dembele’s Lyon, who are twelfth in Ligue 1, qualified for the Champions League knockout stage.

Were it not for one horrible performance we would be glowing at the halfway point of the season.  We won a remarkable Europa League group, picked up our customary League Cup and sailed through the league campaign until a December, when a few narrow wins were a portent to a painful defeat.  This does not make achieving the improvement that is required easier.  Paradoxically, revisions need to take place on the side that won their Europa group to ensure we improve in the SPFL.