Can we make Parkhead a fortress again?

All the talk of a good draw in this CL goes out the window if we don’t beat Bratislava in that first game. We need to go out there and get a win on the board and some points. After that we have three really tough ties in Dortmund and Atalanta away and Leipzig at home sneaking one win or a couple of draws out of those games would set us up for the run of Brugge, Zagreb and Young boys games. I am hoping we can get 2 wins and a draw from them and the Villa game at the end is a free hit as I think something between 10-14 points should be enough to get a playoff space

 

I feel we're a long way from making Celtic Park a fortress again in Europe. The evidence of the last 10 years suggests this is blind faith more than anything.

With that said, we have another favourable draw to start to change things. I make that three good draws on the bounce now. Something has got to give eventually. There's no way we'll keep getting this lucky so we really need to make it count.

I agree to an extent with @Patrick Bateman in the sense that last year wasn't great and I think some fans are getting carried away about our alleged progress. It would have been worse than the year before but for our last minute winner in a dead rubber vs Feyenoord. The stats were very similar, if not worse in some aspects. I made a thread about it here before the Feyenoord game: https://www.talkceltic.net/forums/threads/cl-2022-23-vs-2023-24.156225/#post-7564653

While it was positive to get that monkey off our back, the performances weren't anything special. We made the same mistakes we always make. We need to be more savvy and psychologically stronger in these games. We were probably slightly less open, but not to the extent some are suggesting.

Think Rodgers' in game management needs to improve in the CL. Many of those sides were there for the taking last year, but we were too slow to react or make a proactive change. Felt like Rodgers was slightly lagging behind in the dugout because whenever an opposition manager changed something, we struggled to adapt. The games were won and lost in those moments imo.

So yeah, I'm not getting carried away at all. But we have a really good chance this time, no doubt about it.

 

We need to be so savvy in these games, fall when we are being hounded for the ball. We see them all do it European teams , takes possession from them and let's us regroup. I don't mean diving and so on but just be a lil cuter when we are under some pressure

 

Win out first Champions League match 7-1 and take it from there

 

I think we will see a different, more cohesive Celtic this season in the Champions League. The change in personnel will have greatly helped Brendan to be better able to shape the team he wants on the pitch. Possibly using a double pivot in front of the defense of any combination of Bernado/Engels/McGregor/McCowan will definitely tighten us up in midfield, and protect the defense better, especially away from home, depending on the calibre of the opposition.

And I cannot emphasise enough the difference that Jasper will make in goal, with his quick, accurate distribution and solid goalkeeping. As much as I liked Hart for his contribution, he was suspect in the Champions League, and made some real goalkeeping * at crucial times in matches that were still in the balance. That factor alone will be eliminated by having Schemeichal between the posts.

Reasons to believe we will be more successful this year in the Champions League.

 

That was indeed in 2012. I didn't even bother reading the rest after that, because frankly, it doesn't deserve my energy Try and enjoy the games and keep the faith. HH

 

I agree we are a long way from a fortress but I can’t blame Rodgers for how we done in the CL last year. The squad he had to work with was horrendous and I think that played the biggest part.

We also had a really raw deal from refereeing decisions in the first 5 minutes at Feyenoord we were denied a stonewall penalty then had one given against us that never was and lost a man for a second booking at that point. We lost the first goal to a goalkeeping howler not getting to a trundling free kick.

Lazio should have been down to 10 men midway through the first half for a deliberate elbow on Hatate. We then had a goal chopped off for the ball brushing Maeda’s shoe lace (I am still not convinced it actually hit him).

Atletico at home at 2-2 we get a corner ball comes in Scales was pulled to the ground and stopped getting on the end of it, play on.

Atletico away Maeda sent off for a challenge that was never a red.

Lazio away was an abject performance, but that may be the worst Celtic team to line up in a CL fixture ever. Yet we got within 10 minutes of a result and missed an absolute sitter to take the lead at the start of the second half.

Feyenoord was a dead rubber but did get the win.

I think Rodgers not changing things was largely down to not having the players to do that. We were so reliant on about 6 players getting us through games.

 

Domestically, yes... In Europe, I don't think so...

We're coming along nicely, looking far more cohesive and organised, but European football is a completely different kettle of fish these days... Maybe if we keep on track for a couple of years, but it's a huge ask at the moment.

Never say never though...

 

I hope we can. We need to start by making the atmosphere as hostile as possible for the opposition. I still cringe about us piping Barca down the Celtic way.

 

100%

 

That was the biggest frustration last year - we really weren’t far away and I just felt that with better recruitment, we could well have got out of that group. We have a similar opportunity this year, so need to take advantage of a favourable draw.

As other’s have suggested, the atmosphere needs to rewind 20 years to being a proper cauldron of support for the team. I don’t want “That was a great experience playing there…”, I want “It was * brutal facing that for 90 minutes.”

 

You can keep your faith. I’m an atheist, I’ll go with facts and logic. And we played Juventus in the round of 16 on 12/02/13 & 06/03/13.

 

Couldn’t agree more that group last year should have been a chance to get out the group. Lazio and Feyenoord were both very ordinary teams and we just lacked that quality to take advantage, in all honesty we were a very ordinary team for large parts of last season.

Yeah the atmosphere needs to be intimidating for the opposition. With the pace in attack we have and quality in midfield to find them we should carry a threat. The thing for me we need to sharpen up on is being clinical. You don’t get the same volume of chances so when they present themself you need to be taking most of them.

 

That's alright, atheists can also have faith too (in a non-theistic sense) so I will urge you to keep it. Now for those memorable dates, the league season and the squad that played in it was assembled in 2012, for the 12-13 season, during which we beat Barcelona in November (I can recall it vividly, as I was at there). So I think it's fair to say, it's a matter of perspective - wouldn't you agree?

And seeing as you're a facts man here's one with both of those numbers, one that I'm sure you'll love - 12 leagues in 13 seasons

 

Faith is for people who believe in sky fairies, and have an aversion to very obvious facts and evidence.

And we did play in the last 16 under Lennon in 2013. I think you’ll find that’s a verifiable fact.

 

I’m trying to be optimistic. Last season in the CL we were seconds away from being unbeaten at home, and I don’t think the win against Feyenoord should be underestimated. It was a dead rubber in terms of last season’s competition, but it will have given the lads belief they can do it again at that level. Especially given we are playing far better now.

Also, looking at the teams we’re playing this year you’d have to fancy our chances of picking up points at home. It would be a disaster if we don’t tbh.

 

Jeez I remember the days of travelling upto Celtic Park for a CL game and all the chat was about how many we'd win by and who'd score.

Used to be pretty much a guarantee that we'd win and it didn't matter who the opposition was.

Long way off that in Europe right now, but we've a favourable chance of starting to emulate that again with the draw this season.

 

League 100%...In fact i think we will actually go unbeaten this season as well.

Europe...We need to learn from all these stupid errors we make year in year out.

Starting games going 1 down in like 2 mins,stupid red cards,wasted opportunities up front etc....

We need to learn and understand we dont get that type of time in Europe at any stage.

 

Well you certainly have me there, as there is one Sky fairy I do believe in - Kris Boyd. Especially seeing him foaming at the mouth, rabid, on Sunday. Just like every game he commentates on against us, it's magic.

 

I think there's more to this than just how we set up. A lot of how a football team play is habit and we get away with stuff domestically that will and does get badly exploited in Europe. Even good players will become lazy or pick up bad habits when playing against weak opponents week-in-week-out.

Talking about Lennon, you can see as well how focused our team was during that time. Something he no doubt picked up from O'Neill. Forget fancy football, give players a simple and effective strategy they can consistently follow and ensure it's drilled like * into them.