O'Neill bemoans marginal moments but are Celtic just not good enough?

Image source, SNSByGeorge O'NeillBBC Sport Scotland

Published7 minutes ago

Three Europa League games. Three defeats for Celtic. They are 35th of 36 teams in the competition after another European collapse, this time against Celta Vigo.

Only Ararat-Armenia and their inferior goal difference keeps the Scottish champions from propping up the table.

Off the back of Sunday's 7-1 drubbing of Hearts, there was hope Martin O'Neill's team had turned a corner. Instead, the disparity between their domestic dominance and European shortcomings was laid bare once more.

After Mika Baur swept Celtic in front on 47 minutes, they went into their shells and succumbed to a timid 2-1 defeat as Javi Rodriguez struck twice in three minutes.

O'Neill bemoaned refereeing decisions and marginal moments that went against his team, but are Celtic simply "not good enough" to compete in Europe?

That was the verdict of former Scotland attacker James McFadden after a Celtic collapse that is becoming all too familiar.

"The performances at this level haven't been good enough," he said on Sportsound. "Celtic are way short."

Celtic looked nailed on for the Champions League this season when they went into a 4-0 aggregate lead against Austrian champions LASK in the play-off round, before shipping five goals in 77 minutes to drop into the Europa League.

O'Neill's side have now lost their last four European matches, conceding 14 goals in the process. Only once before had they done so in the same season - in the 2017-18 Champions League.

"It seems as though Celtic struggle when there's a bit of adversity," McFadden added. "If something goes against them, the confidence drops, their heads drop, they stop playing forward.

"The ball goes back and across, inviting pressure, and there's no way they take the pressure off. That has been a theme."

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Figure caption,

"A bit of adversity and the lights go out"

'Deserved' loss or night of nearly moments?

After another disappointing night, O'Neill focused on moments that went against his team - a free-kick not given before Celta's equaliser and a Liam Scales header that flicked the top of the bar at 1-0.

"We conceded a free-kick and I thought a second before that we should have had a foul for us," O'Neill said. "They score from the free-kick and it knocks us a little bit. It gave them a bit of momentum.

"I think if [Liam] Scales' header goes in to make it 2-0, we get the three points. We've lost three matches now, remarkably we're still in with a chance [of progressing]. We've got to win here and got to win away from home.

"We take the lead in the game, if we get the second goal we win the match and it changes the whole dynamic. It didn't happen, that's it - we need to try to find a way to win European games."

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Figure caption,

'We have what we have' - O'Neill speaks after Celta Vigo collapse

Centre-back Liam Scales had by far the most touches of any Celtic player with 121, well ahead of left-back Kieran Tierney (79) and goalkeeper Sam Johnstone (69).

Goalscorer Baur admitted they did not do enough to win and was at a loss when asked what needs to change. "How we played second half, last 30 minutes, we deserved it in the end," Baur said.

When asked if he knew why his team collapsed in such a manner, he responded: "I cannot tell you, sorry.

"It can happen that you get a goal, they can score too, good team - you should then get control back, hold the ball a bit longer to take the momentum away from them. You should break that."

Celtic did not get control back, did not break Celta's momentum and ultimately paid the price.

"I don't think Celtic are good enough, individually and collectively, to take on a team that's eighth in La Liga," former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner said on Sportsound.

"They moved the ball really well and Celtic couldn't get close to them.

"They are not good enough at this level. Celtic are paying big money for some players because the fans are demanding it and then they come in and aren't good enough."

Their next European outing comes on 5 November as they host Besiktas, trying to reverse their continental woes. Whether they can or not is another matter.

'Celtic are just not good enough at this level'

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