Celtic’s European Journey: The End? Or Just the Beginning?
Celtic’s 2016/17 European campaign came to an end on Tuesday night with an impressive 1-1 away draw to Manchester City. A campaign that had its ups and downs ultimately finished in disappointment, as the Hoops finished winless and bottom of Group C.
However, in stark contrast to the feeling around the Club at the end of the last European campaign, a sense of hope and optimism has been left behind by what was a roller-coaster of an experience. Unlike last year, Celtic turned in some top class performances and provided European nights that eased the embarrassment of the 2015/16 Europa League debacle. With the introduction of Brendan Rodgers, Celtic were able to bounce back into the Champions League group stage and once again compete in Europe’s elite club competition.
Rodgers recruited and managed as effectively as could be expected. Knowing the Celtic hierarchy weren’t going to be throwing millions at him, Rodgers didn’t take any chances and went with what he knew. Sinclair, Toure, and DeVries had all played under Rodgers in previous years and it was those players that he called on to shore up a demoralised squad. These signings plus the addition of Dembele ended up providing a quick fix to fire Celtic into the Champions League group stages.
Despite the disappointment of being eliminated, there were a lot of positives to take from what was a respectable campaign. First was the performances away from home. For the first time in a Champions League group, Celtic took points from two of the three away matches. A dismal performance in Catalonia was followed by draws in both Germany and England.
The two away results showed how far this Celtic team had come under Brendan Rodgers. Admittedly, both encounters were matches in which the Bhoys had to defend for spells at a time, but it was far from backs to the wall job. Celtic showed their threat on the counter and through Sinclair in Germany and Roberts in Manchester, the Hoops were able to cause both Gladbach and City a substantial amount of problems.
Another highlight of the campaign was the experience that Rodgers’ young squad was able to gain. Players such as Stuart Armstrong, Moussa Dembele, Tom Rogic, and Kieran Tierney were able to get their first taste of Champions League action with the Hoops. With our young stars challenging themselves against the world’s best, the results are there to be seen with Celtic strolling through the current domestic campaign.
Lastly, Celtic have profited greatly from the exposure UEFA’s elite club competition offers. Moussa Demebele turned heads across Europe with his performances against City and Gladbach. So much so that there are ongoing rumours about the top clubs in England willing to pay top dollar for the French U21 international. Tom Rogic was another one who caught the eye during this year’s European journey, the Aussie strolled through the match in Manchester on Tuesday and also has clubs in the Premier League interested in his services.
Along with the exposure of individual players, there is also the exposure for the Club itself. Playing in the big matches, travelling to the best stadiums and being in the exclusive list of 32 teams has brought a sense of pride back to Celtic. A sense of pride that seemed to have taken a beaten after last year’s dismal European adventure and throughout the Club’s two-year absence from the Champions League.
It was a joy to see Celtic back at the top level and although the end result wasn’t completely satisfactory, it is clear to see that Brendan Rodgers and his men will have more to offer come this time next year. A tough group and some results that could have gone either way eventually eliminated Celtic from this year’s competition. But with the experience, exposure, and confidence gained from this year's group stage, it looks as though this is just the beginning of a European journey, not the end.