The morning after the night before is never a pleasant experience when it comes to a crushing Celtic defeat in Europe.
We’ve been here before of course, even under the current manager.
From Cluj to Copenhagen last season, there have been concerning, recent signs that Neil Lennon might not quite have a grasp on how to navigate European knockout ties.
Last night’s 2-1 defeat to Ferencvaros hurt more than most. It’s an embarrassing and avoidable mistake in a season we really need to be on our game for throughout, at home and abroad.
Yes, last night’s victors are the Hungarian champions and, yes, they did well in the Europa League last season, but we were the top seeds in this process, with a much bigger playing budget and we’ve been done over in our own backyard.
Still, I can take a Celtic defeat. Despite our incredible recent success domestically we know what a stinging loss feels like and ultimately we move on and think about how to improve next time.
This Bhoys team have shown they are resilient.
However, Lennon has seriously worried me with his post-match comments, in which he alluded to players in this dressing room not being committed to the Celtic cause and pursuing their own career ambitions at the expense of effort on the pitch.
There’s a deeper problem here. Does Lennon trust his stars?
He sent his players a message on BBC Radio Scotland, saying: “Get your mentality right, get your attitude right. If some of you don’t want to be here, leave.”
Asked if there are players who don’t want to be at the club, he said: “In some cases.”
Lennon would later expand on that in his post-match press conference.
As quoted by The Herald, the manager said: “There are some players who may want to leave and have made inroads into that in the last six months or so.
“If they are making waves to leave the club they are obviously not committed. I have just put this out there because it has been bugging me for a long, long time. If they don’t want to be here we have to do something.”
If this was a deflection tactic, it was a clumsy one.
These comments don’t absolve Lennon from his failings last night.
His team selection was wrong, his substitutions were reactive rather than proactive and the responsibility of this calamity falls on him.
Celtic were entirely unprepared for this fixture.
The fact he doesn’t appear to have a grip on his own dressing room also falls on him.
If he can’t motivate these players out of a ‘malaise’ in this season, of all seasons, then he needs to question why and make changes, rather than make vague comments to the press.
It seems that behind-the-scenes there are dramas and long-term issues and, for me, that’s actually more concerning than what we witnessed on the park last night.
Does this Celtic team, under this management, have what it takes to go the extra mile this season and deliver another league title?
That’s the question I’m running over in my head right now. Truthfully, I don’t have a confident answer.
What I do know is that Lennon and his players need to prove themselves to supporters quickly.
This season’s false start has not been acceptable.
Lennon needs to make ruthless decisions on the senior stars he has problems with and take control of Celtic’s direction.
History is on the line.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
