Callum McGregor reckons Celtic can use the inspiration of Ajax to make strides in Europe over the next few years. The Dutch side reached the semi-finals of the Champions League this year after an incredible run. They knocked out European giants Real Madrid and Juventus, showing that money isn’t everything in the modern game.
McGregor admits he looked on with envy at an example of what can be done by a team from a smaller league.
“Watching it does inspire us in that changing room,” he told the Evening Times. “It can inspire a lot of teams in similar circumstances. It shows if you have the right attitude with the right quality and the right guidance then anything can happen.
“We look at that and think ‘why can’t we get into the group stage in consecutive seasons and get past the group stage in the next couple of years?’ I think that is something the club will want to do.”
A smaller scale Ajax
There’s no reason why Celtic couldn’t mount a smaller scale challenge to the one of Ajax or Monaco in recent years. The pair both shocked Europe by reaching the last four. That level of success may be unlikely for Celtic but a similar run in the Europe League is certainly possible.
Celtic’s glass ceiling right now in the Last 32 of the Europa League. That has been proven in recent years with comfortable defeats to Zenit and Valencia. It was defensive mistakes that cost the side on both of those occasions, with soft goals arriving at awful times.
If we can shore up defensively in Europe with the addition of a top right-back and centre-back then we may be pretty well placed to go on another run.
The importance of momentum is so crucial in football. That was shown in spades when Celtic reached Seville in 2003. The players improved with every round, and believed that they could beat anyone. They were built on strong foundations. With a couple of quality additions there’s no reason why this current side couldn’t do similar.
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