In a rare turn of events, Celtic have only won one of their last four matches in all competitions, but everyone knows normal service will resume pretty soon.
Two of those matches were in the Champions League – a two-legged playoff affair against Bayern Munich – where Celtic were unfortunate to get knocked out of Europe.
That performance in Bavaria was brave from the Bhoys and that Alphonso Davies equaliser just wasn’t deserved.
However, the bigger picture needs to be looked at and that’s Celtic’s progress in the Champions League this season and the prize money they have pocketed.
That’s £40 million in the bag for the Hoops and it makes an already-dominant team in Scotland even stronger going forward.
And Darren Bent feels it’s a problem for the rest of Scotland.
Celtic will be ‘uncatchable for a generation’
Even if you didn’t pour money into Celtic Park for the next few years, the club would still operate in a strong and successful manner.
The simple reason is that the recruitment has been outstanding, whoever has been in the dugout, and those in charge are just very good at picking out gems for very little money.
But now that the Champions League money has dropped on the table, Darren Bent agreed that Celtic will be ‘uncatchable for a generation’, as he told talkSPORT.
On Celtic being ‘uncatchable for a generation’: “100%,” said Bent. “You look at them now, what have they got? A 13-point gap at the top of the table. Crazy.
“Last season, they won the title by eight points. It’s nuts (the gap between Celtic and Aberdeen). You go back to the 2022/23 season, third place had 57 points and Celtic won the league on 99 points. The gap is massive.
“Of course, it’s always Celtic (first), Rangers (second), Celtic and Rangers. We talk about financial fair play in the Premier League and how the so-called lesser clubs are supposed to catch up, because of the gap, in terms of FFP – I remember for large spells this year. Aberdeen were second for a while.
“Some people have said it, I don’t agree with it, but people have always said, they would like to see Rangers and Celtic in the Premier League. But then what does that do to the rest of the Premiership? It kills them.”
Celtic should be ‘proud’ of Champions League campaign
The revamped Champions League format was supposed to suit and benefit clubs like Celtic.
As a result, it put extra pressure on the manager and the team this season, as they produced some outstanding results and performances.
Bent feels that the display in Munich – where they should have ‘gone 3-0 up’ – and the overall performance is something they should be ‘proud’ of.
“They should have gone 3-0 up,” said Bent about Celtic’s first-half display against Bayern. “The chances they had. They had so many chances.
“That’s the problem, when you play against a European sides, certainly the ones who have the history like Bayern Munich, they will keep going and keep going.
“Celtic should be proud of their side. I thought they played really well and got their game plan and tactics spot on.”
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