Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has spoken of his desire to return to the Champions League with Celtic next season.
The club’s Group F campaign concluded with Wednesday’s defeat at the Bernabeu, and though Celtic were consistently competitive, results did not match performances, and they finished with two points from their six games.
Though the Englishman had played in the competition several times with Manchester City in the past, he has insisted that this campaign under Ange Postecoglou has been another learning experience, and that the squad are looking to make that experience count in the coming seasons.
Speaking in a pre-match press conference for tomorrow’s match against Dundee United posted to Celtic TV, Hart said: “I don’t think you could light our fire any more, we’ve experienced something that we feel the club we play for and represent should be feeling every year.
“We want to get that little bit more and get victories and progression in the tournament, so I don’t think anything could make us any more hungry for something that we feel is essential to this club.”
“We’re all learning all the time, myself included, I might have been there before and played in plenty of those kind of games and been part of those campaigns but I think we’re learning as a group.
“It’s going to make us more united if we’ve got a common goal, a common focus but I feel like we’ve had that from day one really and it’s only getting stronger. Good, bad, indifferent, we analyse it and we learn and we move forward.”
The 35-year-old rubbished the idea that the defeat at the Bernabeu would have any bearing on Celtic’s form going forward, and insisted that the team are fully focussed on beating Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership tomorrow.
“There’s no dangers of complacency, there’s certainly dangers when it comes to the game on Saturday as it’s been proven many times, there’s no guarantees but it won’t be down to what’s happened previously, it’ll be down to how we perform on the day and whatever result we get we’ll deserve one way or another.
“We’re going to look to take care of business in the next three games, and then we’ll worry about the future when it comes.”
Despite having a storied career before arriving in Glasgow, Hart has shown a willingness from day one to continue his football education under Postecoglou, learning to play in a way that clearly didn’t come naturally.
It’s a credit to him and evidence of his excellent mindset that he’s been able to reinvigorate his career at Celtic, even if he likely won’t be the club’s long-term choice between the sticks given his advancing years.
After sustaining a head-knock early on in the 9-0 win at Tannadice earlier in the season, Hart will be hoping for a less eventful affair tomorrow, as Celtic look to maintain their four point advantage at the top of the Scottish Premiership.
In other news: Postecoglou reveals ruthless Celtic outlook; Champions League succession plan
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