Celtic weren’t the only team conceding three goals in Europe this week.
Nicky Hayen, who has been linked to the manager’s job at Celtic, was also watching his Club Brugge side concede three.
But while Celtic were embarrassed by FC Midtjylland in the Europa League, the Belgian outfit stuck their chests out and went toe-to-toe with Barcelona by recording a 3-3 draw against the Spanish giants in the Champions League.
Celtic fans could only wish to see such fight, quality and determination on the European stage, as Hayen and his Brugge side were lauded by Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia.
Barcelona duo Lamine Yamal and Eric Garcia praise Celtic manager target Nicky Hayen of Club Brugge
Yamal got on the scoresheet during the six-goal thriller against Brugge, and described Hayen’s side as a ‘very strong’ team, as posted by Barca Universal.
While his Barcelona teammate Garcia wanted to point out how Hayen has set up his team to ‘pose a lot of danger’, including how they could reach the opposition’s penalty area with ‘just two passes.’
Celtic fans would love to see that in Glasgow because, whilst Brendan Rodgers won four trophies in his second spell, the football became turgid, slow and hard to watch.
Yamal: ‘We wanted to win, we wanted the three points, but this is a very tough stadium. We are Barcelona and we should always win, but now we’re thinking about the next league match.
‘It’s a very strong team, and the stadium is tough, but it’s hard to win when you concede three goals. This is what we need to improve, and this is what we’re thinking about now.”
García: ‘They were posing a lot of danger to us on the counter-attacks, so with just two passes they’d reach the penalty area. This is something we definitely need to improve.’
Yamal and the Celtic connection
Yamal is one of the best players in the world, and at just 18, he is already Barcelona’s main man, helping them win the La Liga title, as well as guiding Spain to the European Championships.
The teenager’s dad is also pretty vocal around him, as well as on social media, and recently, he posed on Instagram in Celtic colours.
This isn’t the first time Yamal senior has donned the famous green and white colours, as he is clearly aware of who is Scotland’s most successful club.
Hopefully, Celtic can get their house in order. Return to the Champions League and compete against the elite again, because it’s looking a long, long way away right now.
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