Celtic manager Neil Lennon feels that the club’s current qualifying process for the UEFA Champions League is ‘damaging’ and ‘unfair’, The Scottish Sun report.
As we know, the Hoops currently have to play a massive four knockout ties before even entering the draw for the group stages of the competition. Champions of so-called smaller nations appear to be more and more marginalised as the years roll on. It means that second, third and fourth teams in bigger leagues are being prioritised and rewarded despite not winning anything.
Lennon isn’t happy with the situation.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun, he said: “It’s damaging the game the way it’s set up just now. If you finish fourth in certain countries, you qualify and that’s unfair.
“Winning the title in any domestic league is difficult. People sort of poo-poo what we do.
“Juventus, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Real Madrid have all dominated the landscape in their own countries for a while. We’re the same, so why should we be treated any differently?”
Does Lennon have a point?
He certainly does and it’s not just Celtic who suffer. Last year’s semi-finalists Ajax enter the process at the third qualifying round, prompting CEO Edwin van der Sar to speak out about the situation (The Daily Record). Potential Celtic opponents CFR Cluj are also frustrated, with manager Dan Petrescu speaking in similar terms to Lennon last week (The Herald).
There’s a real absurdity to it all and clubs across the continent are now speaking out. It’s important that Lennon and Celtic make their voices heard too.
Why does it matter?
Celtic playing early qualifiers is a real drain on the squad. Players like Scott Brown and Callum McGregor can play close to 60 matches per season. Adding a short pre-season into the mix makes it all that much harder. Physical and mental fatigue accumulates.
This year Celtic won the Scottish Cup at the end of May and returned for pre-season by mid-June. It’s barely sustainable. Having an extra two or three weeks would allow us to recharge properly for future challenges.
Powerful teams elsewhere on the continent benefit from prolonged rest and are also able to take part in money spinning pre-season tours.
Rested, richer and able to prepare their squads with much more flexibility, it all means that the gap between already cash-rich teams and mid-tier spending clubs like Celtic and Ajax is growing.
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