When our Europa League group was drawn, many would’ve dismissed the idea of us topping it – Rennes boss Julien Stephan wasn’t one of them.
His side came out the hat along with both Lazio and Cluj respectively. It was a trip to Rennes that gave Celtic a platform to build on in the group too. Our 1-1 draw there sparked belief throughout the support and the club that we could compete in this competition.
Since that game, we’ve managed three straight wins to secure qualification to the last-32. In addition to that, we’re the clear favourites to top the group.
It’s come as a pleasant surprise for Hoops fans as we’ve performed better than in previous years in this competition. Stephan, however, predicted we would be a favourite from the start. In the build-up to that first clash in France, here’s what he had to say about Celtic in The Herald.
“They are used to winning national titles, every year almost, they have won eight titles in a row. They are a team who are usually in the Champions League and they have huge experience with many internationals. We know they can play in the air and they are very technical.
“They are a very, very good team and have technical players like [Callum] McGregor, [Ryan] Christie, [James] Forrest, just to mention a few.
“They are well balanced and we know how difficult it will be. I do believe Celtic are one of the favourites. As far as experience they should be able to perform well, maybe just behind Lazio.”
Stephan has been proven correct
Credit to the Rennes boss. He identified several key players in our side and recognised their quality. You can hardly blame him for thinking we would possibly finish behind Lazio of course. They’ve severely underperformed so far.
Interestingly, Stephan also picked out McGregor, Christie, and Forrest for special mentions back in September. Almost prophetically, the latter two have scored key goals whilst McGregor has been terrific in all four group matches. Not one has underperformed.
This doesn’t come across as a manager who was simply trying to show a little respect. Stephan clearly knew plenty about Celtic’s team, and he comes across as such. Why wouldn’t he have been either? He’ll have seen plenty of footage of us in the run-up to that first game. His words weren’t baseless.
Like anyone, he’ll be surprised at how poor Lazio have been. He’ll also likely have been taken aback by Cluj’s results against them and Lazio too. But he had a clear belief in Celtic’s qualities heading into the group.
What will frustrate him more than anything is that our success has come at the expense of his side. Rennes have been the whipping boys of the group so far. Coming to Parkhead to face the team who are top should provide them with plenty of motivation.
Celtic will have to be just as respectful as we were towards Rennes in France. We all accepted the talent they had in their squad. It’s just nice to see that the French manager also had some clear respect for ours.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
