Celtic will aim to recover from their heavy Champions League defeat away to Borussia Dortmund after a night at Signal Iduna Park that fans would all rather forget.
Sometimes, in football, everything that could go wrong does end up unfolding, but it is about how you bounce back from adversity that shows true character.
Brendan Rodgers admitted Celtic were ‘punished’ in Dortmund, delivering an honest account of why the scoreline became so vast against last year’s Champions League finalists that came down to ruthlessness in front of goal.
Statistically, the Bhoys kept 47% possession and recorded 2.20 Expected Goals compared to the home side’s 2.64, but there was a clear gulf in class that cemented itself in the final result.
Delivering his account of events, pundit Stephen McGinn thinks Celtic need to look to other examples of how clubs face up against the top sides around Europe.
Celtic’s Champions League benchmark highlighted
Speaking on The Go Radio Football Show, McGinn believes Sparta and Slavia Praha, Club Brugge and Copenhagen over recent years are sides Celtic can take inspiration from on the Champions League stage.
He stated: “Yeah, well, I mean, there’s bits, there’s a lot on the gulf. My reference point in Europe when you speak about the gulf is the two Prague teams (Sparta and Slavia Praha), the Belgian teams, Club Brugge, teams like that, Copenhagen. These teams never seem to get (beaten by) sixes and sevens like Celtic do every year in Europe.
“To be honest, Dortmund are probably the worst team that beat Celtic by seven because you think of some of the sixes and sevens; we’ve all watched them. They’ve been maybe Lewandowski’s, Robben’s, it’s been Suarez, Neymar, Messi, they can beat the top teams, sixes, sevens.
“I was probably guilty of it as well during the programme, the positivity, they came out and Dortmund are in transition, they’ve got a new manager, they’ve lost a couple of players, Hummels has retired, Jadon Sancho is obviously back in England. They’ve been up and down, Celtic couldn’t have gone in in better form, they couldn’t have played with more of a swagger.
“I have probably no problem with the way they started, get two corners in the first couple of minutes and showed intent, the confidence we’re playing with. The worrying bit for me was it never ever changed in the first half. You’re watching and thinking, wow, a country that’s the best in the world; all their teams are brilliant at counter-attacks and transitions; the space Julian Brandt has was unbelievable.”
Celtic to move on from Dortmund Champions League woes
Football can be an energy-sapping sport at times, but Celtic’s trip to Ross County on Sunday offers the perfect tonic to get back to winning ways after a sobering Champions League night in Dortmund for the Bhoys.
With full-time on Sunday also comes the international break, which, although not ideal, may allow the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers some injury recovery time.
A back problem means Alistair Johnston is staying behind at Celtic while Canada are in action against Panama and Mexico, so there may be some silver linings to a break from club football with key players in need of recuperation.
However, any thought of that will be sidelined next week. The Bhoys need three points in Dingwall to maintain their excellent Scottish Premiership start.
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