Celtic haven’t been at their best in the last few weeks. The Hoops have gone three games without a win, which is unheard of in recent times. However, there are mitigating circumstances.
The team has been ravaged by injury, and Neil Lennon has been forced to play players in unfamiliar positions, or used inexperienced players.
All is not lost for Celtic though, there is plenty of time for the team to put things right. If the Hoops are looking for inspiration ahead of Thursday’s match against Lille, they only need to look back at a previous trip to France which helped transform a season.
Hoops came into game on back of costly draw
When Celtic faced Rennes in the Europa League back in 2011, it was coming on the back of a 3-3 draw which dented the Hoops of winning the league. Back then it was against Kilmarnock, this time it was against Aberdeen.
Like in 2011, the Hoops were trailing Rangers at the top of the league, but had a game in hand. Under-fire Neil Lennon needed a result in France to show that the Hoops still had what it takes to be competitive in the league and Europe.
The Hoops managed to pull off a decent result, drawing 1-1. The team even managed to overcome a bizarre Cha Du-Ri own goal to equalise thanks to Joe Ledley’s header.
Side went on lengthy unbeaten run after draw
What was intriguing was the reaction to that result. The Hoops went on a 20 match unbeaten run in the league, winning 18 and drawing two. That run went a long way towards helping the Hoops win the first title of nine in a row.
Would a similar result against Lille inspire a similar reaction? There is no reason why not. The current Celtic squad is no stranger to putting together lengthy unbeaten runs.
A decent result and performance against Lille would set Celtic up nicely for the semi-final against Aberdeen, and the games ahead. It could really kickstart Celtic’s season, like the result against Rennes did back in 2011.
In other news, Neil Lennon should copy a recent shrewd decision he made against Lille.
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