On Tuesday evening, Celtic’s European hopes officially came to an end after being held to a 1-1 draw against Shakhtar Donetsk at Parkhead.
The Bhoys crashed out, finishing bottom of their Champions League group, failing to pick up a victory across their first five games.
It hasn’t all been disappointment for Ange Postecoglou and his players, though, who have put in some solid performances against top-level sides.
However, the Hoops have been lacking one of the most important aspects of their game at UEFA Champions League level. A lack of clinical edge in front of goal.
Despite the positive of performances, it is ultimately all about taking home three points, and we failed to do that against Real Madrid, RB Leipzig or Shakhtar Donetsk.
But, now that we are eliminated from European competition, it allows us to take a step back and look to the bigger picture of what we must learn for the future.
The imperative next steps Celtic must take as they look to comeback stronger in the UCL.
Whilst frustration is high amongst the Celtic support and our squad; it is easy to forget that for so many players in the starting 11 last night, this was their first real involvement in the Champions League groups.
We entered this season’s competition with a relatively young squad, who were looking to impose their style of play against some of the very best teams from across the continent.
Although we couldn’t take anything away from the games in terms of points, it would have been a big learning curve for the players when playing this style of football against these sides.
And now, it is crucially important that the next steps we take, with regard to our future European hopes, is to learn from our first experiences within this competition.
Next campaign, we must come back even stronger and showcase our UEFA Champions League credentials, building upon a frustrating but potentially beneficial group stage.
Of course, to achieve qualification once again, the Bhoys must also lift the Scottish Premiership title, which will be a tough task in itself.
So, for now, all of our focus switches back to domestic action as we attempt to return to the top table of European Football at the first time of asking.
However, I personally have faith that this season’s group stage campaign will be a vitally important one in our development as a team going forward.
It is unlikely we will see the exact same team return next year, with new additions likely to be welcomed in January and next summer’s transfer window.
So, there is another added importance on Celtic’s recruitment across the next two windows, which is another crucial next step the club must take to improve by getting that sides of things spot on.
We might have to wait a little longer to prove that is the case. But, we have the chance to learn from our mistakes and return an even better side, which I am sure will be Ange Postecoglou’s aim in the long run.
In other news, Matt O’Riley delivers candid Celtic UEFA Champions League verdict.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
