Don’t cry because it’s over, smile because it happened. The acclaim given to Celtic’s squad and management as their Champions League campaign ended in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night had to be about far more than the detail of an agonising exit at the hands of Bayern Munich. Brendan Rodgers had spoken about a potential tide-shifting moment after Daizen Maeda scored for Celtic in the first leg, halving Bayern’s lead. It actually came as Nicolas Kühn sent the visiting support into a frenzy in the reverse fixture. The reality is Celtic remain notches below teams of Bayern’s calibre. At least they should be; a fantastically courageous display from Rodgers’ men had Bayern fearing a tournament exit. Celtic deserved so, so much better than a 94th-minute aggregate defeat to an ugly Alphonso Davies goal.
This has been a period of striking European progress. Celtic have latched on to the fact that retaining Scottish trinkets, while viewed as essential, triggers shoulder shrugs beyond Glasgow. Europe is where Celtic can be seriously judged. Europe is where Celtic made themselves a serious entity again this season. They did so against the unorthodox backdrop of a domestic league where they are streets ahead of the opposition. This scenario intensifies Celtic’s Champions League test. Dundee United’s sporting equivalent in the Bundesliga would thrash Dundee United. Yet here were Celtic giving Bayern such serious food for thought. Celtic did this not just with discipline but swagger.
The most noticeable thing about Celtic’s Champions League run was the variation of games it included. It opened with a thrashing of Slovan Bratislava. The next fixture in Dortmund was horribly bruising for Rodgers and his players, resulting in a 7-1 loss. Celtic’s manager labelled that night – on which he said Celtic became overly emotional – as an “assault on the spirit”. The response was excellent, Celtic pretty comfortably holding free-scoring Atalanta to scoreless parity in Bergamo. Next came the marquee performance, a 3-1 success over RB Leipzig in which the scoreline flattered the German club. Celtic recovered from a goal down against a highly decent Club Brugge to scratch out a draw.
That the same outcome against Dinamo Zagreb irked Rodgers was tacit sign of loftier standards. Indeed, had Celtic won in Croatia they would have avoided Bayern. Under the weight of rising expectation, Celtic remained patient to narrowly beat Young Boys. Villa Park and the league phase’s closing tie was irrelevant to Celtic; that they bounced back from 2-0 down to scare Unai Emery’s side, before losing 4-2, meant lessons had been learned from Dortmund. That October night was anomalous in context of Celtic’s Champions League involvement. Celtic did not merely provide stiff resistance against Bayern but comprehensively outplayed them in spells. In the words of Rodgers, Celtic “embraced the challenge”. For more than a decade, they threw up hands and bemoaned it.
“The players have come up against top teams, top players at this level and have shown that we’re more than a match,” Rodgers said. “So that gives you confidence. We are never going to have the resources of many teams at this level … But we can certainly show that if we can have an idea and work very, very hard, that we can still be really good.”
Rodgers returned to Celtic in the summer of 2023 with a stated aim of making European inroads. Some scoffed, including through knowledge of his earlier Champions League struggles. Not for the first time, Rodgers has enjoyed the last laugh. Celtic were perfectly competitive in last season’s Champions League. This time, results backed up growth. Their points aggregate bettered that of Sporting, Stuttgart and Manchester City. It matched that of Juventus.
Celtic’s key games in the next few months are not Scottish Cup ties or the tick-box exercises towards another title. Instead, the likelihood of a summer Champions League playoff already hovers on the horizon. It would be a painful blow to Rodgers if he cannot sample European football’s elite environment in short order after the highs of this season. Rodgers will want another striker to boost Celtic’s chances. The return of Kieran Tierney will significantly help his hand. Celtic’s midfield options are perfectly adequate for Champions League level. Centre-back is one area where they may look towards upgrades. This is building, though, from a position of strength. All Celtic really need is further depth.
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We cannot yet assert that the new Champions League format is of benefit to clubs such as Celtic. It is far too early for that. Extra revenue barely matters; Celtic struggle to spend what they already have. A closing position of 21st out of 36 was roughly the equivalent to third in an old-four team section. Through that, combined with current form, Celtic would have led to genuine aspirations of a decent Europa League run.
Events at the Allianz more than suggested Celtic should retain focus on the Champions League. It was Bayern who had been bent out of shape. Rodgers has shown what he can achieve when shooting for the stars. Celtic have no reason to reflect on the agony of Bayern for too long.
