Celtic Are Better In Europe Under Neil Lennon

‘I am feeling a bit awkward about this one. Celtic did brilliantly to beat them with a last-gasp winner first time around. I did flag up a 2-1 win, but they were fortunate.’
‘In this one, do they attack, counter-attack or sit in? They are not a team that naturally sit in. Domestically, they have 70 per cent of the ball.’
Via Sky Sports
Did Celtic forget to pay Charlie Nicholas his last paycheque? The former Hoops striker has been overly critical of his former club this season.
He doesn’t seem to rate Odsonne Edouard, which is just bizarre to me.
The statement above regarding Celtic and their recent win over Lazio is also a bit strange.
The Scottish Premiership champions did well in beating the Serie A cracks in Glasgow a few weeks back and I think it shows that the team are more equipped for a European run under Neil Lennon than they were under former gaffer Brendan Rodgers.
Yes Lazio did well to take the lead and grab the game by the scruff of the neck but Celtic did regain their composure and fought to get a foothold into the game. Both teams shared the possession 50/50 and Celtic had more attempts at their opponent’s goal.
The Glasgow side battled to the end and it was with that fight and passion that got them the win. It was a big triumph but Celtic used to be a team that would get those big European wins under the lights sensational at Celtic Park.
Teams like Juventus, Barcelona, Benfica and AC Milan have all lost at Parkhead within the last twenty years.
In his first stint as Celtic manager, Lennon masterminded Celtic’s 2-1 win over a Barca team that included Lionel Messi in 2012 (BBC Match Report).
Under Rodgers, Celtic were sensational domestically but were a bit hit and miss in Europe. He did help them to qualify for the Champions League group stages twice, got to the last 32 of the Europa League twice and he also drew home and away against mega rich Manchester City managed by the great Pep Guardiola.
What they didn’t do was assert themselves at home. They also lost heavily to PSG, Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
Brendan’s biggest issues were that he stuck to his attacking, pressing approach no matter what. When you are four, five or six down to PSG it’s ok to try and save face and not go and push forward. Have some sort of defensive discipline. Being a bit pragmatic could lead to a positive results as it did against Lazio.
I’m sure some Celtic supporters miss the swashbuckling football Rodgers would bring to the Scottish game. But in Europe, Neil Lennon trumps the current Leicester City boss.
They will go into the Stadio Olimpico believing that they may just sneak a result tonight, that’s down to Lennon not being stubborn and adding more defensive strengths to his team’s game.
Posted on November 7th, 2019 by scott
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