NafisaCeltic’s disastrous Champions League exit has left the club facing a painful reality, and Martin O’Neill’s brutally honest admission could have Rangers fans feeling increasingly confident ahead of the first Old Firm derby of the season.
The Hoops looked to have one foot in the next round after a commanding 3-0 victory over LASK in the first leg. When Callum McGregor struck again in Austria after just 21 minutes, Celtic were suddenly four goals clear on aggregate.
Surely there was no way back for LASK?
There was.
The Austrian side produced one of the most extraordinary comebacks Celtic supporters will have witnessed, scoring five unanswered goals to turn the entire tie on its head.
Moses Usor, Robert Ljubicic, Samuel Adeniran and Florian Flecker dragged LASK back into contention during normal time before Adeniran struck again in extra time to complete an astonishing 5-1 victory.
Celtic were dumped out 5-4 on aggregate despite having been four goals ahead.
The result has already prompted serious questions about Celtic’s mentality, squad depth and their preparations for the new campaign. But O’Neill’s latest assessment has arguably provided Rangers with an even bigger reason to believe they can hurt their rivals when the two sides meet.
The Celtic manager did not attempt to disguise the scale of the problems facing his team.
Instead, he delivered a remarkably blunt verdict on the state of his squad.
“We know we are a million miles away from the finished article; that’s absolutely true. We thought that anyway, regardless,” O’Neill said.
“But we felt that if we qualified for the Champions League, there would be players that would be wanting to come on that very basis. That’s not going to be the case.”
That admission could have major consequences for Celtic’s season.
The Hoops had hoped Champions League qualification would help them attract a higher calibre of player before the transfer window closes. Instead, their humiliating elimination means they now have to convince potential recruits to join without the prospect of Europe’s biggest club competition.
And with Rangers also strengthening under Derek McInnes, Celtic’s problems could become even more significant when the two Glasgow rivals eventually collide.
O’Neill’s comments suggest he knows his squad still needs considerable work, despite Celtic having shown in the first leg that they are capable of producing an excellent performance.
The problem is that the second leg exposed just how vulnerable they can be when the opposition applies sustained pressure.
LASK finished the game with a staggering 40 shots, generating 4.8 expected goals and registering eight efforts on target. They also struck the woodwork twice, created 10 big chances and recorded 63 touches inside Celtic’s penalty area.
Celtic, by comparison, managed just eight attempts worth 0.5 xG.
That disparity tells its own story.
O’Neill had previously insisted Celtic would not simply sit back and protect their three-goal advantage, but his team ultimately found themselves overwhelmed after LASK increased the intensity.
And the Celtic boss accepted full responsibility for what followed.
“I’m responsible for this one,” he admitted.
“Without a doubt. Naturally, it took me a long time to get over the UEFA Cup final in 2003, but this was majorly disappointing.”
But it was the final part of his assessment that really underlined just how damaging the defeat was.
“In the context of things, one was a final which it would have been terrific to win; this was a qualifying game which we should have been able to get through.”
That is hardly the message Celtic supporters wanted to hear.
For Rangers, however, it could be music to the ears.
McInnes will know that Celtic’s European collapse does not automatically mean Rangers will beat them when the Old Firm derby arrives, but the psychological impact cannot be ignored.
A Celtic side that has already surrendered a four-goal aggregate advantage, lost confidence under pressure and heard its own manager admit that the squad is “a million miles” from completion suddenly looks far less intimidating.
The Gers boss will also have the opportunity to use the coming weeks to build further momentum and ensure his players are ready for the biggest domestic test of the campaign.
Celtic still have time to strengthen and recover, and O’Neill will be desperate to make sure the LASK disaster becomes a turning point rather than the beginning of a wider crisis.
But for now, Rangers have been handed something they would have wanted above almost everything else: uncertainty at Celtic.
And with the first Old Firm showdown of the season looming, O’Neill’s extraordinary admission has certainly given McInnes plenty to think about.
Nafisa
