Celtic will have to modify their transport policy if they are to advance into rivals, and Hoops legend Alan Thompson’s remarks back up that.
Speaking exclusively to Read Celtic, Thompson claimed that while getting younger gamers with a”no-fear” mentality is essential, having plenty of experience around them is vital to being successful in Europe.
I think that it’s getting over an obstacle, believing you get results, can visit places and get through the next stage. That is exactly what we did when we moved into the final. We moved to Blackburn, we moved to Liverpool, we moved to Celta Vigo, we moved to Boavista, and we went toe to toe with them that we can get benefits.
Young kids may have a strategy. They’ve got a great deal of belief and they have not actually sensed negativity in their professions, but I think if they had more expertise in the group, together with Broony, and Fraser Forster, more powerful players in the dressing room and on the pitch, who those young players could look towards, then that would stand them in greater stead for next year.”
Thompson is well positioned on what teams will need to be prosperous having formed part of the squad that made the UEFA Cup final in 2003 to have his say, and he makes a great point here.
Celtic were placed heading in the Europa League last second leg with FC Copenhagen and were favourites before hosting them following a 1-1 draw away from home.
As we understand, they endured one of the outcomes of the year.
Yes, there was a fair amount of expertise in the starting XI on that night, but by looking at the seat, Thompson’s point is summed upward and reveals there is a transport policy change required if Celtic want to become successful in Europe.
Neil Lennon made 1 substitution bringing Leigh Griffiths on. His outfield choices were Jonny Hayes, Jeremie Frimpong, Vakoun Bayo, Boli Bolingoli and Nir Bitton.
All of them are talented players, but the likes of Bayo Frimpong and Boli are still relatively inexperienced in Europe, while Bitton and Hayes are players that you would like to bring to see a match out instead of chase one.
Therefore had Lennon had experience on the bench, he could have called in the game to give Celtic a chance to succeed.
Where the transport coverage comes into play and that is. Nearly all the signings of Celtic and in January were players. This is great with respect to making a profit and creating them, but not in Europe as Thompson suggests.
The likes of Moritz Bauer, Christopher Jullien, and Hatem Abd Elhamed, who are around 26-years-old, lacked experience.
Mohamed Elyounoussi and Fraser Forster were the only two who joined with an amount of expertise in competitions.
Therefore if Celtic are to bolster their chances of progressing further in the Europa League for instance, then a change from younger gamers to people with greater expertise is necessary.
