Celtic's European slump deepens after Celta Vigo collapse
Celtic's late defeat to Celta Vigo leaves them near the bottom of the Europa League table and raises fresh questions about the club's direction.
Celtic's Europa League campaign hit a new low as they surrendered a lead in the closing stages against Celta Vigo, slipping from a winning position to defeat within a matter of minutes. According to the article, the Scottish champions had looked in control after Mika Baur's early second-half goal, with Liam Scales hitting the crossbar and the La Liga side struggling for penetration despite dominating possession.
The match turned sharply between minutes 68 and 71, when Celtic conceded twice. The article notes that Celtic will point to an unpicked foul on Camilo Duran before the equaliser, but argues that the defensive errors that followed—failing to deal with a free-kick, losing the goalscorer and a series of mishaps at the second goal—were self-inflicted. The piece describes the team as psychologically spent once adversity struck.
The result leaves Celtic with a third straight European loss and 35th in the 36-team Europa League table, with only an Armenian side below them. Chris Sutton's description of Celtic as flat-track bullies is cited, and the article argues that domestic results, including a 7-1 win over Hearts, are a poor gauge of their European capability. Manager Martin O'Neill's claim that plenty of points remain is characterised as being made from a position of weakness.
The article places responsibility on O'Neill and his players, but also on the board. It notes that the manager and assistant Shaun Maloney have been left to address the disconnect between fans and club, while no chief executive, chairman or major shareholder has been visible at news conferences. The piece contrasts current apathy and early departures at Celtic Park with famous Champions League nights and last year's close tie with Bayern Munich.
O'Neill said he could not ask more of his players, but the article contends that more must be asked of him and far more of the board. It questions whether Celtic have a vision to reverse their descent into European mediocrity, framing the choice between domestic flat-track dominance and a more ambitious European identity as the central issue.
Image: SNS / BBC Sport
