Just two goals and one point from four games – Celtic bow out of Champions League with regrets

Kyogo & Co. underperforming 

Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou didn’t mince his words after Tuesday night’s 2-0 defeat to RB Leipzig in the Champions League. Not only did the result knock the Scottish Premiership champions out of the continental tournament, but it also proved to be a game that the Glasgow club undoubtedly believed they should have taken at least a point from. 

“Disappointed for our fans, and for our lads as well,” said Postecoglou in a press conference after the match. “I thought we showed the endeavour to win the game, but as we’ve found out at this level if you don’t take your chances, it’s very hard to convert that into a result. It’s been the story of our campaign so far, a tale of missed opportunities.”

However, while the Celtic manager may sound like he’s simply making excuses for a team that have failed to pick up a single win and scored just two goals from their opening four games of the tournament, there may be some logic to the suggestion that the Scottish club and their celebrated stars simply haven’t been able to convert their domestic dominance into success on the European stage. 

Celtic’s struggles on the continent 

With 29 goals from nine league matches, Celtic are not only averaging 3.2 goals scored per Premiership match this season, but they’re also sitting top of the Scottish top flight for goals scored, as well as points on the table. However, that run of form hasn’t translated well to European competition. 

As previously stated, Celtic have only managed to bag two goals from four games in the Champions League this season. However, that isn’t through a lack of trying. For example, in their opening game against Real Madrid, Postecoglou’s side managed three shots on target to Madrid’s four and in their second fixture against Shakhtar the Scottish side clocked three times as many shots than their Ukrainian hosts. And while Celtic did bag two goals against RB Leipzig over the course of their double header with the Bundesliga side, 28 shots in total over the course of the two games suggests that the team simply haven’t been converting their chances.

Star players struggling with the step up 

Much of the blame for this failed European campaign can be laid at the feet of Celtic’s star forward players. Although Kyogo Furuhashi, Liel Abada and Jota have all performed perfectly well in the Scottish Premiership, the trio have only managed to bag a single goal in four Champions League games to date. 

Celtic could still bag a late third-place finish and drop into the Europa League, where such stars may thrive at a slightly lower level. But that seems highly unlikely, unless Shakhtar were to suddenly implode in their remaining two games. As such, Celtic may be left to wonder what went so wrong in the Champions League this season and whether, considering the amount of chances they created, if the strikers up front were good enough to convert them and make a difference at this level. 

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