McGregor urges Celtic to do their talking on the pitch and prove they’ve learned from some harsh Champions League lessons
The responsibility of defending the indefensible repeatedly falls on Celtic’s captain following humiliating and chastising losses like Borussia Dortmund.
Having to face the music is becoming old for Callum McGregor. Weary of pledging to improve the next time and learn important lessons?
To the skipper, simply talking the talk is insufficient. Any Celtic squad hoping to get to the Champions League knockout stage eventually needs to be able to support itself.
At this point, words will be reduced to meaningless jargon if they continue to lose by six or seven goals.
‘Everyone talks and talks and talks and everybody loves it,’ said McGregor. ‘But, ultimately, the game is played on the grass and we can only get away with so much talking. You have to back it up at some point.
‘We started the competition really well and then took a sore one in Germany. But, probably, the reaction to that game was based on how good we had been doing.
Callum McGregor finds it difficult to take in the enormity of his side’s beating in Dortmund
Karim Adeyemi slots home the German side’s fifth goal in their 7-1 thrashing of Celtic
‘We can’t forget about how well we had done and that we are a good side. But we need to go and show that belief and show that quality and actually do our talking on the pitch.
‘That’s my hope for the rest of the campaign, that when we take to the pitch — and we come off again — everybody can say: “That’s a good Celtic team” and we’ve picked up points.’
After conceding seven goals in Dortmund, Celtic lost another two at home to Aberdeen on Saturday. Images of Cameron Carter-Vickers training at Lennoxtown offered the teasing prospect of the club’s most influential defender making his first appearance since sustaining a toe injury in the 5-1 hammering of Slovan Bratislava.
The absence of the American international from another Champions League game now has supporters fearing the worst.
The aggressive intensity of Atalanta has the potential to inflict further damage on a team missing the first-choice central defender and first-choice left-back Greg Taylor.
Before the team’s flight to Bergamo, McGregor appeared at ease throughout training.
Since relocating to Bergamo in the summer, Italy international Mateo Retegui has scored eight goals in eight appearances.
Ademola Lookman, the hat-trick hero of the Europa League final, is another Atalanta player who nearly agreed to join Celtic.
“We tracked him back when I first started at Celtic,” manager Brendan Rodgers disclosed. I believe the story is well known to all. We were trying to persuade him to come when I met him in a London hotel.
He was extremely enthusiastic about Celtic’s project. He aspired to join a major club, thus he was at Charlton at the time.
‘Charlton clearly were wanting to get as much as they possibly could for him. We spoke to him.
‘It was a move that should have helped him and his representatives. He was very clear on that. But obviously it was a financial sum in the end. I think he went for maybe £11million or something to Everton. It just drifted away from us.
None of this represents good news for a Celtic side with defensive frailties. Progress comes in different forms and, right now, the Scottish champions would probably settle for a respectable defeat in the impressive 25,000-seat Gewiss Stadium.
Irked by some of the criticism which came for both him and his team after Dortmund, Rodgers would rightly relish any result which enhanced his team’s hopes of finishing in the top 24 of the new format.
“It’s an opportunity for people to beat you over the head with a stick, and that’s clear,” he continued, alluding to the seven-goal loss. I will therefore avoid becoming overly sentimental about it. I’m not a big listener.
For some, it’s a perfect storm. You are aware that they will write a fantastic article about how you lose, particularly when you travel to Europe. In fact, they have likely been putting it off for several months. Thus, that is the chance to perform it.
“I can’t alter that.” To tell the truth, I won’t even bother to try. There is no wiggle room. Therefore, we simply need to focus on our own team, keep working to get better, and see where it leads.
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