The Hoops skipper still looks back on that famous win over Lazio in the Europa League with nothing but fond memories
Okay, the Parkhead males do not have a long list to choose from. However, memories of that famous evening in the Italian capital may come in handy as the Celts prepare to face tough competition on Italian soil again. McGregor added, “It was an excellent outcome. It was a great night, and you can still recollect what happened after the game. It was right up there. I suppose the game teaches you that you must be dedicated at this level while also relying on luck to some extent.
Okay, the Parkhead men don’t have an extensive list to choose from. However, memories of that legendary evening in the Italian capital may come in good as the Celts prepare to face stiff competition on Italian territory again. McGregor stated: “It was a wonderful outcome. It was an incredible night, and you can still recall the events after the game. It was right up there. I believe that the game teaches you that you must be concentrated at this level and also rely on your luck to some extent.
“You have got to show quality when you have the ball and the last goal in that game you saw that we did a lot of defensive work in the game. The game changes in that moment with that transition and the speed and the power that we have got.
“We then chose the correct pass and received the quality. I believe we need to bring all of this together. We keep talking about the level, and the margins are so narrow. It is critical that you bring the levels with the ball.
“If you give the ball away nine times out of ten, you will be counter-attacked, and pursuing the ball for four or five minutes will also disorganise the group. At this level, we need to have as much control over the ball as possible.
“It was all set up for us because we were doing well in both the group and the previous game. We brought that with us, and we had a strong squad back then, and we still have a similar squad now. We may not be as physically fit, but the team’s profile includes being swift and good with the ball, so we must strive to play to our strengths as well.
“What if we get a result here?” I believe it will outperform Lazio in terms of competitiveness. It’s an experienced and powerful club, therefore winning the Champions League would be really advantageous.
However, Celtic faces severe competition in Italy. Atalanta are just as formidable as Borussia Dortmund, who hammered Celtics a few weeks ago. In fact, they might be far better. But that night in Rome showed that anything is possible.
McGregor replied, “Of course. That is football, and it is why everyone loves it so much: you can do something extraordinary on any given night. That is the type of motivation we must bring to this game against a high-level opponent.
“They have pace, quality, and strength on the ball, but we are also a good team, and it is all about belief and confidence, and sometimes all you need is a few fortunate moments in the game. We just need the right mix to be the best we can be. With a little luck, we’ll see where it takes us.
McGregor is far away. Celtic must greatly improve on their performance against Germany a few weeks ago, especially in possession. He continued, “You control the game with the ball, and then you can decide when to speed things up or slow them down.”
“That’s a key part of what you have to do while playing away from home, particularly in Europe. You just cannot attack every time you obtain the ball. And perhaps that is what we should have learnt from the Dortmund game.
Of course, you want to dominate the ball and be a forward-thinking team that moves rapidly. But sometimes all you need is to relax with the ball.
“You need to make 10, 15, or 20 passes to bring yourself up the pitch, set yourself up in the block, and then adjust the game speed at that point. So, ideally, that will be our learning experience.”
McGregor completed his homework on Atalanta, even if he didn’t realise it at the time. Last season, the Hoops skipper watched the Europa League Final, in which the Italians defeated Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen. McGregor stated, “I saw the Europa Final live. I was quite impressed with how they played that night against a high-quality Leverkusen team and just smashed them.
“It demonstrated their skill, but there were also periods in the game when there were possibilities. They defeated one of Europe’s finest teams, which had gone undefeated all season in Germany, demonstrating the struggle. We have to face it.
“We have to demonstrate our abilities, have faith, and fight, and maybe we can give them a nice game. When we leave the pitch, we want people to remark, “That was a proper Celtic performance.”
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