Celtic fans were pretty happy with how this season’s Champions League campaign panned out.
Yes, it was annoying and frustrating to see Celtic bow out to Bayern Munich in the playoff stage, especially given how hard the team had fought to push the German giants right to their limits.
That Alphonso Davies equaliser will still sting to this day, but in the bigger picture, Celtic are in a better place and there is a lot to look forward to.
Looking at the competition now, the Champions League is at the quarter-final stages, with the teams locked in, including a few who faced the champions of Scotland.
Bayern Munich dispatched Bayer Leverkusen and have now booked a quarter-final ticket against Inter, whilst Borussia Dortmund are tasked with trying to down the attacking might of Barcelona.
Then you have Unai Emery’s Aston Villa, who beat Club Brugge 6-1 on aggregate, to reach the last eight and now they will face Paris Saint-Germain.
With Villa a surprise entry into the last eight, their progression was discussed on talkSPORT, as Celtic also got a mention.
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images
Simon Jordan questions Celtic’s Champions League performances after Aston Villa progress
Nobody is doubting that Celtic’s Champions League performances in the past were a problem and you weren’t seeing much light.
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But this season, with the Champions League format revamped, you have seen a massive change and far better results, including performances.
However, Simon Jordan feels that the new format has been ‘very kind’ to certain teams, as he named dropped the likes of Villa, as well as having a dig at Celtic.
The former Crystal Palace owner mentioned how Liverpool finished top, but were handed a last-16 tie against PSG, but Villa, who finished eighth, played Club Brugge.
But maybe someone needs to tell Jordan that, on paper, Liverpool faced the 15th-placed side from the big league phase table, so that sounds about right, it’s not the creator’s fault that it happened to be PSG.
Added to that, Jordan spoke his usual rubbish about Celtic and how their progress to the playoffs, ‘gave them more hullabaloo than perhaps their performances really merited, when he needs to remember that Celtic were unbeaten at home during the league phase.
“I think the competition configuration has been very kind to sides,” said Jordan. “I think, Newcastle must look at this go, ‘well if we’d have been in this format, we’ve had an opportunity.’
“Liverpool must be looking at it and go, ‘how did we finish top and get PSG but Villa finish a bit further down and get Club Brugge and go through?’ So the configuration of this tournament has been quite kind. You still have to do your job, you still have to have won the games they did. They beat Bayern Munich at Villa Park and some other great results.
“It’s not a case of whether they look out of place or in place. Villa have a European Cup on their record, from ’82, and they’re a great club, with great size. I don’t know whether they look in place or out of place. They’re in the competition.
“Unai Emery is an experienced campaigner in Europe. He knows his way around. He’s managed PSG and been at the elite level of football, so he knows what he has to do to achieve certain things.
“If you see Aston Villa in the semi-finals or the final of the Champions League, there would still be an element of surprise, wouldn’t there?
“So, does that mean ultimately it seems comfortable to have them there? Everything is comfortable because you’re there on merit. But it’s not because you’re mentioning it. The fact that they’re there means it’s a strange situation.
“But, categorically, this format has benefited the British clubs. Celtic probably wouldn’t have got through the group stage or given themselves an opportunity for a playoff, which gave them more hullabaloo than perhaps their performances really merited.”
Celtic’s Champions League results
You sense more respect needs to be put on Celtic’s name and it needs to be noted how well the team performed, especially at home.
Yes, there was that horror show in Dortmund, but that was the only blip of the whole Champions League campaign.
You had the Villa match, but by then, Celtic had booked their playoff ticket and were without Cameron Carter-Vickers, Daizen Maeda, Jota was yet to arrive, Kyogo Furuhashi had just left and there was only one left-back.
Yet, Adam Idah is the only player to score at Villa Park in Europe this term and the team picked up nine points at home, including two clean sheets on the road. The club’s performances merited everything that came their way.
Celtic 5-1 Slovan Bratislava, September 18
Borussia Dortmund 7-1 Celtic, October 1
Atalanta 0-0 Celtic, October 23
Celtic 3-1 RB Leipzig, November 5
Celtic 1-1 Club Brugge, November 27
Dinamo Zagreb 0-0 Celtic, December 10
Celtic 1-0 Young Boys, January 22
Aston Villa 4-2 Celtic, January 29
Celtic 1-2 Bayern Munich, February 12
Bayern Munich 1-1 Celtic, February 18
But then again, this isn’t the norm as Simon Jordan is used to talking waffle about Celtic, so it shouldn’t be a surprise.