“I know it’s hard after a game and if you have an off night in Barcelona you are in big trouble”, added Keane.
Advertisement
“But on one hand we are being told that Celtic are a great club, great traditions, great history and they go and lose 7-0 to Barcelona and people nearly say, “Well these things happen, it’s acceptable”, said Keane. No excuses. This would have been a much bigger problem if the game against Rangers last Saturday had been tighter. So that idea they were exhausted as well.
Speaking to ITV, Keane criticised the way Celtic celebrated when they qualified for the Champions League, urging them to expect better.
“People have said they are the weakest team in the group but I don’t agree”.
“But even in the qualifying games they were poor”. I’m on about the qualifying games when they were scraping through then celebrating like they’d won the bloody thing. “Don’t accept, especially away from home, being the whipping boys of Europe”.
‘It’s Celtic, a huge club, they need to do a lot better and even when they qualified for this group the celebrations were way over the top.
However, former Celtic striker Sutton has hit back at the Manchester United legend, telling him he needs to be more realistic. People were hugging each other, the manager, the coaching staff, the players.
But they were given a rude awakening in the opening Group C match in the Nou Camp on Tuesday night when Barcelona ran riot 7-0.
Celtic were the first British team to win the then European Cup in 1967, but for all their domestic dominance in recent seasons they have failed to make much of an impact upon the Champions League.
“Celtic were losing games on the road with a far stronger set of players than they have now”. It’s not Altrincham, it’s Celtic.
Roy Keane says that the mindset at Celtic must change if the club have ambitions of doing well in Europe.
Roy Keane spares no one in criticising Celtic’s 7-0 thrashing by Barcelona in the Champions League.
“They need to be a little bit lucky, focused, but the two big teams are already there”. So I think this is not hard for the players to let go. “He’s right in saying it has to change but it takes time and things need to be put into perspective”.
He told ITV: “I know it’s hard after a game, and if you have an off night in Barcelona you are in big trouble”.
“They’ve got to change the mindset”. He knows and understands the anguish and embarrassment felt, as well as the discussions about just how Scottish football can ever hope to compete in Europe again.
“You always have a goal to reach the second round of the Champions League or to progress in the Europa League”, he says.
He said: “It is going to be a big task”.
“I’m not talking about the likes of Manchester City, Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich because they are miles ahead”.
Advertisement
‘I felt good, the fans support me and this is something that I really like, To feel the fans behind me is unbeatable’.
