Celtic Aims to Avoid Being a “Nearly Team” in European Competitions

Captain Callum McGregor stated that Celtic is committed to “not be a nearly team” when competing in Europe. The Parkhead club seems to have reached a turning point in the Champions League, having accumulated seven points from their initial four matches of the campaign. Three of these points were secured during Tuesday’s notable comeback victory against RB Leipzig at Celtic Park. Following their recovery from a deficit to establish a 2-1 lead by halftime, midfielder McGregor conveyed that the instruction during the interval was to “kill the game and win 3-1”. The captain further remarked, “We just said at half time we don’t want to be a nearly team.” He continued, “It speaks volumes of where we’ve come from, all that learning you speak about in the games last season.” McGregor praised the team’s “complete performance” and assessed it as one of the top European displays he has participated in during his tenure as a Celtic player. He commented, “Against a top, top team who are at the top of the Bundesliga and renowned for coming to press and having intensity, we showed every bit of that as well,” He added, “The tempo was good, the quality was unbelievable at times, so against a really good team it’s probably as good as we’ve been on a Champions League night.”