Matt O’Riley has delivered his verdict after his Hoops side drew 1-1 against Shakhtar Donetsk which ended their European hopes for the season.
O’Riley is one of the most inexperienced players in the squad and has had to deputise for Celtic captain Callum McGregor in the previous two matches.
The 21-year old was honest and frank in his assessment after what felt like a disappointing night once again in the east end of Glasgow.
He is a player who still has a long way to go in the game and is likely to have a bright future ahead of him in years to come.
Celtic have shown a decent account of themselves over the piece, but the players know that they still need to be better at this level and if you do not take your chances, you will be punished.
“We’ll try to be back next year with a bit more ruthless in front of goal. I had a chance towards the end that I put past the post. To be honest, if that was in the Scottish league, I reckon we’d score them. Maybe there’s a bit more anxiety,” told Matt O’Riley speaking to BT Sport.
“There’s a lot to learn, but we’ll go back to the training ground to make sure we are more ruthless because our finishing, our passing, everything has to be sharper when you transition to this level. You saw it in the Real Madrid game, they get one chance, and they punish you.
“We had more chances than Shakhtar again. They obviously had one massive one they missed, but we had plenty to punish them.
“It was a disappointing Champions League campaign, especially given some of the football we’ve played. I’m gutted for our fans; they turn up every single time and make crazy amounts of noise. Next year we will have learned a lot from this and be in a better place for sure.”
It would have been a huge boost if Celtic had got that first Champions League home win but it wasn’t to be.
Having now experienced Champions League football at Celtic Park, the players will be hungry to once again come back fresh and compete at this level.
The easiest way of doing that is by once again winning the league title with players now having to once again turn their focus back to domestic duties at the weekend with a trip to Livingston.
