Celtic captain Callum McGregor has offered a response to the club’s critics, particularly regarding their performance in European competitions.
Speaking ahead of Celtic’s final Champions League group stage game against Feyenoord, McGregor suggested that some critics might be overly focused on negative statistics, saying that they have “too much time on their hands.”
This season’s Champions League campaign has been challenging for Brendan Rodgers’ side, with Celtic securing just one point from five games, which came in a draw against Atletico Madrid.
Despite the inability to qualify for European football post-Christmas, the team is determined to conclude their campaign on a positive note with a victory over Feyenoord.
It’s a tough pill to swallow for the Hoops, especially given how strong some of the performances have been.
Addressing the club’s recent European record, McGregor emphasised the need to focus on the present and future rather than dwelling on past performances.
At Tuesday’s press conference, with CeltsAreHere in attendance, the captain said, “I think people like to have too much time on their hands and they come up with these statistics and I’ve said it out there as well that you can’t label that at this year’s group or last year’s group. It’s a longer-term thing.
“Even before that, the club haven’t even been in the Champions League for the last four years, so it all starts to add up over the years.
“We understand we want to be competitive, when we get to this level we have to make an impact. Everyone at the clubs knows that, knows the position on it. If we win tomorrow night everyone stops talking about it, it gives you that belief and hopefully, we’re back here next season and can kick on from there.
“It’s important we keep everything internal, we know the messages we’re trying to set, the standards. The performances, we believe we should’ve had more points but we have to prove it on the pitch.”
A win against Feyenoord would not only boost morale but also end a long wait for a Champions League group stage victory, the last being seven years ago under Rodgers’ first tenure with a win against Anderlecht. McGregor sees this as an opportunity to silence critics and build momentum for future European campaigns.
