From one former Celtic man to another.
Republic of Ireland assistant manager Roy Keane in the stands
Roy Keane did not hold back with his criticism of Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side this week, speaking after their 7-0 defeat to Barcelona.
Speaking to ITV, Keane criticised the way Celtic celebrated when they qualified for the Champions League, urging them to expect better.
Celtic’s Kolo Toure in action with Barcelona’s Lionel Messi
He said: “When they qualified for the group the celebrations for me were way over the top. I actually thought they’d won the competition? People were hugging each other, the manager, the coaches the players.
“It’s not Altrincham, it’s Celtic! The whole mindset has to change. Don’t accept, especially away from home, being the whipping boys of Europe.”
The defeat was a chastening one for all connected with Celtic, but former striker Chris Sutton believes Keane’s comments were over the top.
Celtic’s qualifying campaign was a nerve wracking one at times, but the way they scraped through against Hapoel Be’er Sheva last month looks a little better after the Israeli side ‘s result last night.
Hapoel inflicted a Europa League defeat on Inter Milan at the San Siro, pouring more misery on the once great Italian side.
Sutton argues that Keane should have considered where Celtic were a year ago, failing to even qualify for Europe’s elite competition. The time to judge may be at the end of the group stages, with five games still remaining.
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