Neil Lennon seeks lift-off as Celtic crave Champions League success Celtics manager sees qualification for the Champions League last 16 as the be all and end all as his team prepare to visit Ajax Celtics Champions League win over Ajax in Glasgow emphasised the fine line between seeking respectability and pushing for qualification to the knockout phase. In the immediate aftermath of his teams 2-1 success, Neil Lennon expressed relief that the reputation of Celtic had been preserved. Earlier in their Group H campaign, Celtic had lost narrowly to Milan and then Barcelona. What I meant by that was that we hadnt any points out of the first two games, Lennon says. If you go three games without any points then it doesnt look great. We feel we are a good European team now and we wanted to keep that reputation intact. Beating Ajax, I think, has done that. It has also refuelled Celtics ambitions of reaching the last 16 for what would be a second season in succession. Wednesdays return fixture in Amsterdam is unquestionably crucial to both clubs. I dont want to tempt fate because you could end up getting a drubbing from one of these teams sooner rather than later but the one thing we wanted to be was competitive in the group and we have certainly done that, Lennon says. There has been nothing that much in the games although they are class teams, there is no question they have class players. And the difference sometimes is you get what you pay for. Still, Lennon scoffs when it is put to him that his players may have no right to achieve success against more illustrious sides. Such determination has served Celtic well in Europe. Why cant we be a good team in the Champions League? Just because we play in Scotland?, Lennon asks. Listen, there is no question we are punching above our weight but why not? We are in the competition and we crave it. Everyone in this room [the press] craves it. The fans crave it, the people in Scotland crave it as do me as a manager and the players. Its the be all and end all, really. It is the premier one and I dont want to go out. I want to qualify. Its good, the players are turning heads. The last couple of years now have given great exposure to the club. Its good for the reputation of the game here as well, I think. Celtics cause at the Amsterdam Arena will be boosted by the return of Kris Commons from injury. There is also the spectre of growing heat on Frank De Boers young Ajax side, who have so far failed to endorse domestic success by making meaningful inroads in Europe. Ajax have won only one of their past 11 Champions League outings. Last time Ajax came without pressure because we had to win at home but the pressure is all back to them now, insists the Celtic defender Efe Ambrose. Lennon agrees with such sentiment while cautioning that Ajax now have the bonus of home advantage. The Northern Irishman is, moreover, continually nonplussed by the assertions of De Boer and his players that they dominated proceedings despite defeat at Celtic Park. They are going to say that, Lennon says, shrugging. Everybody says that when they play us. You can see it from their point of view but you should see it from our point of view, as well. I thought we deserved to win the game. Frank will say they deserved to win it. I dont think there is much between the teams. I hope again that is the case on Wednesday, that we keep our nerve and that we play like we can. And dont forget we had a lot of players missing in the last game. We really shuffled things around, which was difficult so it made the win even more special. Another one would prove even more so, and equally valuable to Celtics latest knockout plan. Celtic Neil Lennon Ajax Champions League Ewan Murray theguardian © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds More news on: ift.tt/nYbTwk
Posted on: Sat, 02 Nov 2013 14:16:06 +0000
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