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Callum McGregor’s worrying admission about Celtic exit

By Sourav Mahanty

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 02: Callum McGregor of Celtic wears a protective mask as he takes part in the warm-up before the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Rangers FC at on February 02, 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)
GLASGOW, SCOTLAND - FEBRUARY 02: Callum McGregor of Celtic wears a protective mask as he takes part in the warm-up before the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Rangers FC at on February 02, 2022 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images) /
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Celtic’s run in Europe has come to an end for another season and once again, it was disappointing. The club had enjoyed a promising run in the Europa League group stage, gaining 9 points out of a possible 18 despite coming up against the likes of Bayer Leverkusen, Real Betis and Ferencvaros. Thus, there were many fans who expected them to compete for the inaugural UEFA Europa Conference League title.

The tie against Bodo/Glimt was always a tough one. The Norwegian champions have showed their quality this season and even hold a 6-1 win over Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma.

But even then, not many could have predicted Celtic getting knocked out by Bodo/Glimt in such convincing fashion. The aggregate was 5-1 and over the two legs, the Hoops did not even come close.

Following the club’s exit from the competition, Callum McGregor has admitted that over the two legs, the Hoops did not play well enough to make it to the next round. As reported by the Glasgow Times, the Celtic captain said:

"“You are 2-0 down from the first leg so it’s never going to be an easy task.“We didn’t start the game well at all to be honest and we gave the impetus. It was difficult to recover from that point.“We had a bit of a go in the second half and we had the chance with Daizen (Maeda) to get back in it.“But over the two legs, we have to accept that we didn’t play anywhere near the level we are capable of, or have been so far this season.“The reality is that we didn’t play well enough over the two legs.”"

McGregor makes Celtic admission after European exit

It is safe to say that over the two legs vs Bodo/Glimt, Celtic did not show their best. They have been much better this season, than they were in these couple of games and ultimately, the Norwegian champions were the better side and deserved to go through to the next round.

On the other hand, Celtic’s focus must now turn towards the league, which is the priority to be honest, with a Champions League spot up for grabs.

As things stand, Celtic are sitting three points ahead of the Rangers in the Premiership table, and are in a strong position. But at the same time, there is still a long way to go and these couple of defeats at the hands of Bodo/Glimt will do the Hoops’ confidence no favours.

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