3 things we learned as Celtic collapse vs Feyenoord

It is a new season but the same old story for Celtic. The Hoops have struggled badly in Europe for quite some time now and that continued in their Champions League opener away in the Netherlands against Dutch champions, Feyenoord. It was an evening that promised so much and provided so little. But the Hoops fans will be familiar with that by now.

Celtic had actually been the brighter of the two sides early on. And for the majority of the first-half, they had kept the hosts at bay, restricting them to hopeful strikes from distance.

But then the match changed right before half-time as Feyenoord got their goal from a free-kick. It was one that should have been dealt with much better. The wall did not do its job properly and perhaps Joe Hart should have done more as well.

Any chance that Celtic had of mounting a comeback after the break was reduced to zero when they got two players, Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago Holm, sent off. Ultimately, the game ended 2-0. The Dutch champions had the ball in the back of the net more times but fortunately, they were ruled out.

3 things we learned as Celtic collapse vs Feyenoord

Here are three things we learned as Celtic collapsed against Feyenoord in their UEFA Champions League opener away at De Kuip:

Inexperience hurts Celtic again

Celtic fans wanted the club to sign established and experienced players in the summer in order to take a step forward in Europe. Instead, they stuck to bringing in ‘project’ signings. We saw two of them being sent off against Feyenoord.

To be fair to Lagerbielke and Holm, they have both done well till now. But they might not be ready to make an impact at the Champions League level just yet.

Brendan Rodgers’ terrible run in the Champions League continues

Rodgers is a very good manager without a doubt. But when it comes to his record in the Champions League, it is not much to write home about.

This was the 13th time Rodgers managed Celtic in the Champions League. And he has only won just one game for the Hoops till now. At Liverpool, he did not do much better, winning one in six.

Celtic might be in deep trouble vs Lazio

Celtic already have had their issues at centre-back, with several players out injured. And with Lagerbielke being sent off, their options will be further reduced when they take on Lazio in their second group stage game of this Champions League campaign, early in October. That is the last thing they need at this point in time.