Make no mistake about it, Wednesday night was one of Celtic’s most humiliating defeats in European competition.
The Hoops suffered their earliest exit from the Champions League in 15 years as they were beaten by Hungarian top-flight champions Ferencvaros, meaning they will now drop into the Europa League’s third qualifying round.
Speaking after the game, Celtic boss Neil Lennon – who has come under fire for his team selection and tactics – was very critical of his players, even calling into question whether they wanted to be at the club.
He said: “We seem to have made the same mistakes as last year. I don’t know if it’s attitude or mentality but it’s cost us again. I’ll have to carry the can, and take the responsibility for it. I’m not saying Ferencvaros are a bad team – they’re not – but we had so much control we should have won. That doesn’t make us weak, it doesn’t make me weak, but people will cast aspersions.
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When asked what message he would send to his players, Lennon responded: “Get your mentality right, get your attitude right. If some of you don’t want to be here, leave.”
One man whose attitude and desire can’t be questioned, but whose his performance certainly can, was Scott Brown.
For all the mistakes Lennon may have made with his starting line-up, including the baffling decision to not start with an out-and-out number nine, Celtic’s skipper badly let the side down with a deeply frustrating display.
As per Sofascore, his 6.9 match rating was the lowest of any outfield player for the Hoops, and when you look at the some of the numbers behind it, you can clearly see why.
Despite seeing his team dominate the ball – Celtic enjoyed a whopping 70% of the possession – Brown failed to attempt a single shot or dribble, not getting himself forward enough to unsettle Ferencvaros.
Whilst he was his usual tigerish self – he made three tackles and four interceptions – Lennon’s side desperately needed their captain to be far more adventurous with the ball at his feet.
His 93 touches was the highest of any midfielder or attacker on the pitch, but he could only provide one key pass in the 90 minutes – to put that into context, left-back Greg Taylor delivered six.
The Scottish Sun’s Robert Grieve wrote in his post-match ratings that Brown looked “nowhere near his best”, and that he “was almost trying too hard at times”. Celtic needed their captain to step up when needed, and he simply didn’t.
