Celtic will hope for a better outcome next time round in the Champions League following a difficult group stage campaign this term.
Brendan Rodgers’ men gained four points from Group E, with a last-gasp victory over Feyenoord and a stirring draw against Atletico Madrid providing two memorable nights at Parkhead.
Two defeats against Lazio left a bitter taste in the mouth; meanwhile, losing against Atletico Madrid and Feyenoord away from home provided harsh lessons that can hopefully be learned from in the future.
Of course, with the transition to a new Champions League format, Celtic could gain elevated visibility on the continent if they secure direct entry by winning the Scottish Premiership title over their next four league matches.
Significant financial benefits will also follow due to the increased number of group stage matches in the competition from 2024/25 onwards; however, should we manage to book our place, that is a conversation for another day.
Either way, Celtic will take valuable experiences from their exploits in Europe this campaign forward, even if we came up a bit short in the group phase.
Alistair Johnston’s phenomenal Champions League statistic
Over the last 24 hours, Celtic fans may have seen a commendable statistic circulating concerning right-back Alistair Johnston, who competed in every minute of our Champions League group stage efforts this campaign [Transfermarkt].
For those who haven’t, Transfermarkt, the outlet cited above, noted in a post on Instagram that the Canadian defender has made the seventh most tackles in the competition (20), as seen below.
Keeping elite company, he ranks above the likes of Benfica centre-back Nicolas Otamendi, Real Madrid superstar Federico Valverde, and Bayern Munich star man Joshua Kimmich by virtue of participating in fewer games.
Nevertheless, his inclusion is a testament to Johnston’s character, and hopefully, there is plenty more to come from the 25-year-old in Europe’s premier tournament.