BROONIE BRUSSELS UP SOME BELIEF:
Shell-shocked Brown admits Bhoys let themselves down but can bounce back
BELIEVE in Brussels. Believe in yourself. As far as Scott Brown is concerned it is the only way for Celtic to roar back into Champions League contention.
The Parkhead skipper was shellshocked after the 5-0 loss to PSG, a harrowing matchday one experience that was a bitter pill to swallow.
Of course Brown was impressed with the French. He knew the spending power that allowed PSG to spend almost £700 million on a team of superstars would make them magnificent.
But they didn’t need to be that impressive. In Brown’s eyes Celtic let them swagger too often.
Why? He feels it is because they forgot their education under Brendan Rodgers. They forgot to stay clam, forgot to stay controlled, forgot to trust themselves and each other with the ball and made bad choices.
Just 12 previously in the Nou Camp Celtic made the same errors. They were trounced 7-0. In response they fought back instantly and used belief and courage to stun Manchester City and claim a draw in their next game.
This time it was PSG and it was 5-0. And Brown feels restoring that same belief and courage again can see them race back off the ropes and inflict some damage of their own on to Anderlecht.
Brown said: “European football is notoriously difficult and we played a game on Tuesday night against a team who have just spent the guts of £400m on two players.
“They spent a lot of money to try to win this competition and they gave us a night of it.
“In the first half we didn’t believe in We were trying to make runs instead of trying to keep the ball and we struggled with misplaced passes which isn’t like us at all.
“It could have been more, especially in the first half, although I do think we gave a better account of ourselves in the second.
“Everyone wanted to make the night about Neymar but for us the way we performed in the first half wasn’t good enough.
“After the break we tried to press them higher up the park and we created one or two chances.
“The focus has to be on the next game. Now it’s on to Anderlecht in a fortnight and going away from home is never easy.
“We have to learn quickly from some of the mistakes we made against PSG and try to take that into the next game over in Brussels.
“Last season we had a heavy loss in the Nou Camp but we got over that and we have to find some of the form we showed in the competition after that.
“We can be more composed, we can do more with the ball and we can create chances. But it doesn’t damage the confidence.
“The bar is going to get raised as high as possible but what we want to do is go out and compete. We didn’t do that for big chunks of the PSG game.
“If we can take anything it’s the way we tried to lift ourselves in the first halfourselves.
hour of the second half and that’s what we need to draw upon as we look to collect ourselves before Anderlecht.”
Despite his despair Brown was able to look back and salute the French.
He’s aware Celtic stood off them and let them play at times but there were other occasions when he and his teammates just couldn’t get near them with their super-slick passing and movement.
Unai Emery’s team are being tipped as potential trophy winners and although Brown wouldn’t go that far at this stage he was impressed.
He said: “They are right up there as one of the best teams I have ever played against. But so they should be with the amount of money they’ve spent.
“They have great players and a couple of technical geniuses as well. They could go a long, long way.
“It’s too early to tip them to win it but it’s fair to say they gave us a right good hiding, that’s for sure.
“It’s up to us to try to come back from that and take what we can from it.”
If there was one crumb of comfort it came in the shape of Anthony Ralston. The 18-year-old was given a horrendous time by Neymar who dazzled him from the opening moments.
Ralston was handed a severe lesson by the Brazilian superstar but Brown believes the experience gained will be of huge benefit to both player and club going forward.
He said: “Anthony got his body in, he defended when he could, he took a sore one in the throat when he took one on the goal-line.
“He’s a brave player and he will take a lot from the game.
“The fact the manager has enough faith in him to play him on a night like that against a team like PSG will tell him a lot and I’m sure he’ll be a better player for going through it.
“It was a tough night for him but I thought he did pretty well, all things considering.
“He was actually a wee bit unlucky with a chance in the second half, otherwise he might have claimed a goal. But he will take so much from it.”