CELTS GO DOWN IN BLAMES
Callum: European calamity is all our own fault
SHATTERED Callum McGregor last night admitted Celtic only have themselves to blame for crashing out of the Champions League.
The Hoops midfielder and his colleagues cut desolate figures as they slumped out of the Olympic Stadium following the self-inflicted defeat to AEK Athens.
Dreadful defending from Brendan Rodgers’s team in both legs of the tie cost three goals which plunged them out of Europe’s elite competition and condemned the squad to a first qualifying-round demise in over two years since their boss took charge.
But the Scotland playmaker made no attempt to dress up the reasons for the elimination.
McGregor confessed the defending was simply not good enough and said: “Everyone is massively disappointed. It’s a hard one to take.
“When you dominate over two games and don’t go through it’s hard to accept.
“Defensively, we have to be better in the moments when we have to stop crosses and put our bodies on the line when the ball is in the box.
“Over two legs they played counter-attacking football really well but we caused our own problems and only have ourselves to blame.
“No one is pointing fingers. It’s a collective. We have to be better in the moments we have to defend and you pay for it if you don’t.”
Of course fingers will be pointed at Dedryck’s Boyata’s absence.
Rodgers made it crystal clear the Belgian was fit enough to take part in the second leg but was still missing after a bust-up involving the club and his outspoken agent over a proposed move away from Glasgow.
While the manager said his piece about Boyata in the immediate aftermath of the setback, McGregor chose not to slam his team-mate – although he did confess the troops were sad he wasn’t there to help in their hour of need.
He said: “Dedryck’s situation is not for the boys to discuss.
“The way he has dealt with it is down to him. As a team, we’re just disappointed he wasn’t here.
“You just want your strongest team on the pitch and, over the past couple of years, big Dedryck has been a part of that.
“We’re just disappointed from a footballing point of view.
“It’s not for us to talk about what is right or wrong. That’s not for us to comment. We’re just devastated we didn’t get through.”
Boyata is likely to be shipped out before the close of the transfer window after the unsavoury scenario that has unfolded over the past five days since his agent stormed Lennoxtown to demand a meeting with the manager.
But, as well as a possible new defender to replace the Belgian, McGregor admits the squad would be pleased to see an injection of fresh blood before the end of the month.
He said: “You need new faces, especially when you are successful the way we have been.
“We’ve won everything in the past two years but you need to keep pushing. It keeps the tempo high, the training high and the matches.
“New faces spice up the dressing room and the boys the manager has signed have made an impact.
“When you get into his team he gives you clear instructions on what is needed.
“You just need new faces to try to spice things up and get the performances to a high level.”
Winger James Forrest shared McGregor’s frustrations as he departed Greece last night.
The Scotland international played his 300th game for the club but was unable to enjoy the experience after the devastating defeat.
Forrest joined McGregor in admitting Celtic shot themselves in the foot with desperate defending.
But the winger insists Rodgers has instilled the right attitude in the squad to see them come roaring back from this European failure.
He said: “It was very disappointing. There’s not much to say. The way we conceded as a team.
“We have not had many nights like this under the manager but we have to come back from it.
“It’s hard because we played well for two games yet they took their chances.
“We could have defended better as a team and we are so disappointed.
“If we had been outclassed it might have been easier to take but we weren’t.
“In the first leg at home, they had one attack in the game and scored from it.
“Once they went down to 10 men at home, we didn’t manage to kick on and get the second goal, but we still came here convinced we could do something.
“We conceded early and then did the same at the beginning of the second half. That’s the most disappointing part. We know we’re a good team and we know we should have gone through but we just have to deal with it.
“In the last 10 minutes our fitness levels were better than theirs and they were struggling at the end.
“We had a couple of half chances when we could have scored but it’s done now.”
Forrest confessed the dressing room was a quiet place afterwards but that Rodgers had immediately set the squad a Europa League target before they got out of the stadium.
Celtic will face Suduva or Spartaks Jurmala for a place in the group stage of the second-tier event and Forrest said: “The manager tried to stay upbeat.
“He just said you get punished in Europe for giving up chances and that’s what happened to us.
“We just need to make sure we stay in Europe now.
“We have to get into that Europa League at least.”