IT’S BETTER BY ANY MEASURE I GAVE JOE A HOT CHIP
Juranovic reveals he told Hart he’d do Panenka penalty TWO WEEKS AGO
IT’S said you should never measure yourself up by using someone else’s tape.
Especially when you’re borrowing it from a bloated megabucks-budget club.
But Ange Postecoglou now knows where his side stands and by anyone’s measurement it’s a mile ahead of where it was a few months ago. Even if it all ended in a Europa League exit and late agony.
There was to be no revenge gained on Bayer Leverkusen for a four-goal reverse in Glasgow back in September. But the drama at the BayArena was so much more than Angeball.
True to form, Postecoglou didn’t pull any tactical rabbits out the hat or throw any Europa League curve balls. Not even a start for James Forrest could have come under the shock category.
As usual, caution was thrown to the wind only to fall just short in a topsyturvy five-goal thriller.
Postecoglou didn’t call many things wrong last night but he was way off the mark on one count.
When asked if Bayer would be facing a different Celtic team now to the one that lost 4-0 in September, he said: “I don’t think so.” Last night his assessment was wildly out.
This was chalk and cheese as Celtic almost delivered a smash and grab on Leverkusen’s doorstep.
Once again the defensive indecision that haunted the early part of this season was evident but the caveat was being clinical in attack and full of guts and shared responsibility.
At least Postecoglou didn’t have to look far for something to ease the pain after suffering another European headache. A quick fact check confirmed last night’s conquerors are bankrolled by a company that invented aspirin.
It may be the Europa Conference League for Celtic after Christmas but it’s also about the bigger picture. The truth is few Europa League clubs would struggle to match the level Leverkusen operate on.
They have the third largest wage budget in the Bundesliga. In the last five seasons Leverkusen have made around £142million from selling players such as Bernd Leno, Kai Havertz and most recently Leon Bailey to English sides – a real pointer to the wealth at their disposal.
The Germans were quickly into their swagger but Celtic gave as good as they were getting as the tie struggled to find a decent tempo. For 10 minutes it was a well-structured and controlled display by Celtic but slowly but surely the holes in their backline started to appear and it was from once such attack the opener arrived.
From the moment Florian Wirtz floated over the corner it had goal written all over it with Robert Andrich rising unmarked to power in a header. Stephen Welsh jumping from a standing start and Anthony Ralston allowing his marker to run off him didn’t help a Hoops defence that watched on like statues.
Celtic set about trying to find a way back into the contest. Good old VAR came to the rescue as Leverkusen keeper Lukas Hradecky clattered Kyogo and referee Anastasios Sidiropoulos pointed to the spot after a quick look at the pitchside monitor. Josip Juranovic’s nonchalant finish was bottle personified.
When Jota slammed Celtic into the lead a stunning win looked on the cards but that inability to keep the ball out would prove their undoing.
Andrich helped himself to a second then Diaby delivered the killer blow eight minutes from time.
Another defeat in Germany, another loss to Leverkusen – but this time without the embarrassment.
JOSIP JURANOVIC last night revealed he was only keeping a promise to team-mate Joe Hart after perfecting a Panenka against Bayer Leverkusen.
The Croatian full-back couldn’t hide his dismay after going down 3-2 at the BayArena but his first-half moment of brilliance from the spot will linger long in the memory. After clipping the ball past keeper Lukas Hradecky, the Hoops defender admitted the idea was two weeks in the making having made a pledge to the Parkhead keeper.
He said: “Two weeks ago I was speaking to Joe and I told him I will do a Panenka the next time I get the chance.”
That touch of class aside, Celtic’s latest loss in Germany now consigns the club to a future of European Conference League football but Juranovic insists it’s not the booby prize some make it out to be.
He’s adamant there’s still scope for major improvement within the squad and while he wouldn’t put a timescale on when they’ll be a match for the best on the continent, he believes they’ll get there.
Juranovic said: “I can’t answer the question about how far away we are but I can promise the European Conference League has some fantastic teams.
“You can see where Celtic are, you could see that tonight against a Bayer Leverkusen side who are a very good team.
“I believe that they are a Champions League team and we gave everything against them. Unfortunately we lost but we can be proud.”
There’s a genuine passion from Juranovic when he talks about the state of play at Celtic from earlier this season to where they are now with a ninegame unbeaten domestic record fuelling their bid to fulfil boss Ange Postecoglou’s ambitions.
The Croat is adamant a togetherness and bond that is forming within the squad is growing from mutual affection into something much more brotherly.
He said: “Every day on the training pitch you can see we are growing.
“We are all fighting for one another and fighting for that spot in the starting XI. In the training sessions we give everything.
“You could see all of those qualities during the game tonight even though unfortunately we lost 3-2.
“Everyone watching the game at home on television, all of the fans who came over from Glasgow to be at this game, they can all see that we are growing as a team. We are growing as a family.
“We are learning from the coach and you can see he wants to do something different.
“That’s why it’s important we all support one another and now it’s about the game with Aberdeen on Sunday and taking three points.”
Celtic’s recovery from a goal down against Leverkusen was as stunning as it was unexpected.
A 2-1 lead would eventually be surrendered with the Bundesliga side’s late two-goal flourish downing any hope of booking a qualification D-Day with Real Betis on December 9.
But Juranovic was adamant he always had faith in his side pulling off a shock and preferred to talk up the positives against a side he rates as one of the best in Europe.
He said: “I was believing from the first minute we could get the result. I think we surprised them when we scored the goals.
“Unfortunately for us Leverkusen are a quality t eam
and they showed that in the end by scoring twice.
“I want to say congratulations to them but for us we showed our quality and that we are progressing as a team.
“We looked sharp and showed that we are growing, every day, from week to week and with every game.
“I feel disappointed because we lost the game but I am also proud of the boys because we faced a really good team, a Champions League side, and we showed when we are away from home that we will attack and score goals.
“Unfortunately for us we also conceded three bad goals. But we will learn from that
“You can see that Celtic is growing as a team. Each game we want to improve. We listen to the coach, he has some new tactics and I think you can see in every game that we are improving and growing as a team. That is most important.”
Juranovic has been a frequent dining companion of Hart during their downtime and the Croat could barely find the words to deliver the highest praise to his mate who pulled off a host of wonder saves at the BayArena.
He added: “First and foremost Joe is an amazing person and an incredible goalkeeper.
“He made some fantastic saves tonight and I’m loving the fact he is here with us. We can all learn from his experience.
“He is amazing. He is top class. A top person and a top goalkeeper. He showed all of his qualities and it’s a great feeling to have him as both a good friend and as a teammate.”