Parkhead noise was a spur for Germans

BORUSSIA Monchengladbach star Oscar Wendt revealed Celtic Park’s famous Champions League atmosphere actually helped to inspire his team mates instead of terrify them.

The Bundesliga side were excellent in their 2-0 win in Glasgow and helped silence a sell-out Parkhead.

Borussia stars admitted they were impressed with the atmosphere as Celtic tried to push on from their 3-3 draw with Manchester City in their last game.

But Swedish international Wendt reckons the wall of noise helped to motivate Monchengladbach.

He said: “The atmosphere at Celtic Park was fantastic. But we used that as a motivation and in the end, we switched their party off.

“There was no doubt we deserved to win the game. Before the game we were under massive pressure because we knew we couldn’t afford to lose here.

“But we were fantastic defensively and in an attacking sense too.”

Colleague Lars Stindl reckoned they stopped Celtic playing from the start. He said: “We had big plans before the game and we knew what would await us here.

“Right from the start, we gave Celtic nothing. We defended so well and deserved the win.”

Mean while, sporting director Max Eberl insists the German side can kill off Celtic’s European dream in next month’s return leg.

Monchengladbach, who are two points clear of the Hoops, can improve their own chances of reaching the last-16 and effectively guarantee themselves at least a Europa League place if they inflict another defeat on Celtic at Borussia Park on November 1.

Former club defender Eberl insists they are confident of prolonging their European campaign.

He said: “We are still very modest but we secured three points that not everyone believed we could get.

“It was a very good performance. We were brave and weren’t fazed by the impressive atmosphere at Celtic Park.

“We still want to be in Europe after the winter break and we’ve taken a big step towards achieving that objective.”

LITTLE wonder that Leigh Griffiths jokes sardonically about a having a keen sense of deja vu. “Aye, it feels like Ronny Deila is back, that first season,” chuckled the affable striker as he reflected on his vantage point from the bench for both club and country these past few weeks.

On the back of a 40-goal season, a campaign that ended with him named as the Ladbrokes Premiership Player of the Year in Scotland and lauded by his fellow professionals, Griffiths nevertheless finds himself back in the familiar position of having to prove himself all over again.

Moussa Dembele has usurped the striker from the Hoops starting line-up but the 25-year-old is reluctant to settle for life on the outside looking in.

Celtic need to dust themselves down following Wednesday night’s chastening experience against Borussia Monchengladbach in which the Hoops were outplayed, but Griffiths’s own remit lies in forcing his way back into the team.

“I need to keep pulling strings in training, putting the ball in the back of the net, working hard, closing defenders down and the only person who can get me in the team is the manager,” he said.

“I am disappointed. Every player who finds themselves on the bench is disappointed.

“I just have to keep working hard and knowing that when my chance comes then I have to take it.

“Ask any player here if they are satisfied sitting on the bench and I guarantee they will all say no. Everyone wants to play I am no different.

“The fans are brilliant. They see what I give every week. Whether I start or come off the bench, I give 110 per cent. I love playing for this club.

“The fans have been brilliant with me. Well, 95 per cent of them have been. And I still try to keep proving people wrong by giving my all.”

Griffiths was given a warm welcome when he was introduced to the fray during Wednesday night’s encounter, but, by the time he arrived, Celtic’s chances in the game were long gone.

The halfway point of this European campaign makes for difficult viewing from the Parkhead side’s perspective after they have taken just one point from their opening three games.

Few would have expected Celtic to progress when the draw was originally made but the energy and exuberance that was there in the aftermath of what was a pulsating draw against Manchester City was expunged with what was a sobering experience against the Bundesliga side.

GRIFFITHS, though, has insisted that it is too early to write Celtic off entirely, although he has acknowledged that the road ahead looks dauntingly prohibitive.

“There are still three games t to go,” he said. “It has put us in a difficult position. We would accept that. But it means that w we have to lift ourselves and go away from home and play. You have to give credit to Borussia too.

“They came here, they played really well and their movement at times was second to none.

“We wanted to take something but we knew this was going to be a tough game from the minute the draw was made.

“But we also have to look for the positives. I don’t think we played particularly badly.”

This time last season Celtic were toiling to keep pace in the