Celtic got ‘taste of their own medicine’
ROSS COUNTY midfielder Jim O’Brien says it was ‘nice to see’ Paris Saint-Germain give Celtic a taste of their own medicine in midweek. Brendan Rodgers’ side were humbled 5-0 by the mega-rich French giants in their opening Champions League group game on Tuesday night. After the defeat, some commentators suggested that Celtic experienced what many of the Parkhead club’s Premiership rivals go through when they come up against the Scottish champions. And, as he looked ahead to facing his old club today, former Celtic youth O’Brien agreed, saying: ‘I am in a group chat with my friends at home and they were saying (during the game): “It’s not good enough, we are not getting near them.” ‘And I just said: “Well, this is how everyone else feels when they play against
Celtic”. It’s nice to see Celtic maybe getting a little taste of that and realising how everyone else feels. ‘But they will want a reaction this week. I don’t think their manager has had to come out and say much before because it’s all been positive, so they will definitely be looking for a reaction.’ Celtic will announce their strongest ever financial results next week, with turnover expected to exceed £90million after Rodgers delivered Champions League football in his first season. However, refuting suggestions that Celtic’s superior wealth in comparison to most other SPFL sides mirrors the gap between the Scottish champions and PSG, the Parkhead boss insisted: ‘It’s totally different. ‘With all due respect, when you are working with that (high) level of player, you see the difference. ‘I understand the relative comparisons that get made. But it’s totally different because of that level of player and belief. ‘Someone showed me something in terms of finances with Qarabag and ourselves in relation to the rich clubs. For me, what’s interesting when you look at it is that teams used to have, say, one or two top players supplemented by other good players. ‘But look at that Paris SaintGermain team and what they’ve got, all across the pitch, boys you wouldn’t think of at first, Marco Verratti and boys like that, top, top players. Thiago Motta, Thiago Silva — a Brazilian captain. ‘These teams, financially, are huge. But for the likes of us, there is a comparison with the teams in pot three. ‘Every year it gets further and further away with the money in the game, whether people like it or not. But we still want to be there.’ UEFA president Alexander Ceferin has urged the European Club Association to help implement a fairer Champions League with more competitive edge. UEFA have also launched an investigation into PSG’s attempts to circumnavigate Financial Fair Play rules introduced in 2013 to sign star duo Neymar and Kylian Mbappe in the summer. Both players featured in the crushing defeat of Celtic in midweek and Rodgers now wants the governing body to enforce their own rules. ‘The starting point is having a sanction in place that clubs abide by,’ he said. ‘You see the clear gap. Don’t get me wrong, I can’t complain, because you never know, you might be in that position one day. ‘Football is very much financial in every aspect. The money we get from the Champions League is massive, but it’s nothing compared to some of these clubs.’