Memory of last trip to Munich haunts Lennon
FROM heartbreak at the old Olympiastadion to a comic-cuts punch-up in San Francisco, Celtic’s past encounters with Bayern Munich have generally produced entertainment and drama aplenty. Tomorrow night in the Allianz Arena, Brendan Rodgers’ men will hope to avoid both previous scenarios. But nobody is kidding themselves about how tough it will be. Former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon, who played in the agonising 2-1 defeat in Bavaria 14 years ago, still winces as he recalls a Champions League group game that knocked the wind out of an incredibly strong Celts side. And, as he warned the current team to beware a striker he rates even higher than PSG’s Edinson Cavani, Lennon can’t help but wonder what might have been if Martin O’Neill’s side — beaten UEFA Cup finalists just a few months earlier — had held on for at least a point in September 2003. ‘I remember the last trip to Munich well enough, because we played really well,’ said the Hibs boss. ‘It was 0-0 until just before the hour, then Alan Thompson scored a diving header against Oliver Kahn. We got a big lift from that. ‘We were in good control of the game, although they put a bit of pressure on us. Then Roy Makaay scored with a really good volley — but we were still comfortable we’d see the game out at 1-1. ‘Magnus Hedman then may or may not have misjudged the flight of a cross with three or four minutes remaining. ‘It’s one of them where people run across, don’t get a touch on it and it ends up in the far corner. It was Makaay again. ‘It was the year after Seville and we were playing really well. We should have come out of the group. ‘We lost in Lyon with a last-minute penalty and, if we’d got the point, we would have qualified. It felt like a group that got away, because our domestic game was so dominant. ‘Michael Ballack was Bayern’s captain and Hasan Salihamidzic played as well. The two full-backs, Willy Sagnol and Bixente Lizarazu, just got so far forward. Ballack ran midfield and then Jens Jeremies sat in the holding role,
putting his foot in. That meant the two full-backs would go. ‘But there wasn’t much in it between Bayern and ourselves that season and we should have made it out of that group. It was the year Porto won the Champions League, having beaten us in Seville. So we felt we had a real good chance of doing something. ‘This time, it’s going to be a real test for Brendan and his players. The change of manager has given Bayern a real lift and the timing couldn’t be any worse with them winning 5-0 on Saturday.’ Lennon has seen Bayern ‘evolve’ over the last decade or so, winning the Champions League under new-old boss Jupp Heynckes and then ‘moving up a level’ with Pep Guardiola. Singling out some pretty obvious dangers, he said: ‘With players like Robert Lewandowski, Arjen Robben, they can hurt you at any time. ‘Comparing Lewandowski to the PSG players, he’s obviously different from Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. But I think he’s better than Edinson Cavani. ‘He’s an all round top modern-day centre-forward. Technically he’s brilliant, strong, really good in the air — and he’s a brilliant finisher. ‘They’ve got Thomas Muller backing him up as well. I like Thiago in midfield, too. So it’s still a huge challenge for Celtic. ‘But it’s the reason they’re in this tournament, to play these teams. And, if you can’t beat them, learn from them.’ Lennon was at Hampden last Sunday to help induct Lisbon Lion John Clark into the Scottish Football Hall of Fame and was thrilled to be part of the ceremony for a European Cup winner who has served as Celtic’s kit manager for years. For Clark himself, this week brings back uproarious memories of a friendly against Bayern in San Francisco in 1966 that descended into chaos. ‘Gerd Muller and Sepp Maier both played, it was a 2-2 draw,’ recalled Clarke. ‘And Stevie Chalmers got hooked by their full-back. Stevie chased him right along the touchline trying to get retribution. It ended up a bit of a free-for-all. ‘It was quite comical because they were chasing each other, the rest of the players were running after them and the fans were running at the back of us. We got to the tunnel and the gate was locked, so we were all stuck there.’ Optimistic about tomorrow’s tie and the European campaign in general, a defiant Clark declared: ‘People talk about aiming for third (in the group). But a club like Celtic should never aim for third — they should always go for the best they can get.’