Sport: Boyata insists Celtic ready for Euro challenge
● Buoyant Boyata insists Celtic’s Invincibles can match ‘any team’ in Champions League
Dedryck Boyata believes Celtic’s treble-winning “Invincibles” have all the necessary attributes to go toe-to-toe with Europe’s elite teams in the Champions League next season.
The Belgian international defender is already eagerly anticipating the challenge which faces the Scottish championsto translate their domestic dominance to greater continental credibility in the 2017-18 campaign. Celtic reached the group stage of the Champions League this season but, while they earned plaudits for some of their performances, they failed to win any of their six fixtures and finished bottom behind Barcelona, Manchester City and Borussia Moenchengladbach.
In nine group stage appearances since their first back in 2001-02 under Martin O’neill, Celtic have progressed to the last 16 knockout phase three times – twice under Gordon Strachan in 2006-07 and 200708 and most recently when Neil Lennon’s squad lost to Juventus in 2012-13.
Celtic’s major shareholder Dermot Desmond has pinpointed a return to the last 16 of the Champions League as the next target for Brendan Rodgers after the former Liverpool boss led the club to the unprecedented achievement of an unbeaten domestic season in all competitions.
While Rodgers has previously stated his own ambition to try to establish Celtic as a regular presence in the postchristmas phase of the Champions League, he is also calling for a realistic appraisal of the difficulties the club face in bridging the gap in resources between themselves and those in Europe’s most powerful leagues.
Celtic must again get through three qualifying rounds next season just to earn a place in the group stage and will discover their first opponents when the draw takes place at Uefa’s Swiss headquarters in Nyon on 19 June.
But confidence is clearly high among the buoyant Celtic squad, with Boyata insisting he and his team-mates are ready to make a significant impact in the Champions League.
“We have all the qualities to get there and challenge any team,” said Boyata. “We know there are big teams in there but we know we can do well in the Champions League. I think we will keep improving, day after day and game after game.”
Boyata, meanwhile, has defended the scale of Celtic’s achievement in completing all 47 of their domestic fixtures without defeat this season.
The former Manchester City player is aware that the perception of Scottish football south of the border leads some observers to cast doubt on the magnitude of what Rodgers’ squad have done over the past ten months.
“If people don’t think it’s a big achievement they should know it’s a lot harder than it looks,” added Boyata. “We’ve worked very hard to get ourselves into this position. People can say it’s easy but, having been part of it, I can tell them that it’s very, very difficult. It’s a great achievement for every player.”
When the entry buzzer was pressed at the electronic gates of Celtic’s training centre in Lennoxtown at 11pm on a Saturday earlier this season, the security guard on duty was probably startled to hear the voice of Dedryck Boyata crackling through the intercom.
As the weeks passed, however, the big defender’s arrival for late evening sessions in the gym became a regular part of the nightshift routine for the man on the door.
Boyata’s isolated dedication to recovering full form and fitness didn’t become public knowledge until he first revealed it in a post-match press conference in February, having successfully dragged himself back from the fringes of Brendan Rodgers’ squad to become a key part of the team which has now achieved treble-winning domestic invincibility.
When the headlines appeared the next morning, they were greeted with scepticism by some who suspected that either Boyata’s version of events or journalistic licence were being stretched just a little. As the Belgian defender now recounts, even some of Rodgers’ coaching staff were among those who needed verification of the story.
“When it came out, the backroom staff went and found the security guy to see if I was telling the truth,” he said with a grin.
“But the guys there write everything down, who comes in, when they come in and when they leave the training ground. So there you go, it was all written down.
“The first time it happened, I came into the training ground at 11pm. I live just 10 minutes away from it. The first team had played at 3pm that day and I was on the bench but didn’t come on. So I came home about 7pm, had dinner and then went to the training ground. I had a late session and I was there until 1am. It does sound unbelievable, I guess, but it’s true.
“There’s always someone there, 24 hours a day, doing security. I did it a few times and the security guy knew I liked to train at that time. You just turn up, press the buzzer and he turns the light on in the gym for you until you are finished.
“I had to do it bec au seiwasn’ tf it enough, and when you don’t play you need to get your fitness. I had a day off the day after as well, so I took the chance I just wanted to work hard for the manager.
“The members of staff didn’t know, they only found out when I had that interview and I told them. But I’ve been working very hard and trying to do what the manager has been asking me to and it has been great.”
Boyata has reaped the rewards of his commitment. The 26-year-old cemented his status as a first choice central defender under Rodgers and on Saturday played his part in the Scottish Cup Final victory over Aberdeen which wrapped up Celtic’s unprecedented unbeaten clean sweep of the domestic prizes.
“It feels great to have done this,” added Boyata. “It wasn’t an easy game on Saturday. When I came into this great team, we were trying to win everything that was possible. The games are always hard but to be in this position – unbeaten all season – is unbelievable. “If someone had spoken to me six months ago then I couldn’t have seen myself in this position. It’s a great win for myself and the team. I’ve worked so hard to be in this position and it’s a great feeling. “The way Aberdeen played at Hampden, I was on the ball a lot but we had worked all week on that. I was in that position in training all the time, knowing where to play. It was hard but it was fine. If we could have have scored the winning goal earlier, it would have been easier. “But to win in the last minute is unbelievable for us and so frustrating for Aberdeen. I think they played very well. Towards the end, we pushed on. To score in the last minute is the best feeling you can have.
“I had a chance to make it 2-1 myself earlier in the second half and I just can’t believe I missed that header. But it wasn’t about being the hero. It was about winning the game. Obviously I would have slapped myself if we hadn’t gone on to win the game but in the end Tom Rogic scored the important goal, so I can forget about my miss.”
Like so many of his team-mates, Boyata feels indebted to Rodgers for the transformational effect he has had on his career at Celtic.
“For myself, he was very special,” he said. “I started the season with my injury and mentally it was very hard. You could feel it and even in the way I was playing, you could see I wasn’t right. I had a conversation with the manager about it and he actually helped me to bring out the best of my game, and I’ve been improving day after day. He has been unbelievable for me.”
Saturday completed a cross-border cup double for Boyata who collected an FA Cup winners’ medal as part of the Manchester City squad which beat Stoke City 1-0 at Wembley in 2011.
“This is different,” he added. “On Saturday, I was a part of it for Celtic and played the full game. The experience with Manchester City, I was on the bench that day. So while it was still great for me to experience that with City as a 19-year-old, it was different. To actually play and be part of this winning Celtic team is just unbelievable.”
Boyata is already setting his sights on finally playing Champions League group stage football, having missed all six of Celtic’s games this season while he fought his way back into contention for a first-team place. “That is the real target for any player,” he said. “Playing in the Champions League is a dream for every young player and I want to get there this time.”
THANKS, BOSS “I started the season with my injury and, mentally, it was very hard. You could see I wasn’t right. I had a conversation with the manager about it and he helped to bring out the best of my game. He has been unbelievable for me”
DEDRYCK BOYATA