Gordon is quite happy to go Dutch
Crossing swords with Cillessen is major incentive for Celts No 1
THERE were moments during last season’s Europa League campaign where it felt like Celtic had been sentenced to hard labour. Thrown into a humdrum group against Salzburg, Astra Giurgiu and Dinamo Zagreb, a set of uninspiring fixtures served as penance for the failure of Ronny Deila’s team to qualify for the Champions League.
That there was no need to sell tickets for the top tier of Celtic Park said everything about the limited interest, while in Romania spectators could barely see the pitch as thick fog consumed Astra’s Marin Anastasovici Stadium on the gloomiest night of all.
While the pain of this year’s elimination from UEFA’s top tournament is yet to fully subside, the consolation prize feels less like a punishment.
Given that the tournament did so much to re-establish his reputation after two years out of the game, goalkeeper Craig Gordon is disinclined to be sniffy about the Europa League but he does welcome the enhanced glamour and anticipation brought on by this season’s draw.
Celtic kick off in Ajax’s Amsterdam Arena this Thursday, then entertain a Fenerbahce team spearheaded by Robin van Persie in the next round of fixtures.
Deila’s joust with his fellow Norwegians of Molde completes a section that offers intrigue and adventure.
‘It does feel like a step up in terms of the clubs in our group,’ admits Gordon. ‘People will recognise the names because they’ve been in the Champions League or Europa for the last couple of seasons and we won’t need many introductions to the players we’ll face.
‘It’s a glamorous but difficult group with big clubs in it. Fenerbahce in Pot Three was probably the toughest draw we could have got as they have spent a lot of money.
‘So it’ll be hard, a real challenge, but I’m looking forward to it. We know what we’ll come up against, top players who have been around the international stage and who have shown their quality on many occasions.
‘I’ve never played in the Amsterdam Arena before. I was there with Scotland a few times on the bench and for a pre-season tournament with Sunderland when I was injured so this will be new.
‘The Europa League is important to me because I’ll be up against top strikers. If that’s something that can help me play more with Scotland, great. But I need to keep my performances at a high level, regardless of what competition I’m playing in to put more pressure on with the national side.’
A keen student of the game and especially those operating in his most specialised of positions, Gordon is looking forward to going up against Ajax No 1 Jasper Cillessen.
Cillessen has doubled as the Holland first-choice keeper for the past few years and played in every game as Louis van Gaal’s side finished third in the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Gordon remembers vividly the incident that saw Cillessen substituted for Tim Krul as a penalty shoot-out with Costa Rica loomed in the quarter-finals.
‘I do enjoy going up against the top keepers in Europe and showing what I can do,’ continued Gordon. ‘Cillessen was excellent at the World Cup in Brazil and he has been a top keeper for a few years now.
‘When he was subbed at the World Cup, he hadn’t saved a penalty in his career to that point, so you can understand why Van Gaal did it.
‘He got his place back for the next game and I don’t think it damaged his confidence at all.’
Potentially more damaging to Cillessen’s psyche will have been his culpability in the Netherlands’ 3-0 defeat to Turkey in the Euro 2016 qualifiers last weekend, a result that leaves the perennial qualifiers struggling to make even the play-offs for the 24-team tournament next summer.
Ajax’s very presence in the Europa League is a sign that they, too, are not the force of even two years ago when they shared a victory apiece with Celtic in the Champions League groups. Back then Virgil van Dijk was Celtic’s new central defensive star, with Fraser Forster charged with organising those in front of him.
That mantle has now passed to Gordon and he admits he has a job on his hands after van Dijk’s deadline-day sale to Southampton.
Celtic’s back four endured a torrid afternoon at Pittodrie yesterday, with Dedryck Boyata and Tyler Blackett still finding their feet, while £3million new signing Jozo Simunovic is yet to feature after his deadline-day move.
Gordon admits his side are travelling in a state of flux and, with Poland’s in-form striker Arkadiusz Milik leading the Ajax line, it’s unlikely to be a quiet night for the Scottish champions.
‘We’ve lost Virgil, and also Jason (Denayer) and Adam (Matthews) from last year,’ adds Gordon. ‘There will be a transition in defence and it will take time. There’s a few changes but we’ll settle on a back four at training in the coming weeks and we’ll get to know each other.
‘Hopefully it won’t take too long but we have big games coming up in the league and in Europe, so we need to bed it in as soon as possible.
‘I’ll see what I can do to keep everyone calm and organised. That’s normally my job anyway!’