NO HIDING PLACE
Boyata reveals heartache over that Bayern blunder
IDEALLY Dedryck Boyata would have headed straight down the tunnel. Instead he felt like digging one for himself as Brendan Rodgers led his players on a consolatory lap of honour. Those supporters who remained in the stadium beyond the full-time whistle applauded but Boyata found the acclaim hard to accept. Not when he felt responsible for gifting the goal that allowed Bayern Munich to take the lead in a Champions League tie that was so full of promise for the home team.
To his eternal credit, the Belgian defender fronted up after the ground had emptied and gave an interview in which he made no attempt to sugar-coat his performance in a 2-1 defeat or pass the buck regarding his culpability at Kingsley Coman’s goal.
The error was about as basic as you’ll get. An aimless lump forward from Bayern keeper Sven Ulreich should have been comfortably headed clear but instead Boyata chose to let it go.
‘They were playing with a fake No9,’ he explained. ‘I could see him (James Rodriguez) in front of me and he actually stopped and so I thought okay I am alone.
‘And then I saw Coman who plays on the left and was just behind me and I was like OHHHHH... I thought I was alone.
‘As soon as the ball bounced everything just went quick and from that point I was thinking: “Oh God, what is going on?”
‘So I feel very frustrated. We played well but we left with zero points. At that level every mistake costs.’
A couple of points should be offered in mitigation.
Firstly, Coman’s goal was not the game’s defining moment. Callum McGregor’s second-half effort drew Celtic level and provided a platform from which they might well have won the game.
Secondly, Boyata was far from the only player to blame. Not only might Mikael Lustig have stopped the cross from which Javi Martinez headed the winner but a player more used to playing as a central defender than Nir Bitton might have stopped the Spaniard getting a clean head to the ball.
And then there is the role of the Celtic goalkeeper in the opening goal.
Although Craig Gordon had publicly pointed the finger in Boyata’s direction for not heading the ball away, had he himself not come charging out of his goal to engage Coman, the forward would at least have had to think about how and when he should fire off his attempt on goal.
Boyata was not for blaming any of his team-mates, though, and instead chose to focus on the support they had shown him after the long walk back to the sanctuary of the dressing room.
‘We have all been in that position and we all lift each other in times when something goes wrong, so of course the people came round me,’ reflected the 26-year-old.
‘But for me it is different because I am a perfectionist.
‘Even if we win and I make a mistake I always think about it — this was even worse because we lost the game.
‘The manager has been telling us right from the beginning that one mistake can kill us. You have to stay focused the whole game.
‘We managed to find the strength to come back to 1-1 and they were shaky for a bit, yeah, but I feel very frustrated.
‘I can tell you as soon as we walked into the changing room the silence said everything. Everybody was disappointed with that result. We knew we were close to gaining something.
‘At that level it is easy to say we played good and so everybody is happy, but we want to win.
‘I want to win games, I don’t just want to be there for show. It is an important tournament, you want to show yourself, you want to show Celtic is a good team.
‘The crowd is helping us and we are playing in a way that gives us a chance to do something but, in the end, the result is just not there. So it is disappointing.’
The irony is that Boyata’s acute sense of guilt is heightened by the fact he and his team-mates offered a much enhanced performance against one of the game’s heavyweight clubs.
Outclassed all over the pitch in both the 5-0 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on the tournament’s opening night and then again as Bayern exploited home advantage to cruise to a 3-0 win at the Allianz Arena last month, Celtic competed as equals in midweek.
True, Bayern left the injured Thomas Muller and Robert Lewandowski at home
while Joshua Kimmich and Mats Hummels rested on the bench but any team featuring Arjen Robben, Arturo Vidal, Martinez and Coman remains a force to be reckoned with.
Powered by the electricity of a crowd in top European voice, the speed of Celtic’s passing and movement took the game to Bayern and offered vindication for Rodgers’ unswerving commitment to an expansive playing style.
‘It is harder to take than those earlier defeats,’ admitted Boyata (pictured with Scott Brown). ‘We had nothing to lose but when you come that close to doing something you look back and feel frustrated and sad.
‘Of course we can be proud that in front of our crowd we showed them what we can do. The crowd stayed back to clap us, which is good, but we will go home now and we will all be thinking that we missed something.
‘When you analyse everything people will say that okay we fought well and we came close. But it is just not enough.’
Boyata’s search for perfection extended to midnight shifts in the gym during his rehabilitation from injury last season and, although Rodgers let the defender know what he thought of his error during Tuesday night’s match, he has spoken of his admiration for the defender’s dedication to his craft. Injuries to Erik Sviatchenko and Jozo Simunovic have left the ex-Manchester City prospect as the only fit senior centre-back at the club in recent weeks and his general standard of play has been high enough for the manager to commence talks over a contract extension with a player now in his third season at the club. Defeat to Bayern may have ended Celtic’s faint hopes of qualifying for the knockout stage of the Champions League but there remains scope for European involvement beyond Christmas. Boyata was part of the team that turned
Even if we win and I make a mistake, I always think about it. This was worse
cht over in Brussels earlier in Celtic section, a result that has made rm favourites to finish third and parachute into the Europa league.
The group’s concluding fixture against the Belgian champions in Glassgow will offer Celtic a chance to formalise their entry to UEFA’s second tier competition but first Rodger’s side must visit Paris, where PSG will be looking to consolidate their position as group leaders.
Boyata was missing when Neymar, Kylian Mbappe and Edinson Cavani wreaked havoc at Celtic Park but admits he's look king forward to pitting his wits against the power trio in the Parc des Before the tournament started you would have said both Bayern and PSG have a chance to win the whole thing, so it is good to show what you can do against them, We will go to Paris with the same spirit. If we can play the same way again, maybe we can get something. 'When things go wrong you need to be able e it off. While I will be thinking about my mistake, the game is finished now. Tomorrow is another day.’