FALSE START
Musonda rues missed opportunity in Russia but is sure there will be more chances to shine
GAME-CHANGER in Glasgow, Charly Musonda was thrown into a lost cause in St Petersburg. Speaking in the immediate aftermath of a Europa League drubbing in the Krestovsky Stadium, the on-loan Chelsea youngster admitted he could not quite comprehend the scale of Celtic’s Russian collapse.
The first leg had been a textbook European performance that combined razor-sharp focus with purposeful, incisive passing. Late in the game, Musonda was introduced to provide the finishing touch and it was his imagination that unlocked the defence and allowed Callum McGregor to secure a 1-0 win.
With hindsight, Musonda reflected that Celtic could and should have scored more in the first leg.
Lots has been made of the vast quantities of roubles shovelled by Roberto Mancini on staffing his squad but, man for man, Musonda refutes the suggestion that Zenit are a better team than Celtic.
‘Three-nil is not what we came here for,’ sighed the 21-year-old.
‘We went all in but it couldn’t happen for us this season. It’s hard to tell how far this team could go but all I can say is that over these two games I don’t think Zenit were a better side than us.
‘We had a big chance, especially in the first leg. We could have perhaps scored many more goals at Celtic Park and taken a bigger lead to Russia. That might have made all the difference.
‘It was exciting because I was looking to play many more nights in Europe but I will just have to wait for next season.
‘I think we have a better team than Zenit but they performed better than us on the night. They scored their goals and so deserve to go through, but we had a really good chance.’
In terms of raw talent and potential, Musonda may have a point, but there was a carelessness about Celtic’s performance that invited calamity.
Brendan Rodgers likes his defenders to step high and early into challenges and the entire team is encouraged to pass the ball with attacking intent. More often than not, the ploy works a treat in a domestic sense where Celtic have the bulk of the ball and are generally up against inferior opponents.
Yet there is something fragile about Celtic’s mindset that struggles to isolate an error. A defender can be outfoxed by an operator as wily as Branislav Ivanovic at a set-piece. A goalkeeper can be bamboozled by a swerving ball just as Dorus de Vries was when Daler Kuzyaev let fly from distance.
But when the two events combine to wipe out an aggregate lead within 30 minutes, there is more than rotten luck at play.
‘It’s hard to say what happened,’ muses Musonda. ‘When you have that 1-0 scoreline from the first leg, the most important thing is to try to keep the clean sheet for as long as you can.
‘After eight minutes they scored their first goal and it was ideal for them.
‘I enjoyed my moment in the first game and it’s a shame that we have now gone out of Europe so quickly.’
After a bruising experience at Liverpool, Rodgers has revelled in the chance to re-engage with his coaching roots at Parkhead. Developing players may be a pleasure when your team is sweeping up trophies on an unbeaten run but there is less fun to be derived from the European punishment his young team has suffered this season.
Rodgers used his enduring links to the Chelsea academy to lure Musonda to Glasgow on an 18-month loan, while Patrick Roberts has also been borrowed from Manchester
City. Both possess the talent to ignite a game and each has struck a meaningful blow for the club in European football this term.
Yet what the Northern Irishman really craves is a commanding, experienced centre-back who can organise the Celtic defence and lead the likes of Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic towards a brighter future. Instead, Rodgers spent the final day of the mid-season transfer window sanctioning a £1million-plus deal for another project player in Dundee’s Jack Hendry.
The task of moulding stars was refreshing to Rodgers after a spell at the mercy of Anfield’s notorious transfer committee but his ambitions to compete with the elite may not be easily achieved with Celtic. Parkhead chief executive Peter Lawwell’s recent comments regarding Europa League expansion might well have signposted a future where the Scottish champions eschew their dreams of dining at the top table. For now, Rodgers preaches realism.
‘It’s always going to be difficult for us,’ he reflects. ‘We have to recognise where we are at as a club.
‘In some key positions we are very inexperienced.
‘The likes of Kris Ajer and Jozo Simunovic have played some fantastic games for us this season, but will look to improve their consistency.
‘We understand where we are at. The reality and expectation is that we want to be in the Champions League and if not go as far as we possibly can in the Europa League.
‘We lost out on Thursday but the bigger picture is we have made steps forward in Europe this year.’
Many would take issue with that last assertion, although the presence of both Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain in a most punishing of Champions League groups offers some mitigation. Rodgers has made it clear that he won’t ask his players to bolt the back door so, assuming his team can navigate a route back to the top competition next term, he can only hope for a kinder draw and that his players will emerge stronger for the lessons of this season.
At the other end of the pitch, he will be able to call on Musonda’s creativity. Rodgers has coveted the Belgian youngster for a long time and his excitement at bringing him on board has been matched by the player’s youthful enthusiasm for what lies ahead after an extended spell on the fringes of Antonio Conte’s team at Stamford Bridge.
‘I’ve had my first month, played three or four games and had some European game time too, so it’s been good,’ says Musonda. ‘It’s still early days but we are going for two trophies between now and the end of the season and we will give everything for that.
‘We must concentrate on the cup and the league and then we will see for next season, but we can go into Europe thinking we have a chance to do something good.’
I enjoyed my moment in the first game and it is a shame that we have gone out of Europe so quickly