Steven Gerrard has elevated his team to a point where they could sell players and still be too good for the competition
Celtic must rue the part they have played in the ludicrous modern-day promotion of pre-season friendlies. On the same weekend as West Ham swaggered to a 6-2 win at Celtic Park, Rangers defeated Real Madrid at Ibrox. In football terms, neither result is remotely relevant; these outcomes did, however, fuel the narrative of Glasgow’s green half being in disarray as those in blue seek to turn last season’s title win into a period of dominance.
When the real stuff started, Midtjylland followed the trend set by Ferencvaros, Cluj and AEK Athens by bundling Celtic out of the Champions League at the qualifying stage. Less than a decade after reaching the last 16, Celtic are consistently unable to get into the same competition as Europe’s elite. One of Celtic’s key assets, Kristoffer Ajer, has reached the heady heights of the Premier League newcomers Brentford and another, Odsonne Édouard, is being pursued by Brighton.
Related: Ange Postecoglou rues transfer failings after Celtic exit Champions League
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