Celtic straight down to business
But, now that that day has dawned — or, rather, the two days which constitute the curtain-raising round of ties for the 2013/14 season — you can scratch any notions of a tentative warm-up where at least one of the participants is concerned. For Celtic, it’s in at the deep end and effectively one cup final after another, as they prepare for their opening game away to AC Milan in the San Siro tomorrow night.
Indeed, before the group draw even took place, Celtic had already given us one of the highlights of this Champions League campaign, in the form of their thrilling 3-2 aggregate win over Shakter Karagandy in the qualification play-off. Two down from the first leg, they clawed their way back to parity at Celtic Park and seemed set to prolong the agony for their supporters into extra time until, with the referee’s final whistle on route to his mouth, a terrific set-up by Anthony Stokes and an emphatic finish by James Forrest edged them across the border and into the promised land in the most dramatic fashion.
The winner also sparked one of the great managerial touchline celebrations on the part of Neil Lennon who, even when he’d managed to regain his composure, appeared to have no qualms about hailing the victory as “the greatest night of my footballing life”.
Which, even allowing for the cliff-hanging nature of the win — as well as the financial windfall which comes with qualification for the group stage — has to be accounted as a surprising superlative coming from the lips of the man who guided Celtic to a quite sensational victory over Barcelona last time around.
And, for all their heroics in the 2012/13 Champions League, you can’t help but raise a quizzical eyebrow at the real extent of Celtic’s achievement in returning to the top table again, given that, over two legs, they made such a job of work of seeing off a no more than competent side from Kazakhstan — which is hardly, to paraphrase the great Ó Muircheartaigh — a European football stronghold.
But now that Celtic do find themselves back in paradise — home and away — they’ll once again have to exceed all expectations if they are to somehow put it up to not just Milan but also Ajax and, of course, their old foes Barcelona, the latter still with Messi but now with added Neymar.
Neutrals will be glad the hooped shirts are in the mix again, however, their participation at this level bringing a touch of real romance to proceedings, thanks to their always spirited endeavours on the pitch and the stirring home support which makes Celtic Park such an electrifying venue on big European nights.
And, if any further romantic connotations were required, the ultimate destination of this year’s competition — Lisbon — supplies it with its unavoidable association with that celebrated team of Glasgow lions who became the first side from our neighbouring isle to lift the European Cup all of 46 years ago.
In contrast to the sense of anticipation raised by Celtic’s trip to Milan, it’s frankly hard to work up much of a head of steam for tonight’s visit of Manchester City’s to Czech champions Viktoria Plzen or Chelsea’s hosting of Swiss top dogs Basel at Stamford Bridge — unless, that is, one regards them as early potential banana skins for two Premier League giants who will be entering European combat on the back of undistinguished domestic results. Anything less than wins for the English clubs and Manuel Pellegrini and Jose Mourinho will be feeling the heat.
Not so long ago Arsene Wenger was the embattled one but now he has every reason to hope Arsenal’s bright start in the Premier League will carry though to tomorrow night’s date in Marseilles.
Tonight though, David Moyes will be the gaffer firmly in the spotlight as he makes his managerial debut in the Champions League proper for the meeting of Manchester United and Bayer Leverkusen at Old Trafford. With Sami Hyypia in the opposing dugout there will be a touch of the old Merseyside rivalry to add spice to the occasion but I would suggest that the real significance of this tie lies in what it might tell us about the current balance of power between English and German football.
Leverkusen might have had to settle for bronze behind the two clubs — Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund — who dominated first German than European football last season but, the fact that they finished only one point behind Dortmund in the 2012/13 Bundesliga means they should still provide a thorough examination of David Moyes’ credentials as the new era at Old Trafford takes its first bow in Europe.
