Celtic’s Champions League Hopes Crumble: McGregor’s Blunt Assessment

Callum McGregor did not try to dress it up. On a night when Celtic’s Champions League hopes crumbled in Linz, their captain looked at the team that finished the tie and saw a squad still short of what it needs.

Celtic had gone 4-0 up in the clash with LASK. The collapse that followed stripped away any illusions about depth and balance in Martin O’Neill’s group.

Makeshift finish exposes Celtic’s soft spots

By the final whistle, the shape of Celtic’s side told its own story.

Liam Scales, who has spent most of his time in Glasgow fighting for a place at centre-back, ended the match at left-back. Young Dane Murray and Anthony Ralston were patched into a back line trying to hold on under pressure. Luke McCowan came on to bolster a tiring midfield. Sebastian Tounekti finished the game on the left flank.

This was not the polished, £30million rebuild Celtic had hoped to showcase on a Champions League night. The club have invested heavily in Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur this summer, signalling intent and ambition. The closing stages in Austria, though, underlined what still isn’t there.

McGregor sees it clearly.

McGregor’s blunt assessment

“I think we signed well,” he said to BBC Sport Scotland when asked if Celtic had done enough business before the tie.

Then came the caveat.

“When you look at the team that finished the game – Scalesy playing at left-back, etc – then there’s still little bits we still need to move forward.”

That is the captain walking a tightrope. He refused to turn a recruitment debate into an excuse for the result.

“This is a tie we go 4-0 up in, so by no means is this me saying we need a left-back. That’s not the case.”

The message, though, is unmistakable. Celtic’s first XI can hurt teams. Once injuries, fatigue or tactical changes bite, the options thin out too quickly for a club with Champions League demands.

“Every squad wants to be as strong as it possibly can be, and have cover and good players in every position so we’re always pushing each other,” McGregor added.

That is the standard he is setting. Not just to the boardroom, but to the dressing room as well.

Eight days, big decisions

The clock is ticking. Eight days remain before the transfer window closes, and Celtic now face it with a painful European exit still fresh.

The core of the summer business is done. Hogh, Duran, Hassan and Baur represent significant outlay and a clear plan to refresh the squad. Yet the scenes in Linz – a makeshift defence, improvised roles, a bench stretched thin – have sharpened the argument that this rebuild is only part-finished.

McGregor is not calling for panic buys. He is calling for competition. For cover. For a squad that does not bend out of shape the moment it is tested.

Celtic have already paid for their shortcomings in Europe. The question now is whether the final days of this window will make sure they do not pay again when the season reaches its sharpest edge.