GREG TAYLOR believes that Celtic ‘aren’t a million miles away’ from getting it right at Champions League level, and that by cutting out individual lapses, they have a great chance of qualifying for thekenne knockout stages of the competition.
Taylor says that the 3-0 defeat to Real Madrid on matchday one offered some painful lessons for Celtic, but that their performance offered plenty of hope for the future at the top level.
If they can maintain concentration at the back and show a more clinical edge up front in the rest of their group stage matches, Taylor believes that Ange Postecolgou’s aggressive, attacking style can take them a long way in the competition, even if the test against Real Madrid was a valuable indicator of just how much they need to improve as both individuals and as a collective.
“I think that’s the way we’re coached,” Taylor said. “It is the only way we know. That is definitely our best way of succeeding in all competitions, no matter if it’s the league, cup, Europe. That is the way we will aim to go into every game, with that philosophy.
“Hopefully the next time these games come around the result can be better because I think the performance wasn’t a million miles away [against Real Madrid].
“We are all individually in a good place. I think Tuesday night showed we have all got a bit to go as a group and as individuals. We were up against the world’s best. Physically, technically, in everything, they are at a real, real high level.
“There are certainly a lot of improvements to be made in my own game and as a team. We will aim to do that through the season and hopefully we will only get stronger.
“It was extremely difficult, of course it was. They are arguably the world’s best team. In the end, they were probably more clinical than we were.
“They are a team of real, real high quality in individual moments. They capitalised whenever we had a small lapse. That is probably what happened on Tuesday night. There are lots of lessons, lots of improvements we can make as a team.
“Every game I look at, good or bad. We will analyse it with individual clips, we will analyse it as a group. No matter the result or the performance, there are always improvements to be made. It was the same on Tuesday night.
“It is days like that the club belongs on and it is a stage that we as players belong on. It shows we have got a bit to go, but we knew that. We go on to Shakhtar.”
Taylor says that the reception the Celtic supporters gave their players and manager at the end of the Real Madrid defeat has made them even more determined to give them something to cheer about when they head to Warsaw this week.
“I think I need to say how good our fans were,” he said. “To get that reception throughout the game was amazing.
“When the music went on it was unbelievable. Then to get that reception at the end for a team which had been defeated was so unique.
“I am so grateful. It was incredible, incredible. What a support.”
Taylor is certain to keep his place in the team for that match against Shakhtar Donetsk after not looking out of place even up against the brilliance of Federico Valverde last week, and the fact that £3.75m summer singing Alexandro Bernabei isn’t even being discussed as an alternative option at left-back is testament to his recent impressive form.
“I think there is always going to be challenges at a club this size,” he said.
“There are always going to be players who want to play. We all want to play. We need a strong squad because we are fighting on so many fronts.
“I aim to just learn every day, improve every day and hopefully that will leave me in a half decent spot.”
