GREG Taylor has expressed confidence the goals will come for Celtic in the Champions League this season – if every player in the side takes responsibility for converting their scoring chances.
The Parkhead club performed well in their second Group F match against Shakhtar Donetsk in the Wojska Polskiego Stadium in Warsaw on Wednesday night.
Ange Postecoglou’s men edged in front when Artem Bondarenko turned a Reo Hatate cross into his own net – but they were unable to bury any of the opportunities they carved out in the final third thereafter.
Mykhailo Mudryk levelled for the Ukrainians and Callum McGregor and his team mates were left with only a point to show for their efforts at the end of 90 minutes which they dominated.
It had been a similar story in their meeting with holders Real Madrid in Glasgow the previous week; they were made to pay for their poor finishing when Vinicius Jnr, Luka Modric and Eden Hazard netted in the second-half.
Celtic have been on target 29 times in the cinch Premiership and Premier Sports Cup games they have played in the 2022/23 campaign and Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada have bagged six apiece.
Taylor, who is set to feature in the league match against St Mirren in Paisley tomorrow, is confident the Scottish champions, who face RB Leipzig in Germany after the international break, can improve up front in their remaining outings.
“There were definitely positives from within the Shakhtar performance,” said the left back. “Apart from the 10 minutes around their goal, we had good control within the game.
“We created lots of chances, played the way we want to play and it was just unfortunate we couldn’t get all three points. The performance probably merited it.
“A club this size should be aiming to compete in the Champions League. We are glad to be back in the group stages. We have got four more games left and we aim to take as many points as we can from them.”
Taylor added: “We knew going into the Champions League that it was the highest level that we could compete at at club level. We knew it was going to be tough. But the thing that has struck me from the two games we have played is how ruthless both sides have been.
“Against Shakhtar we didn’t give many chances away and they take one of the very few chances they had. Against Real we had chances which we didn’t manage to capitalise on and when they had theirs they managed to take them.
“But the goals will come. Two weeks ago we scored nine goals against Dundee United. It is not a case of us not being able to take chances.
“In the Champions League games we don’t get as many as we do domestically. So when the big moment comes we have to take it.
“Everyone knows that whether they are attackers, midfielders or defenders. The chance can fall to anyone. In the next four games we know we have to capitalise on them.”
Celtic were held to a 0-0 draw on the last occasion they played in the SMiSA Stadium last December and fell six points behind then Premiership leaders Rangers in the table as a result.
But Taylor, who came on towards the end of that game, feels his side has improved enormously in the past nine months and can avoid a slip-up against Stephen Robinson’s and maintain their lead over their city rivals.
“It was a difficult night,” he said. “We had a lot of injuries at the time. But we have aimed from the start of the new season to be a new team, to show that we have evolved and got stronger and better. We are aiming to do that throughout the season, to continue to get stronger and better. That will be no different come Sunday.”
“Nobody is getting carried away (with the five point lead). We are six games into the season. There is a lot of football to be played. All of the focus for us now goes to Sunday.
“We have got a tough game ahead of us. St Mirren have started the season pretty well and we know that we need to be right at it, not only to get the result, but to put on the performance we are capable of.”
