Matt O’Riley admits it’s not much fun tuning in to the Champions League knockout party when you are left on the outside with the noses pressed up against the glass. But the Hoops ace revealed the desire to get the glad rags on against next term is fuelling the Parkhead club’s domestic dominance.
O’Riley relished his taste of the big time when Ange Postecoglou’s side mixed it with the cream of the continent. It didn’t quite go to plan as some encouraging performances didn’t end up in the return the club craved and it’s led to the post-Christmas midweeks spent on the couch looking on as the big guns square up.
It’s hard viewing for O’Riley – but also a chance to swot up for next season. And while Celts are steamrollering all in their path in Scottish football right now, the playmaker admitted it’s all with a view to making a bigger impression on the big stage next time.
O’Riley said: “I have probably had mixed emotions watching the Champions League. I have watched some of the games and I have been thinking ‘it would be good to be involved in that’.
“But at the same time there is a lot to learn from these games because of the sides who are involved and the level they are playing at. I try to watch as many of the games as I can when they are on because there is a lot of things to learn and a lot of things to study.”
Celtic got plaudits for their Champions League displays earlier this season – but it didn’t reflect in the points today as Ange Postecoglou’s men finished bottom of the section behind Real Madrid, RB Leipzig and Shakhtar Donetsk. O’Riley bellies lessons were learned but the task is to remain on the ball in Scotland to make sure they can hit the ground running next season.
Celts will go straight back into the group stages if they retain their title and it’s a major incentive to keep the foot down on the home front. O’Riley said: “As much as we performed well in my opinion (in the Champions League), we were very disappointed in how we finished results wise. But we definitely learned a lot in terms of the ruthless side of it.
“But it is definitely something I constantly think about. I really miss playing in those big games against the best players. I felt like it brings the best football out of you, makes you improve as well.
“It is great winning games in Scotland, but it is not the same as playing against the very top players in Europe. But in saying that if we can keep our level really high and try and dominate teams in Scotland then hopefully that will help our transition into the Champions League and competitions like that.”
Celtic are not just dominating teams at present. They are blowing them away.
Saturday was meant to be a treacherous Scottish Cup tie at Tynecastle, but it turned out to be a walk in the park for Postecoglou's men.
Celtic are 27 games without defeat in Scotland, with 26 wins and a single draw, at Ibrox, in January.
The clean sweep is on, as are record points totals and goals scored, but O’Riley insisted there’s no chance the Hoops are ready to take their foot off the gas.
He is convinced there is more to come from this side and he believes the relentless performances on the home front can help build momentum going into competition further afield.
O’Riley said: “It is definitely about not being complacent. I think that is a very important thing. It is about constantly setting your standards for yourselves. Even though people from the outside will think ‘how can they get much better?’.
“I think there is always little details we can improve on – especially if we want to compete in competitions like the Champions League next season.
"We are going to have to be as consistent as we can domestically so we can transition when we play that competition.
“Especially for all of us players who want to improve, the higher we can set the bar and really push those levels that should help us be in a good place.”
O’Riley was an ever-present in the first half of the campaign but has had a fight on his hands for starting roles in recent weeks with Aaron Mooy in such fine form. The midfielder has still brought plenty of quality any time he’s handed a role or came off the bench and he’s still hoping to make a push for the Denmark national set up after coming close to getting a nod for the World Cup squad late last year.
It’s all about doing the business for Celtic right now though and O’Riley said: “I would rather be called up than not be called up. But at the same time it is not something that I am actually thinking about if I am being brutally honest. “That kind of takes care of itself. If you perform well I know eventually my time will come. I am not too fussed about that.
“But of course I would like to represent my country. That would be very cool.”
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