CELTIC have won plaudits for their approach to the task of taking on Real Madrid on Tuesday night, refusing to compromise on their footballing principles and avoiding the temptation to resort to crude tactics such as attempting to kick their illustrious opponents out of the game.
It is a sign of how far they have come under Ange Postecoglou that they have spent the hours since simply kicking themselves.
It may seem a stretch to say that a 3-0 defeat can be thought of as one that got away, but so finely was this contest balanced until the opening goal just before the hour, that is exactly the feeling the Celtic players have been left with.
“I’m really disappointed,” Matt O’Riley reflected.
“We started the game so well and we had some really good chances. So, it was just a bit annoying not to take them.
“We even had a really good one [through Daizen Maeda] at the start of the second half, when it was still 0-0, and if that goes in then it might be a different game.
“Real are a very tough team and very ruthless – and it was tough to come back from that.”
So, lessons to be learned from the eventual schooling that Real Madrid dished out to Celtic once they had hit the front. But what Postecoglou’s players took away from the night was not that their approach was flawed or needs refined, but that they simply have to display the same ruthless streak referenced by O’Riley if they want to compete at the top level.
“I said in my press conference before the game that we were going to approach it the same way we do every game,” he said.
“First five, 10 minutes we were flying. The crowd was behind us, we were playing our usual football.
“For the most part we did, although at times we were a little too much eager to play forward in the final third. That’s where they were better than us at times, just managing the game a little bit more.
“But, again, it’s a lot to learn. We can watch bits from them that we can add to our game as well.
“There are positives.”
It is a sign too of how far Matt O’Riley has come that amid his disappointment at Celtic as a collective unit coming up just short against the European champions, he can reflect on the personal satisfaction of more than holding his own against a midfield of Luka Modric, Toni Kroos and Aurelian Tchouameni.
It is all a far cry from his days in England’s League One, which it is hard sometimes to forget were not all that long ago. In the aftermath of the frenzy at Celtic Park on Tuesday evening, he took a moment to reflect on his journey from his last game for MK Dons just eight months ago in front of less than 15,000 punters at Fratton Park.
“It was against Portsmouth in January,” he said.
“A lot’s changed but to be honest I feel comfortable at this level.
“I’m just really frustrated with the game, it’s a wasted opportunity because the fans were unbelievable. We could’ve repaid them by just take a few of our chances, that’s why it’s annoying.
“When I came off I reflected on some of their players. I thought Modric was very good. For a guy at 37 to still be that good is impressive. It’s obviously nice to share a pitch with someone like that.
“And to be honest just to test yourself against that kind of opposition is what it’s all about. I felt we did for a large part of the game, that’s why I feel so frustrated with the outcome.”
That frustration Celtic are currently feeling may spell trouble for Livingston, who are the next visitors to Celtic Park on Saturday, and who may have been hoping to take advantage of a possible European hangover for Postecoglou’s side.
O’Riley is convinced that heads will be cleared by then, though, and that Davie Martindale and his men can expect to come up against a side playing at the same sort of intensity as they approached the Real Madrid encounter.
“No, there won’t be [a hangover],” he said.
“We’re not down in the changing room. We’re just frustrated because it just felt we could’ve got a lot more from it.
“And our process will still be the same. We’ll reflect on, it we’ll watch the clips back and see what we could’ve done better.
“There’s definitely a lot of things we could’ve done better. But I also feel there were a lot of things we did well.
“And on Saturday we’ll just be our usual selves.”
