History tells Celtic manager to pick pragmatism over ideals

That they have failed to reach the group stage of the continent's premier club competition since the 2017/18 season tends to be overlooked.

Since Martin O'Neill made the breakthrough, Celtic have qualified for the group stage on seven occasions in 22 years. Gordon Strachan orchestrated back-to-back qualifications to the last-16 in 2006/07 and 2007/08, a feat replicated by Neil Lennon in 2012/13.

14/09/04 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CELTIC v BARCELONA (1-3) CELTIC PARK - GLASGOW Barcelona manager Frank Rijkaard (left) and his Celtic counterpart Martin O'Neill study the game unfolding.

Since O'Neill's halcyon days, Henrik Larsson, Chris Sutton, Stilyan Petrov and Lennon have all proven to be a calibre of player that current fans of the Parkhead club could only dream of Ange Postecoglou picking up. But none of them made much headway when it came to the Champions League at Celtic.

Later, both Strachan and Lennon were already competing as David's little brother against Goliath's older cousin by the time they competed at this exalted level. Strachan's side, through Shunsuke Nakamura's left boot, defeated a Manchester United side boasting talents like Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Paul Scholes and Ryan Giggs in 2006. But, with the greatest respect to two solid full-backs, Celtic started with Lee Naylor and Paul Telfer attempting to shackle Ronaldo and Giggs in that match.

21/11/06 CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CELTIC v MANCHESTER UTD (1-0) CELTIC PARK - GLASGOW Shunsuke Nakamura scores from a free kick

Likewise, when Lennon's side entered the upper echelons of the Parkhead club's annals in 2012 after they defeated the best club side of a generation in the 2-1 defeat of a Lionel Messi-led Barcelona at Parkhead, they did so with the deciding goal coming from an 18-year-old substitute fresh out of the club's academy in Tony Watt.

07/11/12 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE CELTIC v BARCELONA (2-1) CELTIC PARK - GLASGOW Tony Watt celebrates after scoring Celtic's second goal.

So while there are many myths and legends surrounding any history, these often rose-tinted reflections tend to overlook the reality of the situation. Circumstances dictate everything, and no shortness of luck is also required for success in such a demanding environment.

Postecoglou can dream of the immortalising nights that Lennon, Strachan and O'Neill enjoyed on European duty with Celtic. But he must be wary of the pitfalls as well.

That Celtic will not have to qualify for next season's competition is a welcome reprieve from what had become a labyrinth of preliminary rounds. But let's not forget how the Parkhead club fared last time out.

Under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic had never experienced such domestic dominance for such a sustained period. Back-to-back trebles were secured under the Northern Irishman, but in the Champions League his fortunes were a polar opposite. His side's opening group match against Barcelona ended 7-0 to the Catalan giants, Celtic's heaviest ever defeat in Europe.

12/09/17 UEFA CHAMPIONS LEAGUE GROUP STAGE CELTIC v PSG CELTIC PARK - GLASGOW Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers (centre) with Anthony Ralston at full-time

In the next match at Celtic Park, Rodgers' side memorably held Manchester City in a thrilling 3-3 draw, but that was 10 goals conceded in two matches, with only one point secured. Celtic would only collect another two in the section, one in the return fixture in Manchester and one away to Borussia Moenchengladbach.

At his second shot at the group stage, Rodgers would accrue the same number of points, this time through a solitary win over Anderlecht away with 5-0 and 7-1 defeats to Paris Saint Germain thrown in for good measure.

This was the last time Celtic reached the group stage, and their goal difference after six matches against the French Ligue 1 giants, Bayern Munich and the Belgian champions was a staggering -13.

Frighteningly, their goals against, 18, was just one shy of the Parkhead side's goals against tally in the Premiership this season after 33 matches.

Rodgers made no apology for how he chose to set up his side against vastly superior opponents. In many respects, he had laid down the gauntlet to the Parkhead hierarchy that his team needed reinforcements to compete at that level.

This was an ambitious project: on the one hand it was courageous and highly ambitious, but for many supporters the lack of pragmatism was a mistake. If Neil Lennon could defeat Barcelona by playing with 10 men behind the ball for vast swathes of the match, surely his compatriot could put up more of a fight with such a dominant side domestically?

This is the quandary Postecoglou will find himself in right now, even before he gets his hands on the Premiership trophy. The Greek-Australian has proven himself to be adept in the transfer market thus far, overhauling a squad that was on its knees after missing out on 10 in a row last term. He will undoubtedly look to strengthen key areas of his squad, particularly at full-back and on either side of his attacking pool.

Having Champions League football to offer potential signings is a huge carrot, but at some point, when the summer transfer window closes, he will have to make do with what he has got.

As a pot-4 side, Postecoglou is likely to come up against clubs of the financial might of PSG, Manchester City and Barcelona again, and no matter what he does in the market between now and matchday one in September, Celtic will inevitably be punching well above their weight.

Whether Postecoglou, who has stuck with his attacking philosophy even when his side were playing catch-up in the first half of the season, can balance pragmatism with his own ethos in those circumstances remains to be seen.

If Celtic are a Champions League team beyond Christmas, he will certainly have to consider it.