It's do or die for Celtic as boss prepares for double Dutch says Lennon
It has been 12 years since Neil Lennon was the midfield kingpin in a Celtic side that vanquished Ajax to qualify for the Champions League for the first time.These days, he is in charge of a squad who can consider themselves experienced European practitioners. After all, if you count qualifiers then tonight will be their 21st game in the continent’s elite tournament over the past two seasons.
While the expectation and mentality may have altered since Martin O’Neill’s unit did battle in 2001, this latest reunion with the Dutch champions is no less crucial to the Parkhead club. The pivotal moment in their Group H campaign has now arrived.
Preparation: Neil Lennon is preparing to face
Ajax, 12 years after he was a key part of the Celtic side that beat Ajax
to qualify for the Champions League for the first time
In action: Lennon holds onto the ball in 2001
After narrow defeats against AC Milan and Barcelona, there is no room for a third hard-luck story. If Celtic are to maintain hope of reproducing last season’s progress to the knockout round then they simply cannot succumb to Frank de Boer’s youthful side.
‘It is a must-not-get-beat, because I’m confident with this team that we can perform away from home,’ insisted Lennon when asked if tonight’s contest was a must-win encounter.
‘However, winning the game would put us in a really good position within the group. Losing the game, I think, would probably end our aspirations for trying to qualify.
Missing: Celtic skipper Scott Brown is not available for the match
‘For me, getting into the Champions League was massive. Then you look at the group and think: “It is going to be difficult to emulate last year”. But the group is far from away from us this year. These next two games are going to be crucial.’
That was always the destiny of this central double header from the moment Celtic were placed in such an aristocratic section.
Despite being shorn of key players in captain Scott Brown and Kris Commons, Lennon is confident in the ability of his charges to respond to the pressure they are under in tonight’s home assignment.
Then comes the Amsterdam Arena on November 6. Should Celtic manage at least a win and a draw — and Barcelona record a pair of wins over Milan — the group would look far rosier. It sounds simple in theory, but the practice will be rather different.
‘It would give us a good chance,’ said Lennon. ‘I don’t want to look too far ahead but, if we could take four out of six — which is a big ask, but do-able — we would then have a home game against Milan that I think we could win as well.
‘If we want to qualify, we need to pick something up in Amsterdam or Barcelona.
‘But we are very wary of Ajax, they can certainly play and they have goals in them.’
The same cannot yet be said of Celtic in the group. Chances came and went against both Milan and Barca, but Lennon is convinced their potency will return now it is needed most.
‘If we’re not ruthless, then good teams take advantage of it — as Barca did in the previous game,’ he reflected. ‘We won’t dwell on missed chances, I’m just pleased that we are creating them. It’s inevitable that the goals will come.
‘I don’t think anything fazes this team. Last year, it was a first time for many of them at this level but, after the qualifiers and the group stage, we have a wealth of experience.
‘We’ve had pressure games for two or three years and they have handled them quite well.
‘We do have big players missing but there is nothing we can do about that. We also had big players missing when we beat Barcelona last season.
‘I think the first goal will be vital.’
Joe Ledley (centre) is unlikely to last the full 90 minutes
Lennon will have to weigh up the right midfield balance, with Brown banned and Joe Ledley unlikely to last 90 minutes, but he is adamant Celtic will field a positive line-up.
While clearly respectful of their opponents, two spying trips have also identified weakness for the likes of Georgios Samaras and James Forrest to exploit.
The first was last month when Ajax were routed 4-0 by PSV Eindhoven, a visit that also allowed Lennon to cast his eye over striker Kolbeinn Sigporsson as a potential transfer target. He was also present on Saturday evening as de Boer’s team were held to a 1-1 draw by FC Twente in Enschede.
‘We have to try to take the game to Ajax when we can,’ Lennon insisted. ‘We’ll have to be patient at times when they have possession, because they do keep the ball very well.
‘They will see this as an opportunity to win. They will try to take the sting out of the crowd, dictate the tempo and slow it down and we have to try to combat that as best we can.’
Ajax have yet to win away from home this season, either in the Eredivisie or in Europe, and have unquestionably been weakened by losing Toby Alderweireld to Atletico Madrid and Christian Eriksen to Spurs. Then again, the same could be argued about Celtic after the summer departures of Victor Wanyama, Gary Hooper and Kelvin Wilson.
Key man: James Forrest will look to take advantage of any weaknesses in the Ajax defence
Here are two proud clubs who often find themselves at the mercy of those with a lesser history but a richer domestic environment in which to operate.
That situation has become more pronounced in the dozen years since they last met competitively. It was a stunning 3-1 first-leg victory in Amsterdam that created Celtic’s triumph back then, with a nervy 1-0 defeat at Parkhead not quite enough to turn the aggregate tide.
‘2001 is a long time ago,’ insisted Lennon. ‘People forget the game here when they could have been two up after 15 minutes.
‘But coming through that was a springboard for something we had never experienced before. When you look back on it, we probably didn’t realise how big it was at the time.’
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