Celtic Park UCL fear factor 'heightens the senses' as ex Hoops star explains ‘hardest part’ of being a Hoops player
Kelvin Wilson has explained why being a defender at Celtic is so challenging in Scotland as he dissected what he’s noticed about Brendan Rodgers’ rearguard so far this season.
The Hoops boast a 100 per cent Premiership record, with just one goal conceded to date, but their form in the Champions League has been a different story. The Hoops conceded once in the 5-1 defeat to Slovan Bratislava on matchday one but capitulated against Borussia Dortmund in Germany, crashing to a humiliating 7-1 loss.
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Hide AdWilson, who was famously part of Celtic’s backline that defeated La Liga giants Barcelona 2-1 in the same competition back in 2012, has shared the reason why he believes Rodgers’ defensive line has such a difficult job domestically.
Wilson told The Herald: “I watch Celtic now and I have watched them over the past few years and the recruitment has been excellent, especially defensively. When it comes to Celtic’s central defenders they might not have anything to do for 70 minutes of a domestic game then all of a sudden they will be called into action to make a last-gasp block or a saving tackle.
“The concentration levels for defenders at Celtic have to always be on point, especially in European games. The hardest part for any Celtic defender is to stay focused and switched on at all times in that arena. The levels are ratcheted up a notch in the Champions League because you are coming up against world-class players more often than not.
“Playing against top-level European clubs heightens the senses and you have to learn quickly how to cope. As a Celtic centre-back, you are fully expecting to be busier in a Champions League game than during any match in the Scottish Premiership. You need to remain switched on.”
2019/20: Conceded 18 goals - scored 89
2020/21: Conceded 29 goals - scored 78
2021/22: Conceded 22 goals - scored 92
2022/23: Conceded 34 goals - scored 114
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