Celtic's Champions League woes continue and statistics paint grey shadow over latest failed campaign

The colosseum wasn't built in a day. But Celtic's failure to recruit two or three quality players in key positions over the summer and instead spend around 20 million on individuals who have been unable to cement their place in the starting XI is criminal.

Brendan Rodgers' Champions League record with the Hoops now reads: Played 23, won four, lost 11. The Scottish champions are winless in their last 14 matches in the competition, so how do they go about finding a way of becoming more competitive?

It's been a familiar story this term. Plenty of endeavour but little in the way of quality. A European campaign undermined by poor discipline and lapses of concentration. Throw in some injuries to key players such as regular starters Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda and Reo Hatate along the way as well.

They were again left to rue a late collapse at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Tuesday night which ultimately sealed their fate. Let's be honest, this is NOT a great Lazio side. Celtic will feel they could easily have beaten the Italians in both group games had they added a bit more quality to their squad in the summer.

One thing the Serie A outfit do possess that Celtic evidently lack was a real menace in the final third of the pitch. That bit of star quality was outlined by two-goal hero and Italy international Ciro Immobile. A talismanic striker who has played at the highest level, a European golden boot winner, was part of Italy's 2020 European Championship-winning squad and has been named in four Serie A Teams of the Year.

He proved the difference between the sides after stepping off the bench in the second half. The reverse fixture at Celtic Park was a similar theme. Indecision in the home defence led to Matias Vecino's equalising goal and then former Barcelona attacker Pedro springs off the bench to net a winner with just seconds remaining. All that after Luis Palma had a goal disallowed following a VAR intervention.

Yet again the overriding feeling of this campaign will be one of sheer frustration for Celtic supporters. They've started games on the front foot, and barring the dismal second half against Atletico Madrid on Matchday 4 in Spain with 10 men, have never looked out of place at this level despite having only one point to show for their efforts.

We're all aware that is comes down to very fine margins at this level. Callum McGregor has been particularly vocal about how referees operate on Europe's elite stage. Three red cards over the course of five matches simply isn't good enough. Improvements are, of course, required and major lessons need to be learned. Keeping eleven men on the pitch at all times is a must at this level.

Maeda's dismissal in the Civil Metropolitano was a hammer blow and triggered the Atletico landslide. Gustaf Lagerbielke and Odin Thiago's Holm's inexperience cost their team mates a positive result away at Feyenoord. The statistics make for grim reading. No away win in the competition since Anderlecht in 2017, even though they have competed in the UCL just twice since then.

Memorable Champions League nights in Glasgow's East End also seem to be drifting away into distant history. A decade-long wait for a group stage win on home soil has led to a lot of suffering for fans. That elusive wait for a long overdue victory could yet be on the cards with Feyenoord still to travel to Parkhead on Matchday 6.

Brendan Rodgers management style has also been called into question by some supporters, with the Northern Irishman blamed for "ruining a confident team".

But one thing is for certain, it's time the Celtic board admit their recruitment hasn't been good enough. To put it into context, the Hoops have signed a total of 17 players on permanent deals over the past three transfer windows. Of those, only Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston have nailed down a regular jersey (excluding Jota).

Fans are desperate to see investment in this squad and Rodgers has confessed it is "genuine quality" the club needs in order to take that next step in Champions League. The door has shut on this season, but there's every chance Celtic will be back again next term.

He acknowledged the reason Celtic fall short at this level is down to "experience" and "quality" but he views the forthcoming transfer windows as an opportunity to "develop this squad, improve this squad and get those players back fit and then we can have a strong squad to compete."

With January just around the corner, Rodgers should be looking to address at least THREE positions of his squad. The goalkeeping department needs strengthening, with current No.1 Joe Hart's contract expiring in the summer. Mistakes are starting to creep in regularly to the 36-year-old's game but the lack of competition provided by Scott Bain and Benji Siegrist is non-existent.

Rodgers should be exploring long-term options, perhaps a younger up-and-coming stopper who has already gained a good level of first-team experience and played on the international stage. Andriy Lunin could be the ideal fit.

A new left-back should also be on Rodgers' wish list with Greg Taylor's struggles at the top level this term glaringly obvious. Very rarely does the Scotland international do anything too flashy, but he just simply isn't a Champions League-level player.

The third area is in attack with an imposing target man - similar to mould of Giorgos Giakoumakis - required to alleviate some of the burden and expectation on talisman Kyogo Furuhashi. The Japanese star hasn't been at his ruthless best so far this season and Oh Hyeon-gyu doesn't strike me as the type who will get you 15+ goals if Kyogo was to sustain an injury.

Celtic are clearly light in forward options and rumours in recent days have suggested their interest in Brondby striker Mathias Kvistgaarden has resurfaced. Standing at almost 6ft tall, the 21-year-old Danish youth international has scored five goals and contributed six assists in 18 appearances so far this season. He would fit the profile Celtic's scouting network have been searching for.