Humiliation in Lisbon: Celtic Have Let the Support Down Again

The most worrying thing about Celtic’s humiliation in Lisbon is not simply that we lost — it is how easily this team appears to accept being beaten.

There should be anger, accountability and a serious examination of what has gone wrong. Instead, too often, we seem to be watching a collection of individuals rather than a team united by the responsibility of wearing the Celtic shirt.

Where is the fight? Where is the leadership? And where is the basic desire to win a football match?

Too many players looked unwilling to put their bodies on the line. Camilo Durán, Kasper Høgh, Sebastian Tounekti, and Benjamin Nygren all showed a lack of being able to perform in a unit. You cannot expect to compete at European level if winning the ball looks optional.

The arguments on field were evident. Høgh and Tounekti, and between Viljami Sinisalo and Auston Trusty, only added to the sense of a team coming apart rather than pulling together.

Arguments happen in football. Sometimes they show that players care. But when the collective performance is already so poor, seeing teammates turning on one another raises serious questions about the unity in that dressing room.

Where are the leaders?

Callum McGregor’s lack of a commanding voice in these sorts of European ties is astonishing.

Our captain does not have to scream for 90 minutes or manufacture anger for the cameras. But when Celtic are struggling, when teammates are losing their heads and when the performance is threatening to unravel, we need leadership that is visible.

We need somebody demanding more. Somebody dragging teammates into position, challenging those who are not doing enough and refusing to let standards collapse.

A captain cannot solve every tactical problem or make every player win a duel. But he can set the tone, and Celtic desperately need that tone to change.

The worrying impression is that nobody is prepared to take ownership when things go wrong. Players look isolated, mistakes multiply and the team appears to lose belief far too quickly.

That is not good enough for Celtic.

The Lisbon Lions would never accept this

What is bizarre is the apparent acceptance of being pumped in Europe. Defeat can happen against better opponents, but there is a world of difference between losing a difficult match and looking as though the fight has disappeared.

The supporters travel, spend their hard-earned money and sing until their voices give out. They deserve players who show the same commitment.

Something has to change

This cannot simply be another European humiliation followed by a few days of criticism before everyone moves on.

Martin O’Neill must find a way to make this team function as a team again. The recruitment department must answer questions about the squad’s balance and quality. And the senior players must show that they are capable of leading when the pressure rises.

The acceptance of performances like this is becoming almost as concerning as the performances themselves.

Supporters can accept losing when the team has given everything. What they should never have to accept is a team that looks like a collection of strangers, unwilling to fight for one another.

Lisbon should have reminded us what Celtic can represent.

Instead, it has left us asking whether enough of these players understand what the badge on their chest actually means.