Champions League sympathy for Celtic: 'There are two things you need if you don’t have the money'
Feyenoord head coach Arne Slot claims bad luck has cost both his side and Celtic as they prepare for their Champions League dead rubber.
Celtic were consigned to bottom spot in Group E when Ciro Immobile hit two late goals against the Scottish champions in Rome late last month. The 2-0 win for Lazio sent the Italian side through and ensured Feyenoord cannot finish higher than third. The Dutch champions are bound for the Europa League knockout stages but Slot feels crucial moments that have gone against both his side and Celtic have cost them the chance to be fighting for the last 16 of the elite tournament. Both Feyenoord and Celtic are competing against sides with greater resources and Slot claims the odds have been further stacked against them by circumstance.
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Hide Ad“To be honest I feel sorry for Celtic because I think they have played really well in the Champions League, together with us,” he said. “There are two things you need if you don’t have the money. You need to go with an idea of how you want to play and you need to have a little bit of luck. The two teams who play at Celtic Park have not had any, any, any luck in the five games they have played.”
Slot felt Lazio were vulnerable ahead of the campaign but late goals for the Italians in their opener against Atletico Madrid and at Celtic Park got them off to a flying start. Lazio have amassed 10 points while Feyenoord are four points behind. “If your goalkeeper scores an equaliser in the 96th minute and if you score here in the 93rd minute, that helps,” he said. “We played there and had a very good chance in the 90th minute. These are the moments that make a difference. The likes of Manchester City and Bayern Munich are 20 per cent better than most teams so they don’t rely on luck.
“We had great luck ourselves in the Europa League last season, although we deserved it with how we played. But you always need a bit of luck in six games. The way we conceded against Atletico – two own goals and one goal that this player will never score in his life again. These moments decide if you can play in the last 16. I believe Celtic deserve more than one point. You could call that lucky for us or possibly unlucky – because if Celtic got more points we could maybe be playing for a Champions League place as well as a Europa League place.”