Neil Lennon: ‘I want to be a Mourinho and win Champions League’

WITH championship-winning manager now added to his CV, a relaxed Neil Lennon spoke openly yesterday about his ambitions for the future, boldly stating that his ultimate goal is to win the Champions League, preferably with Celtic.

Lennon put two torrid years behind him last weekend when Celtic clinched the Scottish Premier League championship in style with a 6-0 win at Kilmarnock, and he hopes to guide his side closer to a domestic double tomorrow when they face Hearts at Hampden in the semi-finals of the Scottish Cup.

But it is Europe where Lennon’s dreams linger, and the Northern Irishman revealed that his former Celtic manager Martin O’Neill – twice a European Cup winner himself as a player – had instilled a belief in him that anything is possible.

Together the pair embarked on a memorable journey to the final of a European competition in 2003 when Celtic narrowly lost out in the Uefa Cup in Seville to Porto, then managed by Jose Mourinho. Now Lennon is setting his sights even higher.

“My ambition is to win the Champions League,” said Lennon after putting Celtic through their paces ahead of tomorrow’s clash. “Here, anywhere, that’s my ambition. I never really reached those heights as a player. I may not reach those heights as a manager, but that’s my ambition. You keep a vision of it in your head and try to do everything you can to achieve it.”

While some might suggest Lennon is being over-ambitious, he insisted: “Yes, definitely. It might not be possible to do it in a year or two years’ time, but if we can consistently get in the Champions League, and we gain the revenue from that, then we can build a team who could be challenging.

“I’m not a Mourinho, but I want to be a Mourinho. I want to be a Guardiola. I want to be a Clough. I want to be a [Martin] O’Neill. That’s my ambition.”

Meanwhile, Lennon believes Hearts’ players could be affected by the fear of getting suspended for the cup final when they face Celtic. Marius Zaliukas, Rudi Skacel, Andrew Driver, Darren Barr, Danny Grainger, Scott Robinson, David Templeton, Suso Santana and Jordan Morton are all on one booking and would miss next month’s final if they pick up another yellow card.

Celtic have no such worries and Lennon believes the disciplinary disparity in his side’s favour could make the difference. “It might be at the back of their mind, maybe subconsciously,” he said. “I think it is very difficult to put your mind at ease knowing that you are going into the semi-final with a booking and a possibility of missing a final if you mistime a tackle, just once.

“But it will be a difficult game, semi-finals always are and Hearts are formidable opponents. We are going to have to play well, but it has been a great week. The place is vibrant, the players are ecstatic, and I don’t think it will take too much to get them back up for the game on Sunday.”