Celtic's Champions League Exit Exposes Squad Depth Issues
Callum McGregor did not bother dressing it up. Celtic’s captain walked off the pitch in Linz knowing a patched‑up side had just stumbled out of the Champions League – and that the club’s summer rebuild is still only half-done.
A 4-0 first-leg lead against LASK should have been an iron-clad guarantee. Instead, the closing stages in Austria turned into a stark reminder of how thin Martin O’Neill’s squad remains when the pressure bites and the bench is stretched.
Makeshift finish exposes Celtic’s soft edges
By the end, Celtic were holding on with a back line that looked more like a pre-season experiment than a Champions League unit. Liam Scales, who has spent much of his time at the club as a centre-back, finished the game at left-back. Alongside him, Dane Murray and Anthony Ralston were also drafted into the defence.
In midfield, Luke McCowan was thrown into the fray. On the left flank, Sebastian Tounekti tried to provide an outlet as legs tired and LASK pushed.
This was not the side Celtic imagined when they committed the bulk of £30million on Kasper Hogh, Camilo Duran, Haissem Hassan and Mika Baur over the summer. Those deals signalled intent. The reality of the closing minutes in Linz underlined what still needs to be done.
McGregor, speaking to BBC Sport Scotland, did not hide from either truth – the good business already done, or the gaps that remain.
“I think we signed well,” he said when asked if Celtic had done enough to prepare for the tie. Then came the qualifier, the captain’s eye moving from the transfer column to the team-sheet that finished the night. “Then when you look at the team that finished the game – Scalesy playing at left-back, etc – then there’s still little bits we still need to move forward.”
Captain refuses to deflect blame – but demands more depth
McGregor was careful not to turn a transfer conversation into an excuse for a collapse from such a dominant position. Celtic had gone 4-0 up in the tie. That, he knows, should have been more than enough.
“That’s not me pinning the blame on anyone else because this is a tie we go 4-0 up in, so by no means is this me saying we need a left-back. That’s not the case.”
The message was clear: the players on the pitch must own the result. Yet the captain of a club with Champions League ambitions cannot ignore what the final whistle revealed. With eight days left before the window closes, he wants reinforcements.
“But then, every squad wants to be as strong as it possibly can be, and have cover and good players in every position so we’re always pushing each other.”
That is the standard McGregor is setting. Not just a team capable of blowing opponents away in a first leg, but a squad robust enough to absorb injuries, dips in form, and nights when the game turns and refuses to turn back.
Eight days to prove Celtic mean business
Celtic’s summer outlay has brought promise in key areas, but the scene in Linz – Scales shuffled out to left-back, youngsters and squad players filling vital roles in a European decider – will linger in the minds of supporters and decision-makers alike.
The core facts are brutal. A 4-0 advantage surrendered. A Champions League campaign cut short. A captain publicly acknowledging that, even after significant spending, his club still need “cover and good players in every position.”
Eight days remain. The question now is not whether Celtic have worked in the market. They have. The question is whether they will do enough, quickly enough, to ensure a night like this does not define their season.
