Cameron Carter-Vickers says developing Celtic believe they can crack the Champions League.
In their first attempt at the group stage under boss Ange Postecoglou, the Parkhead team have been unable to make the massive leap needed to get beyond their section after the club’s five-year exile. However, Celtic have taken a positive approach into their entire campaign and have learned valuable lessons along the way to speed their development.
Postecoglou is determined to have the club chipping away year-on-year at making an impact and Carter-Vickers believes the experiences gained this year will be of huge benefit in the future if they can get back onto the big stage. Asked if the squad can grow from their Group F bid, he said: “I would 100-per-cent agree. Results haven’t been good, we know we’re not there yet.
“But I definitely think within the group we feel we can get there eventually. For a large part of our group this has been a new experience, playing in the Champions League. It was always going to take a bit of time to adjust.
“But, I think we’ve all grown in belief and become better players for the experience. I think we’ve done well without getting the results we all wanted.”
Celtic have one game left in the section before they bow out and it’s huge as they face the holders Real Madrid in the Bernabeu. The American international has dismissed any notion that it’s a dead rubber in the eyes of Celtic because, at his club, no game is.
Postecoglou wants his team to grow and learn and there is no better educational class available than facing Carlo Ancelotti’s star-studded superstars. Carter-Vickers is adamant his team will go for it in Madrid and that declaration will come as no surprise to those who have witnessed Celtic go at it on their return to the competition.
Although the club was absent from the top table for that half decade, Postecoglou has refused to take a backward step as he looks to build at the highest level. Naturally, there have been setbacks. Although Celtic have shown up well and proved they are not out of their depth, they have been unable at this stage of their development to add wins to some of their impressive attacking play.
Carter-Vickers and his colleagues in the backline have also been ruthlessly punished for any errors at the back and that wicked combination has seen them fall short and ended their involvement in the competition.
Tuesday’s game against Shakhtar aptly summed up the campaign. In contention for points, having the chance to win, but, ultimately, being denied by the finish.
Carter-Vickers is realistic about the situation as he assesses the position at the moment. The former Spurs star said: “We played well again for large parts of the game, just like the other matches. But at this level it’s tough.
“I felt we started fairly well. We controlled a large part of the first half. They had one chance towards the end of the half, but, apart from that, not too much. But, like the other games, we just came up short.”
Shakhtar’s magnificent equaliser from the highly-rated attacker Mykhailo Mudryk displayed the outrageous talents of the Champions League and their ability to inflict savage damage in the blink of an eye. Carter-Vickers said: “He’s a top, top player with unbelievable pace. He’s a big threat. Listen, we, of course, knew that before the game, but obviously it’s still hard to deal with someone of that kind of pace.
“Very direct, very quick. He’s now scored two goals against us in two games, so you can see he’s also a very good finisher.”
However, Carter-Vickers concentrates on the good points and didn’t agree with any outside notion that the 1-1 draw was their weakest showing of the section. He continued: “I wouldn’t say that. I think they’ve all been fairly similar performances. We’ve attacked every game the same way, tried to play our style.
“I wouldn’t say against Shakhtar it was a notch down from how we’ve been performing. I think it was on a similar level. I think it’s just Champions League football. You’re not going to control or dominate a game for the full 90 minutes.
“There will be periods when they have the ball and you’re trying to maintain your shape and defending. To be fair, I felt we did that quite well. Their goal came from a counter attack.
“I feel good. It’s been challenging, but, at the same time, it’s been good to match up with some of the best teams, some of the best players in the world and I’ve enjoyed it.”
Next up is another potential meeting with the best of lot in Ballon D’Or Karim Benzema and attacking pals such as Vinicius Junior.
Carter-Vickers says such a prospect just heightens his desire to get back straight back into it next term as he said: “One hundred per cent we want to get back to the Champions League.
“It has made us want more of it. Definitely. The results haven’t been great, but we’ve still shown we can compete at this level.
“We’ve still got another game to go and that will be another fantastic experience. But like I say, we also want to get a result.”
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