Joe Hart isn’t refusing to give up the ghost in the Champions League just yet but he is convinced things could – and should – be different for Celtic tonight.
The Parkhead side are out of the running for a last-16 place with two games to go but the No.1 believes if it wasn’t for a couple of sliding doors moments the Hoops could be facing Shakhtar Donetsk this evening with a chance of WINNING Group F. Ange Postecoglou’s men have earned plaudits for their displays in the section against Real Madrid, Leipzig and Shakhtar.
But the promising displays haven’t produced the points the side needed to progress and it will take an unlikely turn of results to even make the Europa League now. Hart is adamant the Hoops have held their own and while they are looking to secure a first win tonight, he insisted the situation could have been so much better. The 75-times capped England star said: “You want to be at the top, you want to be fighting and beating the best.
“I don’t think it’s anything apart from falling on the wrong side of a few results. I don’t think anyone who’d been to the games – opposition managers or so on – would have been surprised if we were going into match day five with a chance of winning the group or sealing the second place.
“We could be sitting here on match day five having a totally different conversation. But it’s not through lack of quality or lack of effort. It’s just those moments haven’t quite fallen for us.”
Boss Postecoglou took umbrage at being lumped in with Rangers and Hearts following their defeat to Leipzig two weeks ago, with the other Scots sides hammered by Liverpool and Fiorentina.
Hart feels the same and he claims there was no excuses being made around Parkhead.
He said: “The criticism was more around three (Scottish European) losses in a week. But as the manager answered it, we are who we are. We are certainly not going to moan about budgets or anything like that. Business is business. Some people have a bigger budget than we do.
“So what? We have 11 men on the field who are well-drilled and focused and we feel we can play against anyone.
“We would much prefer to emerge (with points) but at the same time if we were getting the victories, we would want to feel we had done it with what we are working on.
“That gives us a better sense of direction and purpose. We are all in this for the long term, trying to create something. The manager is not trying to create something here for any other reason than doing it this way will bring success.”
Hart believes the Champions League experience will be priceless for this group. And he knows it doesn’t happen overnight. He was part of the first Manchester City side to reach this level and even they found it hard going at first when they were involved in wild defeats to the likes of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.
Eventually they found their feet and went all the way to the semi-finals during his time at the club. Celtic might not reach those heights but Hart is determined to aim high.
He said: “There’s a huge difference from being in a game to actually winning a game at this level. That’s been evident here. We’ve been in all four games and put in strong displays.
“There’s just been some small moments where experience has helped these sides manage through difficult patches a little bit better than we have and been more clinical when they’ve had moments of being on top.
“When we first started at City we weren’t full of Champions League experience. Maybe a little bit more than we have here. But it’s not about the club itself. Celtic does and will belong here.
“You have to look at the squads and who has played at this level. We are relatively new to it. That’s not an excuse, we certainly don’t hide behind it and the club don’t expect a bedding in period.
“It’s fun being part of this competition but you always want the ultimate goal.”
Celtic will need clear heads against the counter-attacking threat of Shakhtar. But Hart believes that is this Hoops’ squad’s strength.
Even amid the madness of the 4-3 win at Tynecastle at the weekend, the big keeper reckons Celts refused to get washed up in the chaos.
Hart said: “It was wild wasn’t it? There was no script. That got ripped up after four or five minutes. Hearts made it difficult for us.
"It was a difficult game to play in but I felt we managed to keep as much control of the game as we could – or as was physically possible. And in the big moments we took care of business.”
Which is exactly what will be required tonight.
