CELTIC’s wait for the glamour of top-level European competition has been a long one, with the fans deprived of those famous group stage matches at Celtic Park for five years. Their wait will soon be over, as will Joe Hart’s, who has gone even longer without tasting the business end of the Champions League.
The Celtic keeper was at Manchester City in 2016 when he last turned out in the competition proper, losing 1-0 over two legs to Real Madrid in the semi-final.
Aspirations of reaching such a stage may well be beyond Celtic these days, with Ange Postecoglou and his men having the odds stacked against them in the group stage due to seedings, but that doesn’t mean they can’t relish the challenge of taking on such opponents.
Certainly, that is the view of Hart, who states that no matter who is drawn out of the hat to face them next month – be that Real Madrid, former club Manchester City or anyone else – Celtic will go out and play their own game, and take on the best the continent has to offer on their own terms.
“Look, we aren’t going to get much choice, especially with us going into pot four,” Hart said.
“There’s not really an unheard of team, the only teams that might have been slightly less well known are going to be in our pot anyway. So, we’ll need to play them [the big teams].
“Look, of course it’s where the club wants to be, but it is where it is. The Champions League doesn’t exclude you, you either get in it or you don’t. We’ve earned the right this year, so we’re going to look to build on the fact we’ve earned that right and compete in it.
“It is what it is, there’s no point complaining. We’re in a business where money exists, so you don’t moan about it, we get on with it.
“We’ve built the best possible squad we can with the best mentality, and we’re going to play the best team football that we possibly can.
“However that ends, it ends with us walking in being proud of what we’ve done.”
With the team that Postecoglou is building at Celtic, Hart sees no reason why he can’t add another couple of memorable nights to his European portfolio this season.
The focus though, as always at the club these days, is on the here and now.
“There’s been plenty [of highlights],” he said. “Qualifying for the Europa League first time around was one. I’m from Shrewsbury Town originally, so playing in the Europa League [was massive].
“We then got into the Champions League with Manchester City, we had never done that before, so that was a big achievement playing in it.
“Then we went from playing in it to competing in it, we got to the semi-final one year. So yeah, it’s been a lot of fun.
“It’s big, it’s big, and we’re all looking forward to it. But we’re in such a mindset here that we just try to take care of business daily. Whatever is in the future is in the future.
“At the moment, we’re trying to prepare for the next day and that’s kind of where we’re living.
“It is [a good chance to gauge where the team is at], but I honestly haven’t even thought about it.
“I know that it’s ahead and I know it’s in the calendar and soon the groups will be drawn up, but it’s hard to look past anything when we’re so involved in what we’re doing.”
Hart appeared enthused and rejuvenated as he threw everything into training at Celtic’s pre-season camp in Austria, but that is pretty much how the 35-year-old has felt since he made the decision to come to Glasgow last summer.
He has relished the challenges his manager has put to him in terms of developing his game with the ball at his feet, and he feels he is still becoming a better goalkeeper every day as a result. Asked how much he can still improve even at this advanced stage of his career, Hart said: “All the way, especially with the new-found kind of energy from the way we are playing.
“It’s a different system for me to be involved in, and it’s something I’m still trying to learn. I don’t think age matters when you are trying to develop.
“It was fun [last season], it was a good year and it was nice to have the success at the end of it. But in terms of input, it was pretty much the same as I’ve always put in. I did my best.
“In the year just gone it was good enough to win some medals and put in some good performances, but I don’t want to stop there.
“However much more there is to come from me, I want it to be at the highest level possible and for me to be pushing myself to the limit.
“I’ve probably explored things that I’ve never had to previously explore under previous regimes. But I’ve always said, whatever the manager wants, I’ll try my best to do. And that’s what we’re doing here.”
