After railing against the concept of moral victories in this space, we know full well that sporting contests have winners and losers. And Tuesday night’s playoff round match between Celtic and Bayern Munich ended with the German giants advancing 3-2 on aggregate, following a 1-1 draw at the Allianz Arena. The Hoops lost. The better team won.
The Full Scottish
Served by Brian P. Dunleavy
That being said, Brendan Rodgers’ side acquitted themselves well across the two-legged tie. Most pundits expected Bayern to advance easily. However, the tie was anything but a cakewalk for the Germans.
And yet, we found ourselves feeling a bit, well, dismayed at how pundits on this side of the Atlantic reflected upon the matchup between the Scottish champions and current Bundesliga leaders (and champions of 10 of the past 11 seasons).
According to commentators for a certain North American outlet, the goal by Celtic’s Nicolas Kuhn on Tuesday night, which temporarily had the sides level in the tie, was the result of sloppy play at the back by Bayern and “shocking defending” by Kim Min-jae.
In general, Bayern’s performance on the night—the Germans spared from extra time by a last-gasp goal by Canadian internationalist Alphonso Davies—was “typical” of their play for much of the season, and highlighted why Vincent Kompany’s side had “no hope” of reaching the tournament final, which will be played in their home ground. We’ll see how well that last hot-take ages come May.
Beyond being disrespectful of Scottish football in general, and Celtic specifically, the comments also demonstrated a poor understanding of how Rodgers’ teams play. The high press is designed to force errors such as those that led to Kuhn’s goal. Daizen Maeda, arguably the perfect player for the system, essentially created that goal with his relentless pressing and speed, not just in that particular moment, but throughout the match.
Celtic, in fact, had three legitimate chances to score in the first half, thanks to that press, and failed to take them. We assume it would have been Bayern’s fault for conceding had things gone differently.
Look, we get it: Compared with the Bundesliga, the Scottish Premiership is a footballing backwater. On North American shores, fans are much more likely to see a match from the German top flight (and perhaps its second and third divisions) on television than they are to see one not involving Celtic and/or Rangers. Out of sight, out of mind and all that.
There’s also the quintessentially American obsession with winning and “success” (as defined by monetary riches) and glamo[u]r and fame. We could see all of that playing into some of the commentators’ perspectives.
But, given that several of these TV pundits for a certain North American outlet were once players themselves, you’d think they’d at least acknowledge Celtic’s performance on the night.
I guess we’re expecting too much from television pundits.