Celtic 0-2 RB Leipzig: Scots 'have to keep persevering' after Champions League exit
- Published
Matt O'Riley hit the post as a goal eluded Celtic
Celtic are "very close to becoming a really good team" at Champions League level despite their chastening early exit, says manager Ange Postecoglou.
The lack of ruthlessness that has blighted Celtic's first group-stage campaign in five years was again stark in a 2-0 home loss to RB Leipzig.
But Postecoglou insists his callow side can't "fall into the trap" of abandoning their attacking style.
"My theory on this is you've got to keep persevering," he said.
"The worst thing you can do is shy away from what we're doing because you haven't had success immediately.
"If we were getting outplayed and we weren't making any chances that's a different story. I think we're very close to becoming a really good team at this level.
"That process cant be fast-tracked just because I want it to happen. You've still got to go through the steps and the experiences."
Celtic's third loss in four Group F games leaves them bottom with a solitary point and out of reach of a top-two finish.
Postecoglou acknowledged his team's failure to convert a succession of chances has been "the story of our campaign", with Daizen Maeda, Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgos Giakoumakis culpable and Matt O'Riley and Greg Taylor striking the woodwork.
Celtic's 16 shots is their most without scoring in a Champions League game since a 3-0 home defeat to AC Milan in November 2013.
"It's the hardest part of the game, it's why clubs spend hundreds of millions on players who do that," added Postecoglou.
"It's not just as simple as 'take your opportunities'. It's about experience, composure at this level, it's about the fine lines of the stresses that are involved in playing at the highest level of club football.
"The experience can hopefully get your players to feel more comfortable in those situations, and we've been unlucky too. We've hit the post twice in the same sequence where on any other day that could go in."
'Celtic are doing lot of things right' - analysis
Former Celtic midfielder John Collins echoed Postecoglou's frustration but insists there are positives amid the disappointment.
"Once again they went toe-to-toe with a good team," Collins told BBC Sportsound. "The players are giving the manager everything. In the final third they created good chances, but never took them."
Ex-Celtic manager Gordon Strachan says it all boils down to the quality gap.
"Progressing with certain players is only going to take you to a certain level," he told BT Sport. "It's about quality. He's getting as much out of these players as anybody can.
"At crucial times, they could have scored a lot of goals. They're doing a lot of things right. It's when it goes the other way, it can be a problem."
Celtic's hopes of prolonging their interest by finishing third to snatch a Europa League place are still alive, but slim.
They must beat Shakhtar Donetsk at home next time out, then take a minimum of a point at the Bernabeu. They will hope Real Madrid - having secured qualification with a late draw away to Shakhtar - will treat that final fixture as an irrelevance.
"We've got two more games and we want to use them as a platform to improve as a team, to improve our players," said Postecoglou. "The more they have exposure at this level, the better equipped we'll be going forward."
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