3 reasons why Celtic lost to Valencia | UEFA Europa League Round of 32

#2 Slow Build Up and Possession Football Isn't Working in Europe

Valencia v Celtic - UEFA Europa League Round of 32: Second Leg

Celtic always enjoy the lions' share of possession in their SPFL matches. They dominate most games and can hold the ball and wait for openings to show up, mostly due to the way other teams set up and also because of the talent they have in comparison to their opponents.

So it does makes sense, that they feel comfortable playing short passes and doing the same when it comes to big games in Europe. But they have to realize, that they are now coming up against sides that have a massive financial gulf over them, similar to what they normally have over their domestic rivals.

The quality of these sides off the ball is much greater than what they are used to domestically. For that reason, when they do win the ball they need to break into an attack far quicker than they are currently.

Celtic only played 1 through ball the entire night compared to Valencia's 6 and weren't caught offside once the entire night. Now on the surface, no offsides seem good enough, but partner the two stats together and you can see that Celtic are never looking to get in behind quickly when they recover the ball. Too often they pass backward and between the center-halves and allow their opposition to regroup and gather their shape again.

It makes it all the more surprising when you consider the pace they have in their squad, Forrest, Sinclair, Burke, Hayes, Weah, even the likes of Edouard and McGregor have a quick turn without being lightning. So to not utilize this more often just seems a waste.

The philosophy quite clearly is not working when it comes to crunch ties. They aren't creating many chances through it and it's becoming a worry under Brendan Rodgers. It doesn't seem like there's much in the way of a plan B, unless it consists of doing Plan A better.