As a regular Off The Ball listener, I've noticed, especially on match nights, texters making the obvious point that if Celtic can halt Barca in the Camp Nou and beat them in Parkhead with almost zero possession and overtly defensive tactics, certainly Ireland should have done better against Spain in the Euros. Have a look at the stats from the two games side by side, they make for incredible reading.
If anything, the Celtic players endured a greater onslaught last night than Ireland faced against Spain. Now that Barcelona team doesn't have Silva or Sergio Ramos or Xabi Alonso, but at the same time Spain has Messi. At the end of the day, we're comparing apples and oranges, but Neil Lennon has proved that you can beat tiki taka with bloody-minded defensiveness, 100% concentration, an aggressive approach to set plays and a ruthlessness in taking chances offered to you. Unlike the Irish team that buckled under the weight of pressure against Spain, Celtic rose to the occasion against Barcelona.
