Bayern’s bench made the difference against Celtic – Chris Sutton

The Celtic Star

·20 febbraio 2025

Bayern’s bench made the difference against Celtic – Chris Sutton

Chris Sutton has claimed that Bayern Munich’s bench made the difference between Celtic winning and drawing in the Allianz Arena on Tuesday night…

Celtic players pose for a photo on pitch prior to the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Brendan Rodgers’ team put in a performance for the ages against the might of Munich and had the Germans rattled, after Nicolas Kühn put the Bhoys 1-0 in the second-half.

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Kompany feeling the heat from Celtic pressure

Vincent Kompany was on the sidelines and you could just tell he was feeling the heat from the pressure Celtic had heaped onto both he and his team’s shoulders, heading into the closing stages of a pulsating match. The Belgian scrambled like mad to get the ball back into play from the sidelines and ended up on his backside, after rushing onto the park from his technical area at one point.

Vincent Kompany, Head Coach of Bayern Munich, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Alex Grimm/Getty Images)

However, Kompany did have the luxury of bringing on Leroy Sane, Kingsley Coman and subsequent goalscorer, Alphonso Davies for his troubles, and it was those changes that made a world of difference, according to Sutton. Analysing the game afterwards in the Sky Sports studio, he said: “If there is a tiny ounce of criticism and regret, from this Champions League campaign, with me, it would be Bayern’s bench made a difference.

Davies got the winner, Sane made an impact

“Davies eventually ended up with the winning goal. Sane came on and made an impact. Celtic sold Kyogo in January – the Japanese striker – and never really replaced him. And you think with Bayern having that difference off the bench, Celtic, you know the bench was little bit bare. You know, that’s being ultra-critical, because the performance was absolutely first-class. I was really impressed with them.”

Alphonso Davies of Bayern Munich celebrates scoring his team’s first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Celtic’s weak bench

The Celtic Board must now realise that they have dropped a golden opportunity to really go and stamp our authority back in the big time, with the decision to let our star striker leave mid-season and not bring in a replacement. Regardless of whether or not it was a great result and fills us all with pride, the decisions that are made at boardroom level in respect to recruitment are stunting the club’s growth at this level.

Brendan Rodgers, Manager of Celtic, reacts during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Knockout Play-off second leg match between FC Bayern München and Celtic FC at Allianz Arena on February 18, 2025 in Munich, Germany. (Photo by Matthias Hangst/Getty Images)

Rodgers has shown he can compete even with a fraction of the budget

Brendan Rodgers has proven now he can compete with a fraction of the budget of the elite teams in Europe. It would be utter folly if we were to treat him unfairly and deny him access to valuable funds this summer transfer window, to rejuvenate a talented squad that is certainly going places by the looks of it.

With a UEFA Champions League play-off to navigate this August too, our business should be concluded early doors and give the new signings a chance to assimilate properly over pre-season with the squad.

I won’t hold my breath though…

Paul Gillespie

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