After an embarrassing defeat a team will always focus all their attentions into bouncing straight back. The newly promoted side’s performance shocked everyone at the weekend. And an animal is at its most dangerous when it has been hurt.

I am, of course, referring to Barcelona’s shock defeat at home to Deportivo Alavés on Saturday evening. They will be out to make a statement on Tuesday night and remind the world how good they really are. For Barcelona to suffer a shock defeat at home is rare enough, for it to happen twice in a week is unheard of. The impossible task may have just got that bit harder.

With global superstars Luis Suarez and Lionel Messi likely to return to the Barca side we face up to the most gifted attacking trio in world football (with Neymar completing the trident).

Off the back of a quite sensational start to the season ourselves, and a 5 goal rout of our own newly promoted neighbours, we couldn’t be in a better place to face our most difficult task (apart from the injury to Griffiths).

Brendan knows the job at hand tomorrow. His detailed analysis of football has been a standout attribute of his early Celtic reign; clearly studying how the opposition play and identifying their weakest areas. He’ll have a game plan and the players will each know their role. Perform both to perfection and maybe, just maybe, we could nick something.

Following our horror show in Israel our defensive frailties were brought to the fore. We stumbled our way through the majority of the match, but once Erik Eviatchenko was introduced to complete a back 5 we saw out the dying stages with relative comfort (although it felt anything but that at the time).

Christian Gamboa could be in line for the debut of his life tomorrow night. I expect Lustig to tuck inside to complete a narrow back 3, with Gamboa and Tierney’s pace put to the test as the rampaging Barca full backs push on. For me, James Forrest is the man to miss out. While his pace could provide us with an outlet to relieve pressure I feel the importance of maintaining possession when possible is vital to any hopes we have. Tom Rogic is the man for this; with Sinclair off Dembele completing our attack. (Forrest on to exploit any tired legs late on).

Not many give us a hope in hell tomorrow night. I don’t give us a hope in hell tomorrow night. But this is the Champions League. It’s where we want to be. Let’s enjoy it.

Beware the wounded animal, and you never know.

When it comes to making the trip up to Paradise there’s always a few things to consider: how will I get up there?  How much will it cost? Will I be able to get a match ticket? (These are the perks of being born in London – simply getting to a game is a challenge).

Ultimately though, only the third question is ever important.

As soon as I’d confirmed my tickets for last night’s match I felt unusually optimistic considering we were playing in a Champions League Play Off fixture – that’s what a couple of good performances does to you.

The first half last night was magnificent. While Hapoel Be’er Sheva impressed me with their ability on the ball; especially their forwards’ hold up play, we were utterly dominant – racing into a 3-goal lead at the break.

In life I believe it’s always important to hold your hands up and admit when you are wrong, but as a blogger you have no choice in the matter: once your written words have been proven incorrect there is no hiding place, and I must admit that when we first signed Leigh Griffiths I had doubts about his attitude and character. Boy was I wrong. 

Since the minute Leigh stepped through the front doors at Celtic Park he has done everything in his power to become the best player he can be. And it has certainly paid dividends. His free kick was a great strike, but it was the natural instinct to hold his run, sprint onto Forrest’s hung up cross and attack the ball and plant his header into the bottom corner for his first goal which impressed me most last night. It was a classy finish and highlighted his understanding and reading of the game.

At 3-0 up we went into half time bouncing, with the Holy Grail of the Champions League group stages in our sights.

15 minutes into the second half and it appeared the nightmare of Malmo was going to repeat itself. As soon as the first Hapoel goal went in I’d imagine everyone inside Celtic Park was also anticipating the second. The difference, this year, was the reaction thereon in.

Two counter attacking goals could have crushed us. The reaction after the first goal was poor; we looked shellshocked. But once the second was scored there was an indication that we weren’t going to let this slip again.

Looking across to the bench it was clear that Brendan Rodgers understood the situation following Hapoel’s resurgence. 

Could we go through after a 3-2 victory at home? Yes, we could. But I certainly wouldn’t feel confident about it. 

Brendan recognised the need to increase our lead, he wasn’t happy to sit back, and with Hapoel looking confident he made the changes which turned the tie back in our favour. 

Lustig appeared to be struggling with injury and the pace of Hapoel’s left winger; McGregor could no longer keep up with the end-to-end nature of the game; and Tom Rogic, while fantastic on the ball, was the man to be the sacrificed in order to bring on an extra forward. The introduction of Janko, Bitton, and Dembele made clear our intentions.

With Rogic off the park, Griffiths took over corner kick duty, and didn’t you just know he would deliver. From behind the goal I had no idea who planted the header into the back of the net for our 4th. O’Connell? Bitton? Dembele? I really couldn’t have cared less, I was leaping for joy as Paradise erupted.

A 2-goal lead to take abroad was a good result, but with Hapoel having 2 away goals to their name and now sitting deep, it was vital we restore our 3-goal advantage.

As Man Of The Match, Scott Brown, volleyed home the fifth there was sheer elation amongst the supporters. 

On a night which Brown became our leading ever performer in Europe, in terms of appearances made, it was fitting that he sealed the win, especially given his performance. 

Broony was tremendous throughout. The captain was a general on the park; a driving force at times but also a calm & composed presence in slowing the pace of the game down when required. 

As the final whistle blew it was evident we had witnessed a quite magnificent game of football, and with it, a fantastic result to build on next week in our quest for Champions League football.

The players and coaching staff deserve enormous praise for their performance last night, and so too do the support. 

The noise generated to drive the team on was deafening at times, and while some are entitled to believe that politics and football should not mix, I, amongst many others, was delighted by the show of solidarity to Palestine which eminated from our stands. As “a club like no other” some things go beyond the football, despite UEFA “warnings”.

While I’m still nervous going into next week’s return leg (the nature of supporting Celtic away in Europe), we’ve got a great result to take with us to Israel. Let’s finish the job, Celtic.

With four days to go until our most important game of the season against Hapoel Be’er Sheva, the excitement is building amongst the Celtic support.

This week, for the first time in Brendan Rodgers short reign so far, we witnessed first hand the style of football that Brendan wants to bring to the club. The pace at which Wednesday night’s victory over Motherwell was played at was relentless, with the visitors unable to cope with our wave after wave of attack.

Throughout the summer it had become clear that Brendan Rodgers had identified Scott Sinclair as his number one target, and while I initially held some reservations over the transfer due to Scott’s lack of football over the past four seasons, it has only taken one week for Scott to prove any doubters wrong. His performance on Wednesday was electrifying. Driving forward with pace and skill every time he gained possession of the ball. 

Scott Sinclair lit the city of Swansea up during his spell there, and now back playing under a manager who knows his game inside out, and who has full confidence in his ability, he looks set to do the same in Scotland.

The increase in tempo and movement off the ball against Motherwell allowed Tom Rogic to find pockets of space in front of the opposition defence and dictate our attacking play.

After a tough start at the club, Moussa Dembele looked fresh and energetic, no doubt aided by the confidence booster of his winning penalty the week previous, and the often criticised (and quite rightly so) James Forrest impressed again under the new regime. (Though unlike Sinclair, it’s going to take more than one good week for me to be convinced that James has recovered his form from his early Celtic career).

With Leigh Griffiths and Patrick Roberts to return to the fray, our attack now looks in place to deploy the fast paced, high pressing game we’ve been trying to achieve for the past two seasons.

Our players look fitter, more focused, and more determined than in previous years. 

While it is very much still early days under Brendan’s reign the buzz has certainly returned to Paradise, and I for one can’t wait for Wednesday’s game.

See you all there.

I am delighted with the result last night. While the match did nothing to help blood pressure levels, it was great to see late goals in each half, and the players showing a desire to keep fighting until the final whistle.

However, with the dust now settled on the game, it is clear that we are once again leaving ourselves at a massive risk of missing out on Champions League football for a 3rd successive season.

Since the last time we successfully negotiated the qualifying route in 2013 we have been reactive in our transfer activity (and in fact including the 2013 summer transfer window). Entering our most important games of the season with perhaps one or two new faces, but on the whole a bloated squad lacking the true quality which could help guide us through tricky ties.

This summer has been no different. I’m happy with the new signings we have made, very happy in fact. Anyone who saw Kolo Toure’s performances towards the end of his Liverpool career will know he still has the quality to make a big impact on our often fragile defence. And while Moussa Dembele may have struggled in his earliest performances in a Celtic shirt, I was delighted by his skill on the ball, movement and link up play with Griffiths in creating the last minute penalty. And even more so by his composure to bury it in the corner for his first goal for the club under intense pressure.

These two signings though are not enough. It is clear to see that we lack quality in creating chances, and still struggle to break sides down. Be it in the form of a central playmaker, or a winger with an ability to deliver a cross, it is an area we certainly need to strengthen.

The Scott Sinclair saga has dragged on for the whole summer and has become as embarrassing as it is frustrating. Now, I’m not certain Sinclair is the answer to our problems, not by any stretch of the imagination. But it is clear that having worked with him in the Chelsea youth set up, and in his successful Swansea side, Brendan Rodgers has identified Sinclair as one of his key targets. 

Should we be held to ransom by a recently relegated club who reportedly only paid £2.5m for the player last summer? Of course not. However, there should have been an outcome by now. Either we have been able to compromise a fee or we move on to another target. Again, it strikes me as we have waited to see how we can get by with what we have, before dipping into our pockets on a new player. (Remember, bar compensation fees, we once again haven’t spent a single penny this summer).

Last nights performance was one of dominance, we created a few good goalscoring chances, but on the whole we struggled to break Astana down. Paddy Roberts had a quiet opening spell on the wing, and once he went off injured we didn’t appear to have a creative spark in the side. Paddy’s start to the season has been fantastic, but it is vital we don’t become completely reliant on a player who will be leaving us this time next year.

The draw for the play off round is made tomorrow and while I’m desperate for the easiest tie possible (if there is such thing). I am also fearful that a draw against one of the lower ranked sides (namely Dundalk) will lead to the club resting on their laurels once again in terms of our playing squad.

The culture of reactivity rather than proactivity throughout the club needs to change. Rodgers is doing his best to change this mentality on the park, it is now time those off it gave him the support he needs.

We have under two weeks until the first tie of the play off, and it is likely our squad will need to be submitted a week today in order to be registered for the ties.

Time to do some business Celtic.