By Callum Faulds
Celtic have had a remarkable start to the Europa League this season under Neil Lennon, begging the question, how does this side compare to the one that was under Brendan Rodgers?
Celtic fans in the Seville 2003 UEFA Cup final (Source: Wikimedia)
If you were to ask Celtic fans what they thought of the Lennon appointment back in May, many of them would have expressed some form of disappointment but fast forward now to October and most of them couldn’t be happier.
This is because under Lennon, Celtic look unstoppable and not just domestically.
Under Rodgers, Celtic were not particularly exciting in Europe, qualifying for the Champions League once and Europa League Round of 32 twice.
Lennon looked to be the same after a shock defeat to Cluj in Champions League qualifying sent Celtic towards the Europa League.
But since this loss, Celtic are now undefeated in European games, gaining 7 points out of a potential 9 in their first three games.
Last season under Rodgers, Celtic only managed 3 points. In all fairness to Rodgers, 2 of those games were away from home whereas Lennon has only played 1 away so far.
Even with this in mind, the consensus for many Celtic fans is that the Hoops under Lennon are a better side in Europe.
What’s interesting to see is that although more successful in their first three games this season, Celtic have managed fewer chances on goal.
This could mean that Rodgers plays more creative football than Lennon but at the same time it may also mean that Lennon’s side are more clinical.
What we can also see from the stats is that Lennon’s side is far more solid at the back, having conceded far fewer goals than Rodgers’ side.
It’ll be interesting to see how the two compare once Lennon’s side have played all 6 of their games. Right now they are 2 points away from Rodgers’ final group tally of last season.
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