Celtic midfielder Stefan Johansen says the team weren’t good enough in Europe this season after the club’s disappointing Europa League campaign came to a close.
The Scottish champions were held to a 1-1 draw by Fenerbahce in Istanbul on Thursday night to finish bottom of Group A with three points from their six games.
Celtic will aim to bounce back from their European disappointment as they return to domestic duty with a Scottish Premiership clash with St Johnstone on Sunday.
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And Johansen, who is now a doubt for the trip to McDiarmid Park after suffering a kick from Diego after the break which saw the Brazilian midfielder shown a red card, was candid in his assessment of his club’s European form this season.
“We need to be honest and just say to everybody that we haven’t been good enough this year,” the Norwegian international said.
“We have struggled. We were close to getting into the Champions League but we didn’t make that. We had a tough Europa League group of course, we need to say that.
“But even if it is the Europa League and the fans expect Champions League, we wanted to go out there and give them what they earn, good European nights.
“I think we have the quality but this year we haven’t shown up when the big games were there for us.
“I know the fans expect more and us players expect much more also. But this year we didn’t manage it and we need to learn from it.”
“That is how it is but we can’t dig ourselves down into the ground for that reason, we are still in both of the cups and in front in the league so it can still be a very good season.”
Celtic will be without influential captain Scott Brown and midfielder Charlie Mulgrew for the match against St Johnstone due to injury.
The Hoops could find their lead at the top of the table cut to just one point by the time they take to the pitch at McDiarmid Park if second place Aberdeen can defeat Hearts, who sit four points behind the Dons in third spot.
Dundee United, who are six points adrift at the bottom of the table with just two wins in the league this season, will attempt to reduce the gap with fellow strugglers Partick Thistle when they host the Glasgow side at Tannadice on Saturday.
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