Celtic might have impressed in domestic competition this season, winning the Scottish League Cup and sitting at the top of the Premiership table at the moment, but their run in Europe left a lot to be desired. The Hoops’ UEFA Europa Conference League hopes came to an end recently at the hands of Bodo/Glimt, as the Norwegian champions got a convincing 5-1 win on aggregate, winning both legs.
The first leg had been close, but Celtic could not take their chances while Bodo/Glimt did and it ended 3-1 in favour of the visitors, leaving Ange Postecoglou’s side with a tremendous amount to do in the second leg.
The reverse fixture away in Norway ended 2-0 to Bodo/Glimt and this time around, they completely outplayed the Glasgow giants. If there is one Celtic player who made an impression on the day, it was Liel Abada.
He came off the bench and played well, but could not find the back of the net. And it has resulted in Postecoglou handing the youngster a challenge. As reported the Daily Record, the Celtic manager said:
“He did, but he missed some chances.
“That’s the quality we want them to get to and that’s his challenge because I think he could have had at least a couple of goals in Norway.
“That’s what I am talking about with levels of performance. It’s not just we didn’t play well, but in both games we had chances and haven’t tested the keeper. Daizen Maeda had one as well.
“Liel did very well, but I’m hoping he’s disappointed he didn’t score a couple of goals because he has scored in Europe before.”
Can the Celtic youngster take his game to the next level?
Abada arrived at Celtic in the summer and since then, he has had his ups and downs. But, overall, he has been a wonderful signing for the club and has tremendous potential for the future.
According to stats from Transfermarkt, Abada has scored 14 goals and provided 11 assists in 43 appearances for Celtic till now.
Those are incredible numbers for a player who is just 20 years of age and the club should be excited about what is to come in the future. It does feel like there is another level in his game, that Abada has not unlocked yet. And if he can do that moving forward, he might be one of the best players in Scotland.
This article was originally posted here