Neil Lennon is someone who knows what it feels like to manage Celtic in the main stage of the UEFA Champions League. Unfortunately, he was not able to get them there in his second stint as the manager of the club. The Hoops will finally be making their return to Europe’s elite competition though, after having guaranteed their spot in the group stage through winning the Premiership title in the 2021/22 season.

Thus, while the squad is in a very good position right now, having won the double, they will need to improve as well if they are to be competitive in the UEFA Champions League group stage.

It will be very interesting to see what changes and additions Celtic make to their squad over the course of the summer and Ange Postecoglou will clearly have some ideas.

Neil Lennon has given his take on what they will need as well. As reported by The Scotsman, he said in an interview with BBC Sportsound:

“They need a bit more power in their team. I think they need another centre-forward to play through the middle and a bit more physicality in the team. They are small but they are quick and dynamic players and they use the ball really well, but when you take that huge step up from Scottish football to European football, I do think they’ll need a little bit more strength in depth for sure.

“Losing [Tom] Rogic is a blow because he is a mercurial player so they might need a number 10 type to augment what they already have in midfield. But they’ve got the potential now to spend some decent money because you get a huge windfall from being in the Champions League. It will be fantastic for Ange for his own development. He’s already done great things in Australia, Japan and now Scotland, but to take that step into the Champions League, he should be really looking forward to it.”

Lennon points out what Celtic need next season in the Champions League

Lennon is the last Celtic manager to take the club into the knockout phase of the Champions League, thus, he clearly has a thing or two to contribute, no matter how his time at the club might have ended.

Lennon does bring up a couple good points here as well. Celtic could definitely do with a bit more power in the side, to go with the technical ability that this team already has in abundance.

Of course, it is important being great at one thing, but it is also important to have other options available if Plan A is not working.

Also, with Tom Rogic leaving the club, they will need to bring in someone who can fill in that void and compete with the likes of Matt O’Riley and David Turnbull for a spot in the starting XI.

This article was originally posted here