Martin O'Neill has admitted he must take responsibility for his part in Celtic's embarrassing Champions League exit, but the manager insists dropping into the Europa League will not have a negative impact on the Hoops' transfer plans.
The Premiership champions led LASK 3-0 from the first leg at Parkhead and went ahead away from home, with the tie looking done and dusted after just 20 minutes in Austria. However, their opponents came storming back with a five-goal blitz, and Celtic succumbed to one of the most embarrassing European collapses in Scottish football history.
O'Neill's admission of responsibility
Rather than point the finger at his players, the 74-year-old admits he is first looking inward. O'Neill said: "I said after the first game that the tie was very much in the balance. That wasn't just a defence mechanism, it was the truth of the game, they're a really fine side."
"You can talk about preparation all you like but at the end of it all, the disappointment is still there. We still had to try and get through. I'll just have to take that," he added.
"I'll have to really analyse it. The period of the game just after half-time where they scored to make it 2-1, the momentum is with them. They just started to get on top. I've experienced these things before both for and against. The momentum they had was very strong. I thought we could have defended our box better, but I have to look at my own part in it before I look at anyone else's."
Europa League and transfer plans
The result means Europa League football for O'Neill's men, who learned they will face Benfica and Marseille among others when the league phase gets started next month. The transfer window closes on Wednesday, and O'Neill insists there is still business to be done, with Croatia international Niko Sigur understood to be one they are keen to get over the line.
Missing out on a mega Champions League payday will have a huge impact on the club's finances, but O'Neill is confident his transfer plans won't need to change. He said: "I think that's not the case. We're still trying to get some players in. We need a few to supplement the squad with the European matches we have coming up."
"Benfica's performance against Hearts shows they're probably a Champions League level team. There's Marseille, you could go on forever and a day, the competition is still very strong. Quite a few teams in this competition could easily take their place in the Champions League. The prestige isn't quite the same, it's still a great competition, but the finance is the big thing. But I'm hoping we can get some people in before the transfer deadline."
