Mika Baur has scored twice in three Europa League games for Celtic, but the German playmaker insists his individual contributions count for nothing as the Hoops sit bottom of the group with zero points after three consecutive defeats.
The 22-year-old equalised in the opening clash with Ferencvaros before Celtic collapsed in the second half. He was back on the scoresheet against Celta Vigo, giving the Hoops the lead, but familiar defensive frailties allowed the La Liga side to turn the game around and leave Martin O'Neill's team tumbling towards the Europa League dead zone.
Baur Focused on Team Success
Despite his personal form, Baur is only concerned with one number – and it doesn't make great reading. He said: "Absolutely. I try to do my best all the time. I try to help the team by scoring and hopefully deliver a few assists as well in the next games."
"But firstly, it's the job of Callum McGregor and myself in the midfield to control the area. We did that a few times really well, a few times not. Personally, I feel more confident in the last few weeks."
"But I really don't care about that goal, I'm sorry. I'm happy to score but it wasn't important in the end. At the end it felt really disappointing."
European Exposures
Baur has also notched a couple of goals in the Premiership and constantly offers for the ball, knits play together and bursts into the box. However, his willingness to search out angles for team-mates can prove problematic – if he peels into a pocket of space and a Parkhead colleague loses possession, it leaves McGregor flying solo in front of the back four.
Celtic often get away with it in Scotland, but it has left them brutally exposed in Europe. Reflecting on Thursday night's collapse against Celta Vigo, Baur said: "It was an open first half, it was fine. Maybe they controlled it a bit more but everything was OK."
"Then we had a great 15 minutes in the second half and scored. We got control, we played really well with the ball. We were dominant. But they scored and the momentum switched. We were not capable of switching it again to get control back."
"What is fair? We were on top in those 15 minutes and could have scored twice and maybe brought it over the line. But the way they controlled and dominated the edge of our box in the last 30 minutes was not acceptable."
Uphill Battle Ahead
Celtic's Europa League future looks bleak. Besiktas head to Glasgow next before away ties at Torreense and Omonoia Nicosia, then Marseille at home and Union Saint Gilloise to finish on the road in Belgium. The Hoops could need nine or 10 points to reach the knockouts.
Baur won't give up hope though. He said: "What else should I think? Yeah, sure. We have five games ahead but it's not getting easier. But, yes, five games with 15 points to play for, so what else?"
Before Besiktas, Celtic return to Scottish soil for this afternoon's trip to struggling Hibs. The Hoops remain top domestically, with only Rangers having defeated them. Baur senses Scottish sides going hell for leather to beat the champions – and he wouldn't have it any other way.
"They should try. It's like that. It's a good type of pressure. I like that," he said.
Baur dismissed the notion of treating domestic games like European matches, but stressed the importance of taking every opponent seriously. He said: "It's not treating them like a European game but if you're not doing it, it's not possible to win. It's like that. If you're not treating them like a real good opponent it's not possible to win that game."
"We go again and we can be really confident in the league, especially if we play like we did last Sunday when we managed to beat Hearts. We'll take that into the game and try to play a good 90 minutes before another tough week next week. We move on and hopefully have a better performance."
