FOR Neil Lennon, trying to get his team to focus on this afternoon's match against St Mirren with Barcelona up next must be like trying to get a child to eat their greens when they know there is a giant chocolate cake for dessert.
The sweet treat of playing at Camp Nou, however, will be taken away from the Celtic players if they don't first of all take care of what is in front of them.
Players and managers habitually trot out the tired old line that they are "only focusing on the next game" but Lennon knows that not to be true. Celtic's only defeat this season came against St Johnstone last month, a match that preceded the opening Champions League group game against Benfica. That, believes the Celtic manager, was not a coincidence. European football is always a massive draw for any player but even more so for Celtic this season when Rangers' absence means the annual battle for the Clydesdale Bank Premier League title has evolved into a procession. With no Old Firm games on the fixture card, it is hardly a surprise that the Celtic players' thoughts tend to drift towards the Champions League matches, with none bigger than taking on Barcelona.
Lennon, though, will not stand for any idle daydreaming. Such is his determination to ensure Celtic maintain their lead at the top of the league he has warned his players that anyone appearing to not be fully committed in Paisley this lunchtime will automatically forfeit the chance of featuring in Spain next week. It is football's equivalent of a stint on the naughty step but Lennon is determined to enforce it.
"How do I keep their minds off Barcelona? I just put St Johnstone up on the board and say you won't be playing over there if there is a repeat of that," said Lennon. "I've given no time to Barcelona yet. The SPL is most important to us. The only thing I was disappointed with at St Johnstone was a lack of intensity. There is no doubt the players had one eye on the Benfica game. You could see it in their body language and I can't accept that.
"Since then, our form has been excellent. It took a bit of time for the season to settle and getting over the excitement of being in the Champions League. One concern is that our momentum was very good going into the international break and that could be halted a little bit."
There is presumably no ideal preparation for taking on a side of the calibre of Barcelona so Lennon refuted the idea that his players would be better served by a tough, draining encounter with St Mirren rather than a straightforward win. "You can't compare Barcelona to any team," he said. "If we were playing Stoke, you play a totally different style of play. Would that be ideal preparation to play Barcelona? What I want is to win the St Mirren game and go into Tuesday in good fettle. I'd rather we won well."
Lennon knows he will not find it easy against a team who have won their last four at home. "They gave us a really tough game in the corresponding fixture last season. It's a good time to play us with everyone having been away on international duty, but we'll use the St Johnstone game as a marker on what to avoid."
The Celtic manager is chalking up personal landmarks on a regular basis these days, although he has never forgotten how close he came to the end of the road. Monday marked the first anniversary of his side coming from 3-0 down to draw 3-3 at Rugby Park, a result many saw as the catalyst for Celtic going on to win the championship and qualify for the Champions League.
"It's sort of flown in, really," Lennon said. "People say it was a pivotal day. There were twists after that, but there is no doubt that at 3-0 down and being so far behind Rangers, you are thinking, you are not doing well here, Neil, are you?
"There was no pressure from upstairs, just my own sense of pride. I was thinking that if this is the best I could do, it might be better to step aside and let someone else have a go at it. It was definitely a test of character, mental strength and abilities as a manager. We have come a long way in a short space of time, but I know things can change very quickly in football. While I'm feeling comfortable in the role at the moment, I'm always wary of the next crisis."
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