SCOTT SINCLAIR was at Aston Villa last season when they crashed and burned in the Premier League and were relegated so he knows the desperate lows football can bring.
But losing by seven goals to Barcelona on Tuesday night brought a whole new hurt to a footballer who left the Nou Camp feeling utterly drained, even if he was one of the few bright sparks for Celtic.
Sinclair has done nothing wrong since his move north and he certainly wasn’t to blame for the brutal defeat in the Champions League opening match. But it is likely to take more than a day or so for him to shake off his anger and frustration.
Read more: Scott Brown - Celtic's display in Barcelona was unacceptable
He said: “When you make mistakes you get punished and that’s what happened. It was just goal after goal, and we should have stopped it and been compact.
"It was just one of those games where we’re playing against the best and you can’t afford to be slack.
Read more: Neil Cameron: The thing about the Champions League is that it's really difficult
“When you have Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar as the front three then you know there are goals in them and we have to be strong to stop them. Two minutes into the game we concede a goal and from then on it’s going to be a long night.
“It’s a long time since I’ve lost seven goals - if ever - and to be honest that was a battering.
“Everyone was down in the dressing room and we know we’ve not done well. We just have to try to pick ourselves back up and go again. I’m sure the manager will look at the DVD for positives but at this moment in time I can’t think of any that he will find. We’ve lost 7-0. Where do you go?”
Well, it is Inverness on Sunday and before Celtic know it Manchester City, one of the world’s most expensive teams coached by the legendary Pep Guardiola, will be in Glasgow for match day two.
Sinclair was one of those English players signed by City who were never going to get a game as they could afford to go out and bring in the best from the continent in every position.
So he knows that while Barcelona in their pomp might be the strongest team in the world, it is not going to get a whole lot easier for the Scottish champions.
Sinclair said: “Manchester City will come at us too. The Champions League is a different level and we have to adapt. We need to try to find something to take into the next game.
Read more: Scott Brown - Celtic's display in Barcelona was unacceptable
“The dressing-room was very quiet after the game. Not much was said. When you are on the back of a defeat like that then it stings as a professional. The fans have travelled an awful long way to see a performance like that which is a real shame.
“We’re here to compete 100 per cent - we’re not here to have a nice time and just take part. We are at a big club and we want to win games. We have to try to do that against City.
“It’s such a contrast to Saturday – we were on such a high and now we’re on such a low and we have to lift ourselves for the next challenge.”
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