Diego Simeone submits Celtic Champions League report card as they get top marks in one area despite exit

Diego Simeone has hailed Celtic's pressing, insisting the Hoops gave his side the sternest Champions League test in that regard despite their early exit.

A 2-0 defeat to Lazio in Rome ended Brendan Rodgers' hopes of playing European football beyond Christmas. Feyenoord visit Parkhead on matchday six with only pride at stake for the Premiership champions. Rodgers' return was partly engineered to improve results at the top level of European football, but as things stand, his team have taken just one point from five group stage games.

They ran Atletico Madrid close in Glasgow, drawing 2-2. Only an Alvaro Morata header denied the hosts a first Champions League win in far too long. Their winless run now stretches to 15 games, with the 6-0 drubbing from Atletico in Madrid a particular sore point. But despite that, Simeone claims Celtic were the best pressing side his team faced in the group.

“The opponent that pressed us best were Celtic at their ground," he said. "Feyenoord is a team that tries to press, although they immediately retreated because they saw that they could not gain a foothold due to the good circulation that the team has.

"There was Witsel, Gimenez, Mario… also Rodrigo and Koke to generate a block of play. The team needed this and we try to support them.”