Diego Simeone pulled off something special at the Mestalla. He decided to rest every regular starter, thinking ahead to the big Champions League semi-final against Arsenal. Even with all the changes, his backup squad and two bold debutants came through, grabbing a crucial 2-0 win over Valencia.

Talk about rolling the dice. Simeone didn’t just rotate a few players; he swapped out his entire starting lineup. He wanted his top players ready for London, so he sent a completely fresh team to face Valencia. Normally, you’d expect some nerves or messy play with such drastic rotation, but Atletico looked calm. They controlled the game, showing that the 'Cholo' mindset truly runs throughout the club, regardless of who’s on the pitch. Resting his stars paid off; his fringe players stood tall in a tough atmosphere.

Then came the academy kids. In the second half, they took their chance. Iker Luque, only 20, scored a clever goal at the near post just ten minutes after coming off the bench. It was a dream debut, and his poise made him look like a seasoned pro. Not to be outdone, 18-year-old Cubo sealed it with a composed finish eight minutes later, chasing down a sharp Griezmann pass, one of the few big names who got on the field late. After a quick VAR check, the goal stood, and the Atletico bench went wild.

The stats backed up Atletico’s dominance. They racked up 1.78 expected goals from 20 shots, still a real threat even with their regular attackers sitting out. At the back, they shut Valencia down completely; not a single shot on target. That’s the first time Valencia’s failed to test a keeper in a Liga match since February.

With this win, Atletico stretched their league scoring streak to ten straight games. Everyone expected some rotation before the Champions League clash, but no one figured Simeone’s academy kids would shine so brightly, especially at such a tough venue.

Now, the team’s got real momentum heading into the showdown at Emirates. Simeone’s starters will be fresh and fired up for Tuesday’s clash with Arteta’s Arsenal. The first leg ended in a 1-1 draw, so everything’s still up for grabs.

Callum McGregor has to know by now that Celtic won’t ever reach their full potential as long as things stay the way they are. That’s been clear for ages, and honestly, it’s part of why he needs to move on this summer.

If Celtic really want to become the club it’s supposed to be, it needs to face up to its awful European record. For twenty years, they’ve been nowhere. The stat gets repeated so much it’s almost boring, but you can’t ignore the fact that they haven’t won a knockout-round tie in any UEFA competition since 2004.

The leadership doesn't even bother to manage expectations anymore. They just try to kill them entirely. Ross Desmond, Dermot’s son, spelt it out at that chaotic AGM last November. He said Celtic’s lack of progress in Europe since the UEFA Cup final in 2003 is down to ‘the enormous change in the financial landscape of football’. Basically, they’re in a smaller league, so backing European campaigns isn’t worth the money.

McGregor’s drive doesn’t sync with the folks running Celtic. When he met with the Celtic Fans Collective before Desmond’s outburst, CEO Michael Nicholson claimed Europe had gone fine recently just because they made the group stage nineteen times out of twenty.

Even Martin O’Neill, who once spoke so passionately about wanting to compete in Europe (because that’s what the club set out to do in 1967), shifted his focus as time went on. By his second stint, after being hammered by Stuttgart in the Europa League play-off, he started complaining about English clubs spending obscene sums and how Celtic couldn’t keep up. No money, no hope, apparently.

No one expects Celtic to go toe-to-toe with Manchester City or Arsenal in the Champions League. That whole argument feels like a smokescreen. Still, with nearly £70 million in the bank and a wage bill over £70 million, you just expect them to do better than folding against the likes of Kairat Almaty, Ferencváros, Cluj, and Sparta Prague reserves.

In McGregor’s midweek appeal for Celtic to match his ambition, he stressed the need for Champions League football and for everyone at the club to commit to playing at the highest level, to strive for ‘the best version of Celtic’. But he must know deep down that it’s not going to happen. The Desmonds are staying put. Nicholson isn’t being kicked out, either. That’s just reality.

Yeah, changes are coming: a new manager (Robbie Keane looks likely), maybe a sporting director, perhaps some new board members or a fresh chairman, but you’d be crazy to think this signals any real overhaul.

Celtic’s leaders haven’t cared about making waves in Europe for two decades. Brendan Rodgers returned in one of the strangest moves lately, but the board never gave him the backing he needed. Ange Postecoglou left as a cult hero, but also the first boss ever dumped out of three European tournaments in one season.

As long as Celtic stayed ahead of Rangers, that was enough. They didn’t even notice Hearts sneaking up.

McGregor hinted at this. He called for accountability and pushed for everyone to try to make Celtic the best they can be. You don’t need Sherlock Holmes to see what he’s getting at, and he’s right.

Trouble is, it feels like it’s too late for him. He should’ve drawn a line in the sand years ago, when he had more power.

Instead, after every humiliating European night, we’d hear him talk about “learning lessons" again and again. But Celtic weren’t paying hefty wages for players to learn that they expected results and didn’t get them.

McGregor turns 33 this summer. Two years left on his contract, but he’s not the player he was. If he leaves, maybe for Al-Qadsiah in Saudi Arabia with Rodgers or somewhere similar, it’s probably not going to shake things up as people expect. The new manager will probably want their own captain anyway.

Really, he could’ve tried for a move back in 2019 after Rodgers left the first time. Maybe gone to Leicester and tested himself in the Premier League as Kieran Tierney did. But he stayed, got caught up in the mess as the ten-in-a-row dream died during that disastrous Covid season. That could’ve been the moment to lay down the law or threaten to leave.

Even when rumours about Saudi Arabia heated up in January, he seemed to disappear for a bit. Maybe he wanted to see what Celtic would do in the transfer window. Joel Mvuka, Junior Adamu, and Tomas Cvancara on loan surely weren't what he’d hoped for.

If we’re honest, McGregor’s shot at the top levels of club football is gone. He’s not heading to the Premier League now, and Celtic aren’t about to crack Europe. Saudi’s probably his best option; it would at least set him up for life.

He’s got a Scottish Cup final coming. That’s as good a swan song as you can get. And somehow, Celtic are still in the hunt for the league title.

If McGregor means what he’s said, there’s no way he fits with the club’s leadership anymore.

Really, it’s just a shame he didn’t stand up and call out the board sooner. He’s been an excellent, smart footballer, but he never really pushed himself beyond Celtic, a club whose lack of focus has landed them right where they are now.