Pundit Ian Paul Joy has launched a furious criticism of Celtic after another damaging European night for the Hoops.

Celtic were beaten 4-1 by Benfica in Lisbon on Thursday night, leaving Martin O’Neill’s side without a point from their opening two Europa League league phase matches.

The result came after the 3-1 defeat at home to Ferencvaros, while Celtic also shipped five against LASK in Champions League qualifying earlier this season.

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That run has brought more criticism of the club’s European level, and Joy did not hold back on CBS Sports Golazo.

Speaking after the Benfica defeat, he said: “I will just go on a small rant and say that Celtic right now are unrecognisable to me.

“They’ve lost four of the last five competitive games in Scottish football.

“Yes, they’re top of the Scottish Prem. Well done. It’s wonderful.

“But I consistently repeat myself: they’re not competitive enough on the European stage.”

That is the part that will sting most.

“Celtic are now unrecognizable to me.”

It’s troubling times in Glasgow, says @JOYPAULIAN 🍀 https://t.co/81ohK2l1eD

— CBS Sports Golazo ⚽️ (@CBSSportsGolazo) October 15, 2026

Celtic remain in a strong domestic position, but Europe has again exposed problems that have not gone away.

Benfica were 3-0 up by half-time at the Estádio da Luz, and although Celtic improved after the break, Vangelis Pavlidis added a late fourth to kill off any faint hope of a comeback.

Joy did credit the players for their effort in Lisbon, but he pointed his anger higher up.

He said: “Now, there’s no faulting the heart and the effort from the Celtic players in this game.

“They had as many shots on target as Benfica in this game, so they went for it.

“But you must be kidding me.

“If you don’t invest in the team properly to compete in European football, you’ll get freaking nowhere.

“So I’m completely pissed off.”

The recruitment debate has been running for weeks, and results like this only sharpen it.

Celtic have spent money, but the question is whether the squad has been built well enough to handle this level.

Joy also pointed to the number of goals Celtic have conceded across recent European matches.

He said: “If you look at what they’ve done over the last three games, the both games in Europa competition and the other game in the embarrassment in the second leg against LASK in Champions League, they’ve conceded 12 goals.

“12 goals let in in three games.

“Yeah, it’s not good enough.

“It’s unacceptable.”

That is hard to argue with.

Celtic have shown flashes in each game, but the defending has been too open and the mistakes have been too easy for opponents to punish.

O’Neill has spoken about still believing Celtic can qualify from the Europa League league phase, with six games left to play.

But Joy’s anger reflects what many supporters are feeling after Lisbon.

Celtic are not being judged only on effort.

They are being judged on whether the club looks ready for Europe, and right now the results are giving critics plenty to work with.