Celtic boss Ronny Deila targets Champions League group stages

Celtic manager Ronny Deila says the group stages of the Champions League is the main aim for his newly-crowned champions next season.

Deila found out his side had collected their fourth successive title while back in Norway for his twin daughters' confirmation last Saturday.

Celtic's 5-0 drubbing of Dundee on Friday evening left nearest challengers Aberdeen needing to beat Dundee United at Tannadice the following day but a 1-0 victory for Jackie McNamara's side ensured the Premiership trophy would remain at Parkhead for another year.

We are looking now to get into qualification for the Champions League and that's the big goal.

When asked how he found out the news of his side's title triumph, Deila, a huge favourite with the Parkhead fans, joked: "We do have the internet in Norway too. It was a good feeling, a very good feeling.

"We have improved as a team, got better and better results and now we have won the league. We are looking now to get into qualification for the Champions League and that's the big goal.

"This has been a very tough season, always the first season is a tough one and the first three or four months was very hard when we didn't qualify for the Champions League and had some bad results in the league as well.

"But you just have to keep on working and try to get the best out of the team and the staff. I think we have been calm and it's also a big credit to the whole club that they have been patient, and now at the end we got a good reward in winning the league. We are in a much better place than we were in the beginning of the season."

And Deila admits he will have to plan for an assault on the group stages of the continent's premier competition next season without the services of central defender Jason Denayer.

'Challenge'

The PFA Scotland Young Player of the Year is returning to his parent club Manchester City after a sensational years at the heart of the Hoops defence where he formed a fine partnership with Virgil van Dijk.

Deila had hoped to persuade the Belgium international to commit to Celtic for another year but City counterpart Manuel Pellegrini is keen to have him back among his ranks at the Etihad.

"Denayer goes back to Man City and we have to look at what we do there, that is a challenge," he said. "But there is more in it for us to get into the Champions League than to sell Virgil van Dijk.

"Virgil also needs a good Champions League campaign and if we get into the group stages he will get the challenges he is after. He is a very good player but still we can make him better. He should go to the biggest clubs in the league, not the small clubs in the biggest leagues with money.

"We are in a totally different situation than the one we were in last year and the most important thing for us is that we keep our players. We need consistency and the players here are good enough to take us into the Champions League.

"But we need to make the squad stronger and make it more competitive." 

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Celtic currently lead Derek McInnes' side by 11 points with three matches of the campaign remaining and Deila praised the Aberdeen manager for maintaining a title challenge until the final weeks of the season.

"Aberdeen have been very good this season, they have done their best season for many years and have really, really impressed me. 

"They challenged us all the time and if we hadn't have improved we would have lost the league. I have a big respect at what Aberdeen have done."