I liked a lot about what we did last night. Leigh Griffiths provided more evidence that he is a remarkable predator. Kris Commons delivered another driven corner, his third of this European campaign to result in a goal, Lustig made first contact leaving Griffiths with only instinct to produce a shot on target. That same instinct clicked an instant later to turn the second shot over the keeper and into the net.
Do you remember a moment, before the first goal, when Fenerbahce enjoyed their best spell of pressure, and we cleared our lines aimlessly four times in a couple of minutes? It looked ugly and invited Fenerbahce to continue to pile the pressure on, but it was a salutary indication of how tactically well Celtic played. When under pressure, clear your lines, regroup, and get ready to go again.
On two occasions we dribbled out of a defensive position leading to a goal. Nir Bitton had ample opportunity to clear forward, but with opponents closing space all around him, he hesitated until he could play-in James Forrest, who surge forward to cross for Commons to score.
Scott Brown as immense all night, but having held-off a challenge 20 yards from his own goal on the wing, he should have cleared deep inside Fenerbahce territory instead of trying to make a pass. We didn’t get the ball back until the score was 2-2. Johansen and Lustig were both caught similarly in the second half but neither was punished. Being brave in possession isn’t always wise.
Some of the passing football we played was a treat to watch. Bitton and Brown played their best game as a partnership, if not as individuals in a Celtic shirt; Brown was certainly that good. James Forrest, now fit, is drinking-in responsibility. He was effective last night, but not because he used his unparalleled pace, instead he delivered link play.
You’ll have noticed Craig Gordon likes a leg save. Few keepers do, they seem to try to get their hands or torso to a ball, but I like that Craig likes getting any hard part of his body in the way.
Don’t let it bounce.
“Don’t let it bounce.” There’s not a central defender in the world who doesn’t hear that phrase every week. When a ball is coming towards the danger zone in the air, get your head on it. If you let it bounce, anything can happen.
This was Efe Ambrose first mistake last night. He failed to read the flight of the ball. The moment it bounced, he was in trouble. With Fernandao waiting to feed on the scraps, Efe should then have concentrated on winning the physical challenge as the ball dropped a second time, but instead he found his ‘don’t let the ball bounce’ instinct too late and committed a second inexcusable error.
Think back almost three years to the opening minutes of the Champions League game against Juventus, Efe committed pretty much the same mistake. He lost the flight of the ball and we were a goal down and out before we warmed up.
Although Efe is taking a large slice of the blame in some places for the second Fenerbahce goal, I’m not convinced this is a fair assessment. To give due credit, it was an excellent corner and header – from a zone in front near post it’s difficult to score from. The point about zonal marking is you defend areas it’s easy to score from, at the cost of leaving less-risky areas unattended. Fernandao’s header didn’t come from a high-risk zone.
For some reason, wispy Leigh Griffiths was delegated to man-mark bulky target-man Fernandao. Wee guys can block big guys, but they need to be standing ball-side of the attacker, preferably facing his chest with arms out, so that when movement happens, he’s at least the right side of the attacker. Leigh was on his heels, completely unprepared.
Before the kick was struck, Fernandao was on the move, gambling on a near-post run. Should Efe have also gambled similarly? On first glance it looked like it, but that’s only because the ball went to that area and ended up in the net. Fernandao could afford to gamble by running into a space the ball may or may not arrive at. This is not the case for a defender. He has to wait until the ball is in the air. If he leaves his zone before the ball’s kicked to follow an attacker who has move early, he’s not doing his job.
It’s all about the block.
Great corner aside, we lost the second goal because we didn’t get a block on Fenerbahce’s target man. Before the kick was taken, Leigh Griffiths was adjacent to and looking at Fernandao, having been delegated the task by the impressive Kieran Tierney, but Leigh was also looking all around him and made no attempt to block.
Griffiths (5’ 8”), the smallest man in the Celtic team, should never have been near Fernandao (6’ 4”), the tallest man in the Fenerbahce team. That’s 8 inches of disadvantage and double figures of kilos weight.
There are two big questions to be asked about this goal:
Why didn’t we have a physical equal on Fernandao, capable of withstanding a shove, or better still, getting his own shove in first? Fenerbahce had one target man striker, we didn’t notice him. It doesn’t matter if you play zonal or man-to-man, if we are conceding 8 inches to the opponent’s main physical threat, we’ll continue to lose goals at corner kicks.
But the real curious question is why was it left to 18-year-old Kieran Tierney to instruct who picks up whom at a corner kick? Action moves so quickly at corners that everyone needs to understand they have a responsibility to take control, not just the central defenders, captain, or keeper. Or 18-year-old novice.
This is not happening at Celtic right now, which is why we’re playing our European football on Thursdays this season. If you put your smallest player on an opponent’s tallest, and it’s left to an 18-year-old to delegate responsibility, you deserve to lose a goal.
Last Man Standing 5
Last call for all those wanting to take part in Last Man Standing 5, in aid of Wee Shay McGinlay who is 2 and suffers from cerebral palsy. To date CQNers and friends have raised an incredible £5400 towards the fund raising campaign, to finance treatment for Shay not available on the NHS, which will hopefully improve his quality of life.
The current entrants stand at 72, so if you want to take join the LMS5 clique, then simply drop a line to Jobo and CRC at cqnlastmanstanding@gmail.com before 12pm Saturday and they will send you more details.
Thanks for indulging me bringing the work of the Foundation to your attention all this week. The Great Scottish Run is less than 48 hours away and dozens of Celtic fans have put thousands of hours into preparing for the event. Those doing the ‘half’ are going to miss the Hamilton game, another consequence of playing Thursday night European football.
If you can support any of the runners, please do:
Click here for my linked donation page.
Thank you.
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Gerry fae the Brig
The Aussie kicker honouring the name Foley on the day that Canon Foley ( St Augies ) was burie
… d
saltires en sevilla
Sad news mi amigo.
YNWA
HH
Msm’s campaign to get McInness manger of the year hitting the rocks.
And well done Australia!
Best thing about the Rugby result tonight…Halftime comments from Wilkinson and woodward…Totally Hunlike in their We expect and deserve Attitude…..Aw and prince harrys screenshot ” Huzza ..Huzza”…and People wonder why i want to Distance myself from these people, wonder why i advocate an Independent Scotland.Jeezo…
Saltires
Sorry to hear of your loss bud, going through the mill at the moment with my Dad.
Makes u realise what’s really important.
God bless u and your family.
Respect
Roy Croppie – in a right mess now, but thanks :-)
Dena -cheers mate
SES
My sincere condolences. May your father’s soul rest in peace.
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 10:00 PM
We will need to agree to disagree on who cost us the three points on Thursday, in your opinion it was Efe. In my opinion it was the Manager and the Team collectively. We had about 40 minutes left after we conceded the second goal to regroup, have the Manager change tactics and get back to the great football we played first half. Efe did not inflict the killer blow, had he done so that would have been the equaliser.
Like the song goes and goes for any Manager they will always say I did it my way.
On Stefan we are agreed he doesn’t deserve his place, especially in Europe. On a similar vein I thought on lack of experience and game time I thought young Tierney would have struggled. How wrong was I, he has a bit of guile and appetite, something Stefan lacks. The latter just runs around and fouls.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
oldtim67 on 3rd October 2015 9:51 pm I don’t think any player in the world has gone through their career without making a mistake,TOHG Was close to being infallible But he must have made at least one slip up in his illustrious career
*he made 2 in the one game, January 2nd 1968, almost cost us 3 in a row.
TSPOAL – cheers mate
TET – gracias
Burghbhoy – stay as close as you can – every second – I’ll say a prayer for you and yours.
Thanks for everything tonight – what a place
Nytol
Saltires, I can’t imagine what you and your family are going through the now. My dad was fond of your dad, despite the age difference between them. He talks fondly of the time he was ‘evacuated’ to Johnstone just after the Clydebank blitz when he spent a lot of time with your grandparents your dad and your uncle Jim. Our thoughts are with you all tonight.
Lennybhoy
Efe doesn’t impose himself physically . That was the (first) problem at the first goal . Also , IMHO he isn’t a strong header of the ball . That was the second problem . Having said that i feel for the big man .
Now time to watch the highlights of Chelsea getting horsed,
and listen to the whining one greeting as usual
TheOriginalSadiesBhoy
Thanks
Even if you then IIRI….
Incorrectly mis-spelt Billy Bhoy.Twice!
Not one you really want to mis spell, mate! Someone might instigate the dreaded “are you a hun” challenge!
Goals scored by Fener against us…Simple…1st Efes fault…2nd Goal..Rank bad team Defending…Sort it..Forget it…On and On…
England gone great pity now Ireland are denied the chance of beating them again.
Lennybhoy
I’m with sadies on this
Efe is a superb athlete, and committed to us, for Thurs he was probably the best option, which is where we should be questioning our club ?
I want a confident and competent centre half who can clear his lines
As someone has stated Efe is a poor header of the ball, he doesn’t use his forehead, instead top of his head
In saying this I do agree with you on our Manager, and Johansen
Hail Hail
Have the media announced why England going out of the World Cup is a good thing? ….no? Must be only in Scottish Football.
Lenny Bhoy
I’m with you all the way on young Tierney. It was a big risk against a circus act like Nani who could have ruined his confidence but Kieran came through it with flying colours. With regard to Stefan J, I see someone posted above that he is playing with a back injury. Crazy management if true. SJ not good enough to play with an injury, especially when Rogic and Commons are available.
My own hunch is that Stefan J is unhappy. There were stories linking him to German teams during the summer, especially Hamburg. He has the demeanour of a player who is on the huff ….. perhaps at being denied a transfer. Just a hunch as I say but stranger things have happened at football clubs.
With the International break coming up, we do not need to consider resting players as we do not play again until the 17th October.
I think Efe’s suspension will take him out of the limelight so, depending on fitness, I’d go with
Gordon
Janko Boyata Blackett Izzaguire
Bitton Brown
Forrest Commons Armstrong
Griffiths
Lustig and Tierney can be bench cover for the defence
Rogic and GMS can cover midfield if Allan is still out
And Ciftci or Nisbett can cover Griff
P.S. Hope to see Macjay join in with the Reb songs :-)
Billy Bhoy
My apologies again. The predictive text on my iPhone is driving me mad at the moment.
It tried to do the same thing again in this post.
Is the game on the telly tomorow
Lots of Happy posters tonight , Happy coz England got whacked at rugby……Beware…all is not as it seems…..The CQN loyalist Brigade will strike Back With Vengence….You Have Been Warned…
To be fair to England, they are in a ridiculously tough group in the rugby.
Whoever sanctioned this should be sacked.
Australia were superb, though.
FRED COLON on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 10:13 PM
Do not get me wrong I am not saying Efe is the answer but the Manager picks him, it is he who stands or falls by his tactics and selections.
On the ability to change tactics, the Fenerbahche Manager changed it in the first half bringing on the No. 9, it paid off, Ronny take note. The No. 9 is a big imposing Striker, something we lack, something Ronny admits we are lacking why admit this now, we’ve all known this for ages.
BGX on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 10:18 PM
Totally agree.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Sftb it looks like RD will have to play an untested back four tomorrow. But with Broonie on fire, Nirs passing ability, JF in great form and LG with his shooting boots on we should do well.
Saltires-just logged on,so sorry for your loss.HH
Gordon64
match on Bt sport
HH
Llennybhoy…………….majority of the teams I’ve watched in Europe have big targetmen in their teams with the exception of Barcelona and they have exceptional footballers who can play through teams.
petethebeat,
before the loss to Wales,England were ranked 2nd in the world,
above both Wales and Australia,they are out simply because they didn’t beat teams
they were supposedly better than
Hello again all you young rebels.
Saltires En Savilas
Just surfaced there and learn of your loss, condolences.
A few Engerlunders going to get mauled on the peninsula today methinks.
H.H Mick
On the great Efe Ambrose debate people seem to forget too easily.
He first formed a decent partnership with Kelvin Wilson & then subsequently with VVD. Played two full seasons without making many, if any calamitous mistakes. Some of his displays in Europe (Juventus aside) were top draw, I am especially thinking about both Barcelona games when losing narrowly in the Nou Camp & of course our famous night at home. Efe was as much a part of those two brilliant performances as anyone else.
When Ronny came in he brought Denayer & at the time, I felt it was unfair on Efe to be dropped to the bench for a 19 year old prospect. Of course we all quickly saw what a fine player JD was but still he wasn’t our player. No question VVD & JD formed a fine partnership though it proved to be fragile for European football (Strange how the last Celtic side to qualify & compete in the CPL contained Efe).
We all see deficiencies but Efe’s confidence would have taken a huge hit the day he was replaced by a 19 year old kid. An appearance here & there last season was always likely to bring inconsistencies & at that point the press collectively began describing him as a liability. Many of our fans were only too happy to jump on the bandwagon the very same one that was only too eager to brand Samaras a dud. Once Sammy left the press needed to find another target, enter Efe Ambrose.
I see many fans on social media going way back to the Juventus game but there were mitigating circumstances for his performance that night. You also have to remember he was only 23 at the time & with limited experience of European Football. However before that game & up until Fenerbace, I struggle to remember a game changing howler from Efe in Europe? Can anyone recall any that cost us vital points?
I think people are too quick to condemn. Especially when we are not in the position to replace players who have decent attributes & have shown in the past that they can perform to a high level.
How about we build up our talent by supporting them, instead of making things 10 times harder by crucifying them. We already have an agenda riddled MSM to do that, no need for us to join in.
HH!
Billy bhoy…
You would be surprised the amount that post on here that is called Billy, all tims Btw…it’s the other ones I wonder about.
COWIEBHOY on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 10:25 PM
Cannot accept Efe cost us the win on Thursday, just can’t. Who decided to play him, Ronny, he’s to blame. If Efe was to blame, Stefan was to blame when drew against Malmo. Arguably had he not we might, just might have qualified for the UCL.
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY:
Stefan if rumours are true is not popular amongst the rest of the squad.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Dena29,
take it that post was for me,
thanks for the info
Caught sky sevco news round up goals scored in the SPL today
Joe Shaughnessy scored one of St Johnstone’s goals. The presenter pronounced Joe’s name as Shagnessy . Dear oh dear
Dena I know I’ve got yon Vogue Punter coming up to ma hoose to watch it. I’ve got the swear box at the ready. HH