Although Celtic created the overwhelming majority of chances last night, they were punished for unforced errors. This is why Malmo are still in the tie.
Lots of positives were evident. Malmo could only foul James Forrest. He is fit and simply unstoppable. Celtic’s least effective periods of the game coincided with when they failed to get James on the ball. When he did get the ball, he often attracted three defenders, which curtailed his options but opened up space for others.
Next week James should find more space. Malmo’s main concern for the return leg will be how to cope with him.
Leigh Griffiths is on fire. He had no right to score his second goal, it was never his ball. The timing of his leap, combined with his reach and finish, were first class. He’ll fancy himself for a goal out there.
Our passing early on was as good as it has been all season but something went wrong, I think Scott Brown and Stefan Johansen’s roles changed. Scott bossed the opening 20 minutes but towards the end of the first half, a tension had crept in.
When our defenders had the ball at their feet, the options they had earlier simply weren’t there. Think back to the early moments when Scott dropped deeper than the two central defenders to give them options in possession. There was one occasion when Brown dropped to collect a forward pass from Boyata, before passing onto Forrest and then Armstrong, who carved an opening, all achieved without resistance. Our movement made Malmo look pedestrian. We lost our way when those options dried up.
We know what we will get from Forrest and Griffiths but the key three Celtic players next week will be Brown, Bitton and Johansen. Hareide criticised Celtic’s fitness, it’s certainly clear that the early pace we set was not maintained, although it could be argued that pace was impossible to maintain. If Brown, Bitton and Johansen have the stamina to cover the acreage they did for parts of the game last night, we will be comfortable in Sweden.
The major concern is the likely absence of Mikael Lustig. Efe and Dedryck both need immediately-available options in possession. It will be absolutely critical that they are not left to play long clearing balls forward. If this happens, we will invariably lose possession and Malmo will be able to build sustained attacks.
Ronny may decide to deploy Saidy Janko instead of Efe. Efe got the nod for the bench last night as we needed cover for both central defence and right back (he’s also convered left on occasion). None of us have enough information on Saidy to offer an informed opinion on this option yet, but he may be asked to step forward.
Malmo got as much out of last night’s game as was possible. They scored two goals and didn’t pass up a good chance. We have the lead and there’s nothing too worrying in what we saw from the visitors. They will play a different game at home, have more possession and create more chances, but Celtic will create lots of chances of their own.
There’s a hard 90 minutes ahead, but it’s in our own hands, and Ronny’s right, we can win out there. This tie has a Blackburn feel about it.
One for the golfers…….
Taggsybhoy is raffling a Round of Golf for 4 at the magnificent Aberdour Golf Course, where our annual CQN Golf Open takes place, to support his Great Scottish Run campaign in aid of the Celtic Foundation. The auction ends next week and you can bid on it here on ebay. Check it out, and check out what YOUR Foundation does as well.
This is a brilliant way to get involved and achieve something significant, well done to Taggsy for taking the initiative.
Thanks to everyone who donated as part of yesterday’s competition to win a Celtic Euro shirt, courtesy of Magners. Special thanks to the winner, Glasgowdave, for allowing us to auction the shirt at a later date. You’re not a bad lot.
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Age Hareide’s white shirt was also most annoying.
evidently i wanst at the same game.
i saw a bhoy who runs with the ball, into packed defenses and wont release it on time,
he made nothing last night, he won some corners and shys. he wouldnt head the ball , twice, on the edge of the box, and anther time wouldnt shoot on site from a cross ball ready to volley.
I just cant be convinced, he saw a lot of the ball, but produced nothing. the number of passes stat was to compare and contrast. at the game he got the ball often, and it resulted in what ?
everyone else saw a “brilliant” performance by the wing wizard.
i hope he scores in malmo and sets up another two.
stats say he wont, but i hope he does.
Oh look we’ve got loads of whipping bhoys now.
Stats eh, What’s that Leigh Griffiths all about, he received 11 passes and only scored twice…
You are more likely to not win a game if you have marginally more posession. I believe this due to being tested to do the more difficult thing more often. The more passes you have the more likely it is you will lose posession at some point.
Pass completion for forward players is surely less of an issue than defenders. You are more likely to lose the ball the further forward you play as there is less space.
Forrest may have only have had 30 passes but he had posession of the ball for long periods and made runs that dragged two or 3 defenders with him.
Most folk have a bee in their bunnet about Johansen. 4 assists this Champions league campaign.
ÁRD MACHA on 20TH AUGUST 2015 2:33 PM
thomthethim for Oscar OK,
I’m not buying it, but I’ll let you buy me a pint in Sharkey’s at the bank holiday weekend in a bid to persuade me.
******
You’ll have to try a bit harder than that to get a pint out of me.
If the Bank Holiday is next weekend, then I will be in Dublin, putting my grandchildren through their paces.
Thankfully nobody on the blog is pretending that that mob are any good.
Legia, Maribor and that llot are distinctly average. If we improve our ambition, we will qualify more often than not and then be given a platform to expand the club. The alternative is to stagnate and slowly wither away.
Scotland’s blame culture is alive and well on CQN. By all means have your say but try and find a positive in the mistakes/errors are we truly a nation of glass half empty punters. Hail Hail Hebcelt BTW we won!!
Football is a game of mistakes.
Most, if not all, goals are scored via a mistake.
We never look at the mistake(s) which lead to our goals, but we hyper analyse the mistakes which lead to goals conceded.
It’s all in the nature of the game and the nature of supporters.
see this he dragged 3 defenders out with him creating space for others, what difference does that make if he then doesnt create a chance ?
not a hater, just not a blindly accepting he was wonderful.
Here’s another stat for the statto’s …
paul the tim @paulthetim 12m12 minutes ago
Last 2 trips to Sweden we have kept clean sheets in cl qualifiers 0-0 elfsborg and 2-0 Helsingborg
Wonder if Malmo Quck News are as critical of their defenders as we seem to be of ours? I thought their defence was dreadful, and that’s why I think we’ll win over there.
https://scontent-lhr3-1.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xpa1/t31.0-8/11224184_1027477813958790_2568630263973631761_o.jpg
tifo
malmo quick news has a thread ,
let celtic give the ball to forrest, as he wont assist or score.
sorry couldnt resist
Saint Stivs
You know that thing you said about flogging a dead horse….
Kidding pal. Carry on.
That Malmo mob are giving us stick big time.
Mouthing right off.
They stupidly underestimate Celtic….wouldn’t say that was wise.
Mulgrew and Janko in defence next week….LG up front.
We can do it.
HH
Saint Stivs
As someone who generally thinks Forrest doesn’t offer much, I thought last night was as good a performance from him as I’ve seen.
Plus everybody knows that the opposition’s main tactic in European games against us is attack the left back ;-)
WEST END OF EAST END on 20TH AUGUST 2015 2:56 PM
Stats eh, What’s that Leigh Griffiths all about, he received 11 passes and only scored twice…
————————————-
if wee jamsie had aimed all his 24 completed passes at Leigh , we would be going to Malmo 5-2 up.
off this time.
died horse to remove form car park.
Thankfully nobody on the Blog underestimates that Celtic and Malmo are very well matched for each other.
BSR
I think we are slightly better, but we have to go and prove it.
If we don’t win, I’m never going to ikea again :)
HH
bournesouprecipe
How different will Malmo be with Rosenburg in their side?
He sounds like their Henke!
Not panicking but we will have to be just as good as the first half last night because they will have their talisman back.
LB
GODBLESSTOMMYBURNS on 20TH AUGUST 2015 12:28 PM
To the person who thought it was a good idea to throw a ball on just before the corner at the end – prompting SJ to fanny about and earn a stupid but justifiable booking , thanks for that.
Concentration visibly dropped around the pantomime and a goal became almost inevitable
₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩₩
The same thing happened twice from the main stand just as the Malmo player was about to take a throw….
Ayrshire is Green and White
Saint Stivs – Wasn’t a dig at you per se, it’s just that statto’s do my head in. It doesn’t tell the whole story, a completed pass could be the wrong pass but will count as a plus. Someone else could have been in a better position to receive the ball but didn’t and that will be overlooked. Someone else not tracking back to cover or being out of position isn’t picked up by stats, It’s a team game and to go into minute detail on passes etc doesn’t take the team game into consideration.
I thought Forrest had a decent game last night, he seems to have stopped throwing his hands up in the air when he loses the ball which was a major frustration to me, he tracked back a few times last night and either won the ball or a free kick on one occasion, previously he would have been on his arse moaning about not getting a foul, so I’m seeing improvement. Just needs to learn when to release the ball.
ps He should have volleyed that ball on the edge of the box, even if it had gone miles over I wouldn’t have minded as he bought a ticket instead…and stop flogging that horse as I’ve backed it in the 4:20 at York…
Phil
http://www.philmacgiollabhain.ie/noninvestigative-churnalism/#more-6714
Apart from the usual moans and groans, the most alarming aspect of the aftermath of last night was twofold.
A large number of Celtic fans claiming that Malmo were a pretty poor side and Ronny Deil’s observation that Malmo took the two chances presented to them.
It is this degree of proficiency that sorts out the men from the boys in Europe.
thomthethim for Oscar OK,
Aye, Bank Holiday w/e 29 August.
God love those grandchildren, especially if they start dancing about:-)
Will no one think of the children CSC.
Árd Macha
We must be the only team in the world who, when 2 goals ahead would commit so many players forward for a corner ( which they ran up the park and scored from ) it’s not tactical naivety its criminal stupidity.
The Green Man
Anything can happen next week. They’ll plan to win 1-0. a Swedish side have never knocked us out.
Livi
Indeed.
They know it’s 50 / 50
If we were asked to win or draw in Stockholm in order to get into the CL – we’d all have grabbed it.
It’s Malmo, not Milan Munich or Manchester.
High Drama csc
Bournesouprecipe
Some sense being talked at last. Well said that man !!!!!
Did anyone hear the chant by the Malmo fans on their march from Merchant City to CP? From the Pink Floyd song Another Brick in The Wall, they chanted, “Hey, Celtic! Leave the kids alone.”
Disgusting.
I thought James Forrest had a great game last night and also thought he did extremely well against Kilmarnock. I absolutely hate GMS & Forrest both playing at the same time, it just doesn’t work. GMS is not going well at the moment, so its Forrest for me in the 2nd leg. Ciftci was annoying when he came on last night, I realise not playing regularly and then getting thrown in against European opposition is not ideal, however I would prefer Stokes as the back up to Griff next day. With Lustig out I would play either Janko or Fisher right back and Mulgrew instead of Izzy. Hopefully Armstrong & Biton are Ok, if so I’d let rest of team unchanged but Commons would be my impact sub.
corkcelt
I disagree on LB. I would leave Izzy in but slot Mulgrew into the midfield at the expense of Armstrong or Johanssen, probably Armstrong.
Bitton, Brown & Mulgrew would offer our defence a bit more protection.
Go with experience and keep it tight.
LB
MARKIEBHOY on 20TH AUGUST 2015 3:31 PM
We must be the only team in the world who, when 2 goals ahead would commit so many players forward for a corner ( which they ran up the park and scored from ) it’s not tactical naivety its criminal stupidity.
We lost similar goals v ICT ,and Dundee last season,we have a corner kick,5 seconds later we are picking the ball out of the net.Something we should have learned from.HH
We should be looking for a deadly finisher like Berget, oh hold on:))
Checking out the local TV listings and found this and thought they wish!!!!!!
7:30AM EST
Sportsnet World
Rangers FC
VS
HibernianScottish Premier League
Sportsnet World
Live
Rangers FC
VS
Hibernian
Scottish Premier League
I thought Armstrong was our best player in the first half hour,we stopped getting the ball to him,hope he’s ok for next week.Opinions ..eh?
I thought Jo Inge Berget was a gentleman last night. He muted his understandable joy at scoring twice last night. Reserving his fist pumping celebration for his own fans in the corner.
He then refused to add to the trash talking comments of his team mates. Indeed he and Arnesan spoke very well and reasonably on STV.
Lastly as far as I can see Jo is the only person to mention that they felt stronger toward the end of the game because they are 20+ games into their season. So it was understandable.
I like the guy’s style.
However, that doesn’t mean I want a tattoo of his name on my bum.
Izzy played quite well last night.
He did fluff a clearance for one of their goals but he wasn’t the only one at fault.