That was the latest instalment in a long running series of Behind the Couch Celtic away performances in Europe, with the wonderful exception that after Hapoel Be’er Shiva had us on the rack in the opening period of the second half, Celtic put five at the back and closed the game out without any stressful incidents in the final 15 minutes.
There are a few moments worthy of comment:
Hapoel’s penalty came as a consequence of Celtic pressing high up the field for the first time in the game. The home team dropped deep as they were temporarily reduced to 10 men, but when Celtic pressed high to take advantage of an opponent receiving treatment, they easily passed through us, switched the ball left and gave Saidy Janko his first difficult moment of the night.
More on Saidy in a moment, but we cannot allow teams to pass through us so easily. We should never have been caught so high up field. Our alertness, interceptions and tackling were not good enough. Craig Gordon’s block at the penalty was priceless (or at a price of circa £26m, if you’re being picky).
There’s a reason teams who mark zonally at corner kicks don’t mark the penalty spot. It’s because headers from the penalty spot need to be exceptional in order to beat the keeper. Sahar’s goal wasn’t an exceptional header. It bounced before passing Craig Gordon three feet inside the post. It should never have been a goal, and although Craig’s mistake for the second was more evident, the first was as worrying a goal to concede.
We’re fond of talking about “schoolboy errors” in football but Saidy’s lack of awareness of his direct opponent and goalkeeper at the second goal was a classic error from the 9-year-old’s game. I’ll be generous and say he’s not ready for a game at this level. Craig Gordon doesn’t have a let off for this one, either. While his fullback made a mistake, an alert keeper would have prevented the goal and knocked Saidy into next week. Awareness concerns exist for him too.
Whether it’s Craig’s self-confidence, or that the defence don’t have confidence in him, goalkeeping mistakes came perilously close to seeing us drop out of the Champions League last night.
Not that Craig shoulders all responsibility for what was a weak performance. The middle of the park was experimental and looked it. On the back of one of his best games for Celtic a week ago, Scott Brown’s passing, control and influence was miles off the pace.
Scott, Callum McGregor and Nir Bitton were swamped in midfield. Too few Celtic players were showing for the ball, which was thrown forward aimlessly whenever a Hapoel player closed us down. If central midfield is right, your defensive and goalkeeping frailties are less evident, but we were exposed too often at the back last night. There was a period in the second half when watching on TV made it impossible to know where we were going wrong. After a Hapoel chance, we would see a replay, and before it cut back to live pictures, Celtic had lost possession and were again under pressure. This happened repeatedly. Central midfield was the major problem with the performance, if not the result.
Don’t let any of this dampen your spirits. We’re into the Champions League group stage, a fact which will see us break through the £80m turnover mark for the first time. By comparison, turnover was £51m for 2014-15, the most recent season accounts are available for.
Despite the increase in expenditure this season, we’ll pay our bills without increasing borrowing or selling players. We’re on the circuit again, which means we’ll find it easier to attract talent going forward, it means we’ll find it easier to attract commercial deals and pretty much every KPI at the club will become that bit more attainable.
Last night was a transformational day in the life of your football club. We’re back, enjoy it!
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The Ripper of Rostov – Andre Chikatilo – Who Hannibal Lector was modelled on.
GARNGAD TO CROY on 24TH AUGUST 2016 9:37 PM
If Salzburg go out do we go in to Pot 3 ?
_____________________________
Nah. Mönchengladbach beat us to it. We would miss it by 1 place!
KTF
MIKE IN TORONTO
I agree with you that McCarthy has not improved as was expected of him.
But with exception of this season he could make a tackle.
He seems to have lost all concept of forward movement but maybe he was following that duffer Martinez’s instructions?
Change of environment and coach plus passion of a supporter may bring out the player he once threatened to be.
Copenhagen ko Appel, but both Pot 4 seedings. If Salzburg win they go up to Pot 3, If Zagreb win Borussia Monchengladbach go into Pot 3 and we end up top seeds in Pot 4 – out of Pot 3 by 1.575 coefficient points !!
Garngad:
No. Borussia 9-2 winners are in Pot 3. If Salzburg go out, we will have top coefficient in Pot 4. Doesn’t affect the draw, though.
The Zagrebs of Dinimo have scored 2-1
I had a fine history and geography teacher almost 60 years ago.
He would approve of the classroom lessons to be had on CQN.
With Celtic traveling around the rim of Europe, and beyond, from the comfort of our homes, offices and transport, we’ve been able to name and place locations we had to learn in a crumbling classroom with the sound of steel being crushed just over the canal outside the window.
It has been a history lesson as well especially from the spirited, insightful discussions on the history leading up to the formation of Israel.
John Oates should be doffing his bunnet to Paul for providing the vehicle to keep Celtic fans informed, opinionated and as always handsome.
Zagreb go 2-1 up , Salzburg need 2 goals
Fan-a-tic
Very gracious of you not to say ‘I told you so, ya numpty’ regarding Biton. Appreciated! :)
I have to say that I would be thrilled if JMcC came to Celtic and turned into a star for us. Got to like a local boy doing well…. particularly one who chooses to play for Ireland. Would love to see him scoring for the bhoys against the zombies … that would drive them mad!
BSR: Am I right in thinking Celtic submitted plans for museum, bar and catering area? Has permission been refused?
Shame if permission has been refused.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/37168955
Zagreb up 2-1
Woo hoo, I think we are in Pot 3. Salzburg 2-3 DZ on aggregate.
Dynamo Zagreb score in ET to give them 3-2 aggregate with away goal, so Salzburg to go out, Borussia M to go into pot 3 and we top Pot 4 seeds – so close.
EMBRAMIKE SAYS “THE HUNS ARE DEID” on 24TH AUGUST 2016 9:43 PM
Copenhagen ko Appel, but both Pot 4 seedings. If Salzburg win they go up to Pot 3, If Zagreb win Borussia Monchengladbach go into Pot 3 and we end up top seeds in Pot 4 – out of Pot 3 by 1.575 coefficient points !!
——-
Would a victory in Gibraltar have been enough to push us into pot 3?
Oh well, reading back, maybe not :-((
THETIMREAPER on 24TH AUGUST 2016 9:48 PM
Would a victory in Gibraltar have been enough to push us into pot 3?
No – coefficients used for seedings by UEFA are those from the end of the preceding season
http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/uefarankings/club/index.html
Hey wait a minute, Norman Bates Mother F.C. not on the list of U.E.F.A . Football clubs , thats them on the banned list, new club anyone !
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 24TH AUGUST 2016 9:16 PM
I agree with the general gist of your post but I think most of the complaints about last night came off the back of some very good Celtic performances. If we had played well and been unlucky in front of goal and lost 2-0 I think there would have been nerves but less criticism. It just was such an inept display when most of us, including me, was convinced we would score away…
I would have been happy with the Europa, delighted with the Champions League and looking forward to Brendan continuing to improve the team
Embramike- are you Bert Kassie? :0
Craig Thomson sends Salzburg coach to stand at HT in ET – probably for not celebrating Dynamo goal ???
MIKE IN TORONTO
Try not get to worked up about him but performances like last night just reaffirmed my view.
My blood pressure went up when team was announced and increased throughout the game :)
But i am sure Brendan knows what is required to take us forward.
Early signs are promising.
Hail Hail
Salzburg ground is half empty.
A couple of years before I retired, I was fortunate enough to have a group of Cossacks from Rostov-on-Don visit my school in Bishopbriggs. Their Cossack dances were something to behold. Fortunately, enough one of my pupils was Russian and was able to converse with them. A great experience.
!BADA BING!! on 24TH AUGUST 2016 9:58 PM
Embramike- are you Bert Kassie? :0
Just have to be good with numbers if you’re drinking with Zico Maltese Bhoy :-)
So it’s looking like the 5 teams coming through the diddy leagues champions route are-
Celtic
Legia Warsaw
Copenhagen
Dinamo Zagreb
Ludogorets
Good thing about being in pot 4 is avoiding Monaco and besiktas, would rather take my chances with dynamo Kiev, sporting Lisbon or club Brugge of pot 3 instead
Has Mikel Lustig been concealing his Masonic links
https://www.facebook.com/CelticFC/posts/1275527069153862
The Glorious Balance Sheet, I have been thinking much the same all night, Forget about the pots it’s the teams we draw that counts, Monaco Pot4 , Leicester Pot 1. Give me a break.
BARRYBHOY on 24TH AUGUST 2016 4:32 PM
My team for the weekend would be:
Gordon
Lustig, Toure, Sviatchenko, Tierney
Roberts, Rogic, Brown, Sinclair
Griffiths, Dembele
Love the look of that team,but Broony would be in for a helluva shift in midfield on his own.
Close enough to our best team though.
HrvatskiJim
I can quite categorically deny that I am Saidy’s Dad (wrong spelling). :-)) He had a stinker. I wasn’t having a go at Craig Gordon for both goals. The defence didn’t protect him for the first. For the second, I think he should have been lying on the ground with the ball safely clutched to his chest before the collision with Janko.
Thanks for your reply.
RobertTressell
Cheers.
Play Off ties over so Celtic top Pot 4 seeds – they will all want to avoid us I think.
Champions League Group stage seedings for Thu 25th @ 5pm (TBC)
Pot 1: Real Madrid (ESP, holders), Barcelona (ESP), Leicester City (ENG), Bayern München (GER), Juventus (ITA), Benfica (POR), Paris Saint-Germain (FRA), CSKA Moskva (RUS)
Pot 2: Atlético Madrid (ESP), Borussia Dortmund (GER), Arsenal (ENG), Manchester City (ENG), Sevilla (ESP), Porto (POR), Napoli (ITA), Bayer Leverkusen (GER)
Pot 3: FC Basel (SUI), Tottenham Hotspur (ENG), Dynamo Kyiv (UKR), Lyon (FRA), PSV Eindhoven (NED), Sporting CP (POR), Club Brugge (BEL), Borussia Monchengladbach (GER)
Pot 4: Celtic (SCO), Monaco (FRA), Beşiktaş (TUR), Legia Warszawa (POL), Ludogorets Razgrad (BUL), Dinamo Zagreb (CRO), FK Rostov (RUS), FC Copenhagen (DEN)
Almore
I believe the Museum announcement is January 2017.
It’s the fan zone that was refused at one point
HH
Hmmm mick bhoy – don’t recall him getting sent off despite being in possession of a Celtic top. Suspicious ….
I am quite taken aback at the huns attitude to us.
We have contributed over £200K to their club this week, more than their chairman has invested, yet they think he is their saviour.
With an attitude like that feck them
TET
I’d rather chuck £200K on the fire than give it to them.
Preferred glamour draw in order,
Pot 1 – Real Madrid, PSG
Pot 2 – Dortmund, Sevilla
Pot 3 – Sporting CP, Borussia Monchengladbach
Preferred draw to with chance to progress,
CSKA
Leverkusen
Brugge
Glen
So would I , but I don’t think we have much of a say :-(
HH
Hoping for any one from
Pot 1: Real Madrid, Bayern, Leicester, CSKA, PSG
Pot 2: Dortmund, Arsenal, City, Leverkusen, Sevilla
Pot 3: FC Basel, Tottenham Hotspur, PSV, Club Brugge, Borussia Monchengladbach
Madrid and Dortmund are the 2 away trips that stand out.