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A few nits to pick but lots went right for Celtic

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Lots went right last night, with only a few nits to pick.

Compare and contrast the key area of the field – central mid – with the game away in Malmo. With Bitton and Brown in their usual roles, Stefan Johansen dropped off his common (or Commons, if you like) position behind the striker to give us a central midfield three. As a result, everything clicked. Ajax were unable to pass through us, while central defence looked protected.

Again, Bitton was our main man. Always looking for a pass, always comfortable in possession, no matter how many opponents were in close proximity.  He even managed a Paul McStay-esque (that’s where you recognised it from) pass 40 yards ahead of Johansen in the second half. Brown and Johansen ran like clockwork alongside him and we looked like a team!

You’ll also have recognised the corner which led to Mikael Lustig’s goal. It was a carbon copy of Kris Commons’ effort, minutes from the end of the Qarabag game, and minutes after he came on as a substitute, which brought the only goal of that tie. It was drilled directly with the top of the foot, a very unusual and difficult delivery but one which, if executed well, is very dangerous.  Commons also got an assist for the first goal, an even more impressive piece of footwork before placing an inch-perfect pass between two Ajax defenders. Bitton’s controlled shot was sublime (I’ll avoid calling it Wakaso-esque, no need to jinx the lad).

I thought both full backs played well, until Izaguirre’s second yellow, of course. Izzie and Lustig were both booked for throwing themselves into challenges. It wasn’t a game for holding back to see what will happen next, so I’ve sympathy for the initial yellows, but Izzie had a game-intelligence bypass. His second yellow came a minute after another robust foul. The red was inevitable. It probably cost us the win.  The player is fighting for his place, and next contract, right now.  The pain on his face as he left the field was real, but he needs this pressure.  The lack of competition hasn’t been good for him in recent years.  Don’t write him off yet.

One frustration I had was that we didn’t get James Forrest on the ball often enough. James has the weapon of pace in his boots but we didn’t once manage to exploit it. Perhaps as a consequence Leigh Griffiths had a frustrating night with little to feast on. I’d have changed James role or replaced him earlier.

And what about Efe? Why he decided to take a man on, 20 yards from his own goal, a moment after coming on, only Efe will know, but thereafter he was the most influential player in securing the point. When Janko came on Efe pulled tight into a role as a defacto central defender.  He took responsibility and helped what was by then a relatively inexperienced defence.

When my youngest heard that Jozo Simunovic was making his debut there was a sharp intake of breath. “But what if he makes a mistake? All we’ll know about him is he’s made a mistake in a huge game.” Jozo looked the part, covered ground efficiently. It was a good start.

So what went wrong? Lustig went to ground on the wing, didn’t get the ball and left 20 yards of space open behind him. This drew Celtic defenders out of position to cover, which Ajax exploited excellently to score their first goal. They opened us up once more like this shortly thereafter, but that apart, they didn’t lay a glove on us until we were down to 10 men.

I’m pretty angry at the second Ajax goal. It was another cross into the six yard box we failed to attack. Dedryck Boyata ran between the two Ajax attackers in attendance, but seemed to be distracted by their runs. No one attacked the ball.  Get your starting position right and attack the ball – that’s the rule on set-pieces. We’re not following it.

And for the record, Craig Gordon was faultless for this one. A keeper has to stay on his line when a cross flies over attackers and defenders alike.  Whatever lies behind our recent frailties at defending cross balls, I suspect it’s not gone away.

The margins between success and failure in this group are shaping up to be thin. Ajax could have snatched three points at the end, we would have won the game if Izzie had stayed on the field. I’m not sure how I feel about Molde winning in Istanbul. A group with two difficult competitors now looks like a group with no easy games.  The group’s top seeds and the early favourites are both licking wounds this morning.

So let’s win it.

One big benefit from last night is that we can look forward to Sunday’s important game with a bit of enthusiasm.  The good people at Magners have again offered us two Premium Seats in the Jock Stein Stand for Sunday.  To win them, all you need to do is answer the following question:

Who do Celtic play on Sunday?

Email me, with your answer in the subject field, at celticquicknews@gmail.com

The competition closes at 2pm today, so there’s not much time and likely to be little competition.  And while you’re at it, how about donating a £1 to our Mary’s Meals, Malawi school kitchen appeal?  It takes moments to get involved here.

Thank you.

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  1. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    HAMILTONTIM on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015 8:03 PM

     

    JNP

     

     

    This week I’ve been getting the weans to identify mistakes in text and amend them. Can I use your post? :-)

     

     

    ==============================================================================

     

     

    Own goal of the week,Hamilton.

     

    Getting my “close scrutiny “specs on as we speak.

     

    :-)

  2. voguepunter on

    OGLACH on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015 9:19 PM

     

    what a team, them were the days Ajax V Celtic 2001

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suUq0ShU9-Q

     

    —————–

     

    Magic!! Big Sutty has his arms up in air for 5 seconds before Boaby Petta scores.

     

    Didier Agathe class.

     

    Sutty with a bullet heider.

     

    One of the best games I have had the privilege of attending .

  4. kitalba on

    Go back to the shame game, watch it again, watch it again, watch it again, and again, and then come back and tell me that was not orchestrated,

     

     

    Watch old man Smith.

     

     

    Don’t forget the times of the bullets and the threats.

     

     

    And post that Celtic agreed to the draconian laws and offered succour to the forces of the draconian laws, and today cry innocence.

     

     

    Watch the shame game again, and follow the time line.

     

     

    Could I link it for you, of course I could, just as easily as anybody else could. Just as easily as anybody else could, but does not,

     

     

    I won’t mention the five-way-agreement and Celtic, that would be too moral, too ethical, to close to the core of my being and my heart and my belief that MONEY is the root of all evil.

  5. Hamiltontim on

    VP

     

     

    For any Tim who wasn’t in Lisbon that will always be the game they wished they’d been at.

     

     

    Aside from the ’67 final, that game is possibly the one I’d prefer to have been at most.

     

     

    It was a marker in Europe for the first time in years.

  7. Delaneys Dunky on

    VP

     

     

    I sat in front of Mr and Mrs Wim Jansen in Amsterdam that night. They cheered all 3 goals like the rest of us. Magical night. Right behind big Sutty’s goal, got a hug off Mrs Jansen. :))

  8. andyR53 on

    Well Done Marspapa tonite at the over 35’s (cough cough) 5 a sides… Skill, Quality, Reading the game, Distribution… (all of which were lacking by all the rest).. But Effort and Commitment and a great sense of Team Work by the Maestro showed us all up !

     

    Well Done You!

     

    Hail Hail! Come On Ye Over 35’s !!!

  9. voguepunter on

    HT

     

     

    Best bit about it….bus took us right up to plane ,back hame in 50 minutes.

     

    Worst bit …couldn’t get a drink on plane :O)

     

    Hope yir well bhuddy,hope to see you on 10th

  12. macjay1 for Neil Lennon on

    HAMILTONTIM on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015 9:43 PM

     

    Macjay

     

     

    Please naw, where’s there a mistake? :-)

     

     

    =======================================================

     

     

    Aye,awright.I`ll let you off this time.

     

    But,if you really want to know.

     

    Full stop after the “naw.”

     

    :-)

     

     

     

    I got my “learning” when battering the kids was compulsory.

     

    The taws.The Lochgelly.Ferulas.Rulers over the knuckles.Book over the head.

     

    Whatever came to hand.

     

    Ay.Them were the days.

  14. kitalba on

    Eyes open.

     

     

    Eyes shut.

     

     

    Brain functioning

     

     

    Brain dead.

     

     

    Does the fan have a pulse?

     

     

    Just an aggressive ego?

     

     

    A blind faith?

     

     

    A mind of his/her own?

     

     

    A heart?

     

     

    Personal integrity?

     

     

    Morals?

     

     

    Values?

     

     

    Ethics?

     

     

    Compassions?

     

     

    Or does his vainglories beguile his souls obligations.

  18. voguepunter on

    Dunky

     

     

    It was a game when I thought I had inhaled one of your ciggies…..

     

    fekn unbelievable HH

     

    C U 10/10 GOOD BHUDDY…….that’s CB talk for all you youngsters.

  19. THE EXILED TIM on

    Kitalba

     

    The days after the shame game, I said that it was pre planed, I was laughed at.

     

    Amazing how quickly the “summit” was conceived, and all n sundry trooped along with not a single dissenting word to be heard.

     

    HH

  21. ruggygman on

    Craig Gordon

     

     

    I hope i am proved wrong.

     

     

    Out of top flight football for 2 years. 2 serious injuries. One of which I believe was a broken arm.

     

     

    Last summer, we snap him up risk free. He shows the ability he has always had, I.e top reflexes, great shot stopper.

     

     

    However, and it’s a big however, the confidence he took from performances versus Salzburg etc. are now replaced with a goalkeeper, who quite literally is being found out.

     

     

    The best description I can say, is he has been exposed. His weakness is out there, and in all my days watching football, I have never witnessed something that looks good, to unravel and expose / reveal someone / something so weak.

     

     

    Whether it is down to his bad injuries, I don’t know. But one thing is certain, he is neither strong enough or commanding enough….fundamentally he is unable to challenge his own physical being, by coming through a crowd of players to clear a ball.

     

     

    Our 6 yard box, is a gold mine to opponents….. And this lies squarely with C.Gordon

     

     

    We will continue to lose the same type of goal all season, because opponent managers know to instruct their players to load delivery in to our 6 yard box area.

     

     

    This will be our undoing, time and time again this season…..as Craig Gordon (bottom line) is a crap bag.

  26. kitalba on

    Eyes open.

     

     

    Eyes shut.

     

     

    Brain functioning

     

     

    Brain dead.

     

     

    Does the fan have a pulse?

     

     

    Just an aggressive ego?

     

     

    A blind faith?

     

     

    A mind of his/her own?

     

     

    A heart?

     

     

    Personal integrity?

     

     

    Morals?

     

     

    Values?

     

     

    Ethics?

     

     

    Compassions?

     

     

    Or does his vainglories beguile his soul’s obligations.

     

     

    Don’t dare question the worth of another, before you validate the worth of your own.

     

    And pixel dots on a computer screen validate nothing. Nothing.

     

     

    Respect is earned by deeds alone, Not by bellicose, or generous, words.

     

     

    By DEEDS alone.

     

     

    Don’t talk about it… do it. Or mince your life to the grave….

  27. Hamiltontim on

    ANDYR53 on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015 9:50 PM

     

     

    Gonnae teach him that ye can’t tackle from the back by going through the player!!! :-)

  29. Delaneys Dunky on

    VP

     

     

    Wim and his good lady declined my offer of sharing my coffeeshop fag at half time.

     

    He laughed and said, “You Scots smoke more ganja than us Dutch.” :))

  30. Burnley78 on

    Oglach

     

     

    I loved that game great atmosphere and celebrated with the rest all night but worth remembering we were up against a poor ajax team and we also failed to qualify in a group with a weak and ageing juventus, mediocre Porto and Rosenburg.

  32. Auldheid on

    voguepunter on 18th September 2015 9:43 pm

     

     

     

    OGLACH on 18TH SEPTEMBER 2015 9:19 PM

     

     

     

     

    what a team, them were the days Ajax V Celtic 2001

     

     

     

     

     

     

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=suUq0ShU9-Q

     

     

     

     

    —————–

     

    – See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/a-few-nits-to-pick-but-lots-went-right-for-celtic/comment-page-10/#comments

     

    =================

     

    A phrase not often heard

     

     

    ” a nice burst of pace from Neil Lennon” :)

  35. ruggygman on

    Doors are closed…. Ah well, there’s always toro night.

     

     

    Listen, regards Craig Gordon, his reputation may spare him some slack.

     

     

    But a strong keeper would command not only his 6 yard box, but also the defensive line in front of him.

     

     

    C.Gordon does neither.

     

     

    Until he starts proving me wrong, he remains the at the core of many of our ills.

  40. Hamiltontim on

    Kitalba

     

     

    My belief is that Celtic helped engineer the OBaF Bill which subsequently became law.

     

     

    In recent times the club have made two statements in opposition to it. These were done at our behest. The statements weren’t as strong as we’d have wanted but they were made nonetheless.

     

     

    Eventually.

  42. Geordie Munro on

    I didn’t see a single minute of that ajax game.

     

     

    Otherwise engaged.

     

     

    I thought guys were on the wind-up when they were relaying the scores.

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