For years we’ve analysed Celtic performances, wins and losses, in the rarefied Champions League environment with a recurring theme: more often than not at this level, mistakes, not great play, determines the outcome.
Last night’s top match, Juventus v Real Madrid, was no different. Real lost two goals, one from a penalty after a reckless challenge inside the box by Varane, another when the same player turned his back on the ball to watch Llorente, instead of attacking a 40 yard cross. The worst mistake came from Juventus. Instead of clearing the ball long, a defender put teammate Caceres under pressure, who could have put his laces through the ball and conceded possession 50 yards downfield, but chose to attempted to reach his keeper with a back-pass, which found Christiano Ronaldo instead.
The ‘schoolboy error’ metaphor is way overused in the game, but is never more apt than when watching the Champions League. Perhaps a bountiful source of individuals with rock-solid Superiority Complexes.
These are two of the most professional teams in the game. Their market knowledge, sports science, mental strength and tactical awareness will be as good as anyone in the game, but still this result was determined by a wayward and pointless back-pass, an equally pointless penalty box lunge and forgetting that crosses into the box take priority over watching your man.
Celtic know this well. We make fewer mistakes in Champions League games than we do in domestic football, while our recent wins benefited from opposition mistakes (penalty against Ajax, penalty against Spartak, Xavi kung-fu kick missing the ball, Spartak player red carded). Scott Brown’s off the ball indiscretion, which cost us a point, and Nir Biton’s ‘challenge’ are notable exceptions.
Ajax think they are the better team – which gives Celtic a great advantage. They think they can overwhelm us tonight, that they failed to make the most of their chances at Celtic Park and that we benefited from a couple of fortunate moments. This is a reasonable assessment based on last month’s game but know better as we’ve been watching re-runs of this script for years. Celtic’s win had nothing to do with fortune or missed chances, it came about as planned – deny the opposition space in dangerous areas, clear your lines and exploit their mistakes.
The Champions League is not about your best 89 minutes play, it’s about your worst minute, just ask a few sore-feeling footballers in Turin this morning. If Celtic avoid unenforced errors and wait patiently to exploit those a self-assured Ajax will make (no one does self-assured like Dutch footballers), they have nothing to fear. Keep 11 players on the field, don’t give away penalties (evidence elsewhere last night suggests unscrupulous players dive inside the box) or free kicks around the box, block shots from outside the box, and most of all…. clear your lines.
Do this, and our clever players will ensure that the result will take care of itself.
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Stringer bell
they know our cl away record -can we beat the odds -of course we can -as gerard butler would say
WE ARE CELTIC
Just back on the blog after a week and a half exile due to a curious incident of a dog in the night, a router and some cabling…I’ve got my suspicions about that wee mutt.
Anyway same nerves as usual before an away Champions league game, I hope the football Ghods are smiling on us.
Good luck to Lemon; met him last year at Seamill and he looked fit as a fiddle.
HH
COME ON YOU BHOYS IN GREEN!!!
LETS DO THIS CELTIC!!
3 points tonight, 3 points against Meelan in 2 weeks and Last 16 here we come!
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
If Kojo gets his wish and Amido plays to-night let’s hope does his Liverpool trick and beats a couple of players, rounds the center-half and plants the ball in the Ajax net – the winner.
The odds don’t surprise me Stringer Bell. The reality is we played poorly in the first game at Celtic Park and were lucky to get the win. Anyone taking a reading from that game would make Ajax playing at home firm favourites. We played a lot better against Barca and Milan but had no luck. We can ,and indeed must, play a lot better than we did in home match. If we do that we can get something out of the game but as ever the game could be decided by a single lucky break one way or the other.
Morrissey the 23rd
18:04 on
6 November, 2013
Last night: https://twitter.com/KayleighM2445/status/398137564160618496/photo/1
====
No mention of shots being fired on Dutch TV. The Guys wearing yellow jackets in the Vid were Dutch police. Had firearms been involved they wouldn’t have just used battons they would have had their sidearms drawn.
Gun shots in Amsterdam going by twitter.
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
KK @ 18.06
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
Real concerning news from Amsterdam.
Guns for God sake.
Main hope tonight is that our Bhoys & ghirls get home safe.
God bless the CELTIC
Maybe that photo was from tonight.
Just got on the train into town, Admiral bound and saw a zombie in full kit. Didn’t realise there was lower league footie tonight.
Ha, ha, ha but it’s important to them:-)
Hoping for a jinx busting, beer drinking, pizza eating, Admiral watching, European victory tonight and might even get Smashing Milk Bottles out next time.
HH
CRC
SFTB 17.57
Similar to your good self I find pessimism is my over riding
feeling tonight. This is not a bad thing,personally,I think it
was formed during the “lean” early nineties.
Pre match anxiety always hits me on European nights
despite some marvelous results in recent years.
Still bight your hand of for a draw.
Wishiwasinamserdamcsc.
Is the Sevco game v Dunfermline in Scotland’s 3rd tier live on Sky?
Getitrightupthemcsc
Trying to ring a pal in Amsterdam for an update on any trouble but can’t get through. Had a text earlier this evening saying the craic was mighty. He said there was a bit of verbal abuse from a group of Dutch casuals but it came to nothing.
Dear doctor ,just saw how many spelling mistakes were
in that last post. Multi tasking b4 the game wae pre match
nerves.
Anyexcusecsc
Celtic team to face Ajax: Forster; Lustig, Ambrose, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest, Kayal, Mulgrew, Commons; Samaras; Stokes
KK
Excellent post. Nerves calmer! :)
#Celtic team to face Ajax: Forster; Lustig, Ambrose, van Dijk, Izaguirre; Forrest, Kayal, Mulgrew, Commons; Samaras; Stokes (LB)
#Celtic subs: Zaluska, Fisher, Rogic, Ledley, Boerrigter, Pukki, Balde (LB)
Why would they shoot at Celtic fans? They don’t shoot at the Feyenoord S.C.F. firm and they fecking hate them.
Wasn’t a Tim shot in Amsterdam in 2001 and that turned out to be a bungled hit.
Looking at the live webcam from Amsterdam central all looks quiet and miserably damp with people just going about their business with umbrellas. A few Celtic fans chatting outside a bar.
“Mayor Eberhard van der Laan of Amsterdam issued an emergency order on Wednesday . This authorises police officers to remove troublemakers. The emergency order applies to supporters of the German club St. Pauli and the Belgian club Anderlecht and supporters of Dinamo Zagreb who do have a ticket for the match and are in the capital .
Dinamo Zagreb plays Thursday night against PSV Eindhoven . An emergency order already applies to much of Eiondhoven.
According to the police run the football fans are in Amsterdam and are looking for trouble.
In the past, supporters of Dinamo Zagreb caused trouble in Amsterdam and there were massive riots and violence .
In the Arena in Amsterdam on Wednesday Ajax play Celtic in the Champions League. Police and ME (Riot police) are ready to keep supporters Ajax and Celtic apart. According to a police spokesman was the afternoon relatively calm in the capital.”
Source http://www.ad.nl/, 6-11-13 – 17:05
I expect Celtic to line up like this:
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Forster :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Lustig ::::::::::::::: Ambrose ::::::::::::::::: Van Dijk ::::::::::::: Izaguirre
Forrest :::::::::::::::: Kayal :::::::::::::::::::: Mulgrew :::::::::::: Samaras
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Commons :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::: Stokes ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
Not too shabby, though I’d try Stokes on the left, Commons on the right, and Pukki behind Sammi if it ain’t working.
Quite an attacking line up!
I like it.
Ajax: Cillessen; Van Rhijn, Veltman, Denswil, Boilesen; Klaassen, Blind, Serero; Schöne, De Jong, Sigthórsson.
“The emergency order applies to supporters of the German club St. Pauli and the Belgian club Anderlecht and supporters of Dinamo Zagreb who do NOT have a ticket for the match and are in the capital .”
Thought he might have started with ledley instead of stokes -positive team -nerves jangling a bit -off to the offie for a few cans
Schöne is the smart move by Ajax – we’ve already seen what he can do from distance, will force us to cater for that – opening up space elsewhere.
Like that team, and strong bench! :)
Kilbowie Kelt
18:06 on 6 November, 2013
well said sir
Hail Hail
Lenny chose Kayal before Ledley ? Big surprise. Wonder if Ledley is still below par. Anyway, as I said earlier, I do not think Kayal will let us down tonight. Good luck to the Bhoys. 2-0 Good guys
Looks a good Celtic side and at this stage, a well jelled experienced unit.
Captain Samaras
Whers the big glesga polis when you need them??
Good Evening Timland.
ASonOfDan………….thoughts and prayers for your dad
Kevj…….bring back Gerry McNee…..agree
Don’t feel confident…….who will score for us?
shortnsharpCSC.
D D
Wee Tart 10/1 did you bet it??
Right totally confused here, is Amsterdam time the same a UK time with the clocks shuffling about or is the Amsterdam kick off time 8:45 ?
Normally wouldn’t want to start a game without a fully fit Joe Ledley. Lenny is putting a lot of faith in Beram tonight. I really hope he repays that faith!
With KC and Sami in the starting line up, then we should be confident of making some chances.
I would take the draw now…
T4
interesting line up – looks attack minded with good options on the bench. I’d like to see Balde on later as i think he hold the ball up well and would be dangerous in the air.
Forrest and Stokes distribution needs to be smart. If commons plays well we will win, we missed his link up play at home. Hope he’s match ready!
i don’t think we will lose tonight