Celtic held the ball for around 60 seconds at the 75 minute mark last night, and, thinking a corner had been turned, I thought “That’s been a difficult half hour since halftime but we’ve come through it”. Dinamo Zagreb soon claimed back control in the middle of the park and the game reverted to form.
Despite incessant pressure, in particular during the three minutes added at the end, I was never convinced Dinamo were going to score. The defence, for the most part, stuck to task, tackled well and put bodies in the way. In this respect it was our classic Champions League performance.
Even when the visitors got sight of goal, Craig Gordon was always the most imposing personality on the field. Our captain looked uncharacteristically meek on the receiving end of a rollicking from Craig. We like goalkeepers with authority.
Virgil van Dijk held the line very well, despite a couple of uncomfortable moments when called on to play the ball with his ‘standing’ foot, while Jason Denayer and Efe Ambrose coped with the incessant pressure. Efe played much of the game high up the field, very much in the wing-back role, but was able to track back with speed.
Emilio also stuck to task but he conceded a needless free-kick in exactly the same manner and field-position he lapsed against Salzburg, who equalised from the resultant kick. Denayer also lunged in needlessly a yard outside his box, collecting a yellow card for his trouble. Both occasions called for the defender to stay goal-side and not challenge.
Football teams are made by partnerships, as Anthony Stokes suggested after explaining the understanding he has with Kris Commons which allowed them to craft last night’s goal. Right now we don’t have many partnerships. Wakaso and Emilio were 10 yards apart for much of the game, but to no great effect. Tonev and Ambrose were similarly disconnected on the right.
Not much could have been done to improve this for last night. Neither Tonev nor Ambrose will retain their positions on the right after a pairing from McGregor, Forrest, Matthews and Lustig return. Wakaso and Emilio need to target becoming a more effective pair on the left.
We knew that without the ineligible Guidetti and the (as yet unproven and) injured Scepovic we would struggle up front, but our creative fulcrum was on hand to both create and finish the decisive opening of the game.
Despite the concerns Ronny expressed after full time, this was our second excellent result in the Europa League this season against two decent teams. The progress since the summer is evident.
Many thanks to everyone who participated in our Magners competition for premium tickets to the Hamilton Accies game on Sunday. The competition is now closed and draw will be made shortly and winners will be notified by email, so watch out for it.
I had a great time track-side with my youngest last night before kick-off talking about the great work the Celtic Foundation (which is you and me) do fighting poverty and hardship, and our responsibility in making sure the ethos of the club is maintained and handed on. On Sunday I’m doing the Great Scottish Run to raise funds for the Foundation, so I’m pretending not to have the sore throat, head and cough. Need a magic potion….
Thank you to everyone who has helped with the fundraising, you can get involved here.
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South of Tunis
like the “knock knock ”
Two Irish guys start to play Pat says, knock knock. Mick says “Who’s there”.
John who – – Burt Lancaster
KINGLuBO
TWO lucky members will have the chance to help carry the Club’s banner onto the pitch in support of the Armed Forces at half time during the Raith Rovers game, Saturday 18 October.
Oh FFS,here we go again.I thought the powers that be in the armed forces had put the boot into this?.
“Rollercoaster”
“Pooper scooper”
“hoopaloopa”
” Kawasaki” Huntertainment hitting new levels …..hehehehehehehe
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r6GsfaXMapk
braw …..
Match stats from last night show Zagreb had a 55/45 advantage in possession.
They had 20 shots with 6 on target.
We had 11 shots with 3 on target
They had 6 corners to our 4.
They committed 15 fouls to our 12 and had 3 YCs to our 2.
“The difference between a ‘good’ Kris Commons performance and a ‘bad’ one was simply that in a ‘good’ one, while pass completion was as lousy as every other game, he happened to score.”
TBB,
Ha! How very true.
Onlooker@12.34/12.35
Bit of an IT stutter developing.
Vg big mhan.
HH
Sftb,
‘But the most important stat viewers is the one in the top/bottom left of your screen.’
Tvpundit csc :)
Clearly a lot of differing views on last nights performance. The guys inside the stadium, who are clearly best suited to make an informed assessment, reported that the Bhoys played well, worked hard and contributed to what was a very enjoyable game.
RD said the team worked hard, made a game of it first half and were not so good second half. Described our passing as poor.
I said after the game it was a shocking performance. Watched it again and I have not changed my opinion.
Maybe we are just being trained to accept a poor performance and then look for every possible reason to justify it. Let’s see how the next few weeks go. RD deserves time to turn this around. I really hope he does.
SFTB@14.46
And we had 1goal to their zip/nada/zilch
Yeeeeaaahhh
TBB
Can’t agree with that. I can’t access the stats currently but I did look them up recently.
KC has consistently been amongst the Celtic players with the highest assists. That wouldn’t square with your analysis.
Mncelt,
I was going to ask a poster if he was at the game as his opinion was completely different to mine but I couldn’t word it without sounding arsey, so I didn’t bother. :)
Sure there were a few hairy moments and school boy errors but even the perpetual moaners around me seemed quite pleased with the performance.
No worse than the games v Elfsborg, helsingborg, sion and braga imo.
Hamiltontim
14:53 on
3 October, 2014
It might. A high number of assists might be possible with a terrible pass completion rate. Just depends how many passes you attempt.
Lies, damned lies and statistics CSC #1
TBB
Kris Commons pass completion rate might be lower than most but then again he tries things and sees runs that players should be making that others don’t.
Forward passess unlock defecnces not sideways passes to and fro.
HT,
I don’t want to turn this into a krishunt but a player playing the kc role will always have the greatest amount of assists.
I used to think tony stokes would rather hit the first defender than pass to another player with an open goal, but he is also well up (usually) in the assists.
I’d say these guys chip in with about 10-14 assists a season but it sometimes feels like they could chip in with 10-14 a month if better decision making took place ;)
Wonder….
Had DZ equalised…
What we’d all think of KC?
Happily they didn’t. :-)
Weeminger
My point was in response to TBB’s assessment that without the ovbious value of goals, Kris Commons’ poor pass complation rate was poor.
I just don’t buy into that.
Regardless of statistics, you don’t score as frequently and have the number of assists that he does if you’re a poor footballer with a ‘reputed’ poor first touch.
Hoopy Birthday little miss jamesgang, hope its a good one
HH
Surprise visitor to the ole BT bedside. Kilbowie Kelt just popped in with a bottle of lucazade and some biscuits. Had a great chat about Celtic ,the dogs. Ireland etc.,
Fairly lifted the ole spirits..
.hail hail.
I thought that Craig Gordon had the game of his life last night and that we played better away to Salzburg. When we have to step out we are not ruthless enough with our possession, especially in the final third.When it all breaks down our defence is wide open due to a lack of midfield presence. We won delighted by it but I dont see us qualifying. It was a lovely goal and we should have been further ahead but we cannot keep it going due to not being good enough in the singular one dimensional way that we play. I do not see the improvement at all I am afraid to say. The late summer shopping is coming back to haunt us, hence this lead article.
HH
You could play a game and have a 100% pass accuracy, but if they are all 5 yard passes sideways it’s all a bit useless…
GM
I completely agree with TT’s point above your post.
Commons creates, his raison d’etre is not to disrupt or destroy. As I said last night, it’s far more difficult to create than to ruin.
KC takes the ball in positions where space and time is limited. Watch him, his immediate instinct is to turn towards goal, where space is ever more limited, and to either shoot or to create for a team mate.
It’s inevitable that playing in the areas of the pitch where he plays and attempting to do the job he does, that there will be times when his feet don’t work as quickly as his footballing brain or that he may indeed have a poor first touch.
Often in Europe he’s played with only one man ahead of him, this makes his task even harder becuase he’s often been asked to hold the ball up for even longer while waiting for supporting runners.
Honestly, I seriously doubt the football knowledge of anyone who says that KC has a poor first touch.
Anyways I have weans to collect :-)
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
15:17 on
3 October, 2014
Surprise visitor to the ole BT bedside. Kilbowie Kelt just popped in with a bottle of lucazade and some biscuits. Had a great chat about Celtic ,the dogs. Ireland etc.,
Fairly lifted the ole spirits..
.hail hail.
its good to talk :-))))))) especially with a fellow Tim. hope you are recovering well sir
HH
BT
Keep the heid up ole fellow :-)
Weekender dena29. According to some reports on here I’ll not be the first time to have a weekend lock up…o))
Doing well thanks.
HT
The ole windsock isnae limp on the Clyde..o))
Blowing a gale lot there.
leftclicktic – from Phil:
the ignominy of Murray Park becoming home to overweight lions and screeching baboons defecating on car roofs
Dear reader, in his herrenvolk hubris Phil has been pilfering my patter.
For it was your humble correspondent who first broke the news that Supersize-Me Ally was likely to be replaced as King Kong of the Klan by a monkey flinging jobbies.
The optics are inedible.
I put it to my source in Donegal: “has Phil been stealing my jobby jibes like a joke-thieving jammy japester?”
My source refused to deny it.
That, dear reader, is what top lawyers call by the latin term a coup de grace.
(thumbsup)
Hamiltontim
I agree with majority of your post but I watched the game over again last night and must admit KC did have a few poor first touches having said that I am a huge fan of his.No-one plays the perfect game imo and what KC lacks (sometimes) he more than makes up for in others he would be one of my first on the team sheet every week. As TBB says
funnyolegame
HH
Kris Commons is probably the only player in our side who can get Free kicks for the team in good areas. He has that knack of going down at he right moment.
Kris Commons is a luxury player. Teams can have them. We have had a few in the past. The rest of the team are grafters and Commons is the No 10 or play maker. Not everything he will do will come off but last nights goal shows why he should be in the team.
He was struggling after about 60 mins last night and that shows he maybe has a bit of work to do fitness wise or maybe his wee injury hadn;t totally cleared. Either way I watched him and Ronny embrace on the final whistle last night and Ronny’s face said it all. He knows how important Kris can be and it will be interesting to see how he is used going forward. In saying that I expect he will be rested at the weekend.
LB
phil01 14:11 – those immigration rules don’t apply to EU countries.
Big Virgil has never played for his country.
Coos are always eating grass ! braw …………..Pmg is the man to go to …for first class Huntertainment …. braw
Just arrived back from the match and I’m watching it again on the telly. It’s blatantly obvious that Craig Gordon is a standout and saved our bacon last night. Not too many whinging about him coming up for that corner now:_)
Had a great night in the company of Old Tim, Ritchie, AnTearman, Ohits and top dram man Skyisalandfill.
Pot Still is still a great wee boozer.
HH
HT – In a way I was agreeing with you. The reason KC can have such a high assist rate and at the same time a poor pass completion rate is due to everything going through him.
He’s trusted to be the creative fulcrum.
I don’t think CC should be rested. We are going on the international break after Sunday. He will have time then to rest. We need to win Sunday to keep the momentum up and get top of the league asap.
blantyretim is praying for the Knox family
15:24 on
3 October, 2014
Weekender dena29. According to some reports on here I’ll not be the first time to have a weekend lock up…o))
Doing well thanks.
havent been there myself yet(weekend lock up) but theres a first time for everything glad to hear your doing well , you’ll be pack at paradise in no time :-)))))
HH
“Honestly, I seriously doubt the football knowledge of anyone who says that KC has a poor first touch.”
HT, you yourself said so….about half a dozen lines before you posted the comment above :))
Did kc lose the ball an awful lot last night…yes.
Is he a bad player…no.
Am I speaking like an alan sugar/ Simon Cowell clone…yes :)
pack=back doh
HH
HT / Geordie Munro et al
I am sure KC only had 9 assists last year
( I found an old email from May ( this year ) but can not find the source of the data )
if you are a ‘shoot on sight’ player with 30 goals you get away with it
if you are a ‘shoot on sight ‘player with 10 goals you get abuse from the stands….
and from team mates
Kris is going the same way as Sammi. With Guidetti and Wakaso on loan I dont see Ronny building a team but imposing a playing philosophy that whomever comes in will have to follow. This makes us very predictable. I am less convinced after last nights showing.