Trending
Celtic News Now
Celtic Quick News on News Now
Celtic Quick News
You are at:»»Cup powerhouses face each other, spotting patterns to develop

Cup powerhouses face each other, spotting patterns to develop

409
By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Scotland’s cup duopolists, Celtic and St Johnstone, face each other in the League Cup semi-final.  They are the two most successful Scottish clubs over the last decade, having won the previous 10 domestic cups between them.  St Johnstone have won on their last four visits to Hampden, whereas Celtic have incredibly won their last sixteen successive visits to the national stadium.  Something has got to give but the winner of this tie will surely fancy their chances for the trophy.

Hibs, who are the last team to win a cup apart from Celtic and St Johnstone, face Newco in the other semi.  The latter hoping to reach their third major final having lost the previous two.  Hibs last won the League Cup 15 years ago.

Celtic comfortably got the job done against Raith Rovers last night without ever hitting the heights they reached in the previous round, when Hearts were battered before leaving with a flattering 3-2 deficit.  We await a return of that blistering football.

Goals change games and win trophies and it is vital that those occupying the supporting forward roles contribute.  Jota got his first goal for the club as he controlled a pass from James McCarthy before beating the keeper at his near post.  The Portuguese then turned creator for the second.  Raith keeper Jamie MacDonald only parried his shot into the path of Liel Abada, who headed into the net.

Abada has an incredible knack for finding space inside the box and arriving to occupy it at exactly the right moment.  20 years ago, I remember a Rangers fan complain to me that his team continually fail to mark Henrik Larsson inside the box.  All he saw was Larsson, in acres of space, despatching the ball into the net.

An innate understanding of space and time, and being able to anticipate what others will do, makes the attackers’ job look easy.  It is easy, if you are gifted enough to find the right place at the right time.  I know better than to burden Liel with unattainable comparisons, but this ability to find space inside the box has been so rare for Celtic recently, you wonder if he could follow the path others have walked from wing to centre.

If Celtic are to fulfil their potential, they need to be able to spot patterns like this and know what to do about them.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

409 Comments
  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11

  1. Big Jimmy on

    SQUIRE DANAHER on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 3:40 PM

     

    BIG JIMMY on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 2:22 PM

     

     

     

     

     

     

    Do you think the right wing media in this country distinguish between deserving and undeserving unemployed people?

     

    ……….

     

    NO…I know they dont.

     

    As I said earlier..maybe you havent came across the same Characters/Wasters that I have over the years …if not…then you have been luckier than me and DAVID66 ?

  2. geebee1978 on

    SQUIRE DANAHER on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 4:30 PM

     

     

    Yes, there is.

     

     

    Put simply, if it was violent conduct and worthy of a red anywhere else on the pitch, he can still be sent off. But simply stopping a goalscoring opportunity isn’t a red.

  4. IniquitousIV on

    Livingstone have now lost 5 goals without reply since beating us. With any luck, they will be relegated, along with their cheap underlay.

  7. squire danaher on

    GEEBEE1978 on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 4:33 PM

     

     

    I haven’t seen today’s incident.

     

     

    Cheers for reply.

  8. Tom McLaughlin on

    SQUIRE DANAHER

     

     

    As I said, if it’s violent conduct it’s a red card. For example, if the keeper kicks or punches or headbutts the attacker it’s a penalty and red card.

     

     

    Diving at a player’s feet and bringing him down or tripping him while trying to tackle him is a yellow card.

  11. geebee1978 on

    Sevco getting away with one but to be fair, this is what we need to do. It’s great putting a few past beaten teams at home but we need to learn to sneak gritty wins away from home when not playing well.

     

     

    Part of me thinks we may have dropped points today playing like this.

  24. the_huddle on

    TheOriginalSadiesBhoy on 25th September 2021 5:39 pm

     

     

    Ajer makes incredible goal line clearance from Mo Salah.

     

    ———–

     

    Less said about the rest of his performance :O)

  25. An Tearmann on

    Gp

     

    I sought out this article re drivers and how they are treated.its stateside but those practices and conditions are alive and kicking as worker rights and the race to the sewer here goes on.

     

    last Christmas night and boxing night walking down to mine from Newton Mearns the jpd/amazon vans were out delivering.unusual you say on those days but it was half10 at night.sadmate.

     

     

    https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2021/mar/25/amazon-delivery-workers-bathrooms-memo?CMP=Share_AndroidApp_Other

     

     

    HH

  26. Saint Stivs on

    I know nobody is talking about it, but earlier today I caught up on much of the you tube clips for the big walk last weekend. Mostly at the saltmarket and their quaint (sick) tradition of going all anti-catholic noisely “under the bridge”.

     

     

    4 types of parader.

     

     

    Grossly fat over 50s bandsmen who look well past it.

     

    Skinny skinny over 50s bandsmen with those skinny collapsed in eyes

     

    Lodge members on the sides average age easily 65, many on mobility scooters (an orange sit i think its called).

     

    Not so pretty woman also well in their late years.

     

     

    The other notice is the bands are much reduced in numbers, they spread out almost to make it look busy, it doesnt. They look depleted.

     

     

    The follow followers might well be the buckie boys and girls generation, but it is funny how most cant join into any song apart from the choruses.

     

     

    The big walk of the 30s and 50s, even into the 80s attracted 50,000 paraders and allegedly twice as many watchers.

     

     

    Last weekends report figures were 3,000 paraders and twice as many watchers.

     

     

    A dying tradition,

     

     

    They lost, the empires days are over.

     

     

    Still my favourite oranj ban clip.

     

     

    https://twitter.com/i/status/1439222231834451971

  27. westcraigs on

    If we win tomorrow and hibs also win we will move above Dundee Ute into 5th place.

     

    After 7 games.

     

    Behind Hearts and Motherwell.

     

    It’s tight at the top.

     

    We can still win this league.

  30. ernie lynch on

    SAINT STIVS on 25TH SEPTEMBER 2021 6:50 PM

     

     

     

    Chances of anything being done?

     

     

    Nil.

     

     

    But it keeps some of the cult happy for a wee while and takes their minds off other things.

     

     

    Like, when’s the referendum going to be? The one we were promised.

  34. Saint Stivs on

    in other matters, and for the historians, an out there question.

     

     

    how tall was willie maley ?

     

     

    i am looking at team groups through the years on the celticwiki and he looks bigger tham most, and then into the management days he is the tallest in the rows,

  40. bournesouprecipe on

    Shame, to hear that Mikey Johnston is out injured again. The young player that has never really played consecutively despite debuting in 2017 is still the most highly rated by all of the coaching staff, apparently. Such a talent, there must be something Celtic can do apart from the rinse and repeat rehab come on as a sub, get injured again routine?. This bhoy can play, but will soon be 23 and is under contract until December 2024, by which time Celtic will have no doubt signed millions more wingers.

  41. Saint Stivs on

    1898,

     

     

    I like this one for the view of the upper pavilion. north west corner, it sat on top of 144 , or those shallow steps corner between celtic end and jungle, in our 80s mold money.

     

     

    The orientation of the park means we know, all the greats who founded the club walked up and down janefield street to the original park, and then to the new paradise.

     

     

    look at the guy doing a “photo-graphic plate bomb” he had to stand in the doorway for ages.

     

     

    https://wikifoundryimages.s3.amazonaws.com/v7-XTqbmUTLoPZ0l8V9JsQ1047623

  1. Pages:
  3. 1
  4. 2
  5. 3
  6. 4
  7. 5
  8. 6
  9. 7
  10. 8
  11. 9
  12. 10
  13. 11