This was a defensive and tactical failure. Efe Ambrose was slow to follow his man for the first goal (Fraser was the beaten easily, though redeemed himself later). Efe was also brushed off the ball at the second goal. Strength in the six yard box is imperative for a central defender.
Mikael Lustig was caught underneath his man for the cross which led to the second goal, a feature of our defending all night. All he could do was attempt to block the header back across goal, instead of challenge for the ball. He was also in the wrong starting position, and therefore, unable to stop the cross which led to the fourth goal.
With Lustig and Ambrose already culpable at the second goal, Virgil van Dijk was caught napping. He may have expected better from his team-mates, but he should have remained alert with the ball inside the penalty area. The space afforded to Radovic, Virgil’s man, should never have existed.
I’ve no idea why Emilio, our only left back, was omitted from the starting line-up. He offered balance when he came on, until his late horror show when he was turned inside out, then inside out again, at the third goal. It was like watching a clip from the 50s, when full backs didn’t know to get tight and close-off one option for the attacker.
Charlie Mulgrew had a nightmare beyond the level of the others, which is saying something. Two penalty kicks, failing to attack the ball with his man, who headed the third goal, failing to track the run for the fourth, and the debacle which led to possession being lost when Efe was red carded, was a calamitous return.
I’ve heard transfer rumours about everyone who played in defence last night apart from Lustig and Izaguirre. It looked like the defenders had been listening to them too, and had minds on other things.
The squad’s weaknesses were exposed by Legia.
It’s probably too late to lament the absence of Wanyama, but with Brown again out through injury, we’re short of bite in central midfield, exactly what we needed when the defence was comatose. Stefan Johansen and Charlie Mulgrew had the senior combative roles, it just didn’t work. We need to fix this gap as soon as possible.
Ronny got things wrong.
I agree with the manager’s assessment in his post-match BBC interview, the back four didn’t defend as a unit, which is fatal at any level of football, and we didn’t press as a team. I’ll make no excuses for the defenders, but playing this specific 4-3-3 away from home in Europe was asking for trouble.
If we’re short of bite with Johansen and Mulgrew, we’re shorter still if the third man in the middle is the creative Kris Commons. Love him, though we do, he is neither a tackler nor a box-to-box player. The middle three in this formation need to be mobile, covering as much ground as four, sometimes five, opponents. Johansen, Mulgrew and Commons was wrong on all levels. As a result, the Legia midfield probably had their easiest game of the year.
Callum McGregor delivered a goal, as much as anyone could reasonably expect of him, but this was his first game against top-flight full-timers. He needs people to ease him into the role. Jo Inge Berget hasn’t trained with the club, has played only twice since January and there’s a reasonable chance he didn’t know the names of all his team-mates.
If you want to know why we didn’t press as a team as soon as Legia got in amongst us, the clues are everywhere. Of course we didn’t press as a team.
On top of this, we ran the same Pukki experiment as last year, with the same outcome. We’ve seen a lot more of this Celtic team than Ronny, who might now be on the same page as the rest of us.
“Anywhere but Warsaw” was title of the CQN article on the day of the draw as this one was entirely predictable, and that was before Legia won in Dublin. The new manager has yet to get his feet under the table. The squad are in a state of flux. We are short of experienced, reliable, players in several positions, and football in July is often a lottery. There was a chance Legia would capitulate but it was more likely that they would be fitter and better rehearsed.
Seven days is a long time in preseason terms, and as you don’t need me to tell you, we’ve been here before. Don’t think this is over.
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weefrathetim
01:02 on 1 August, 2014
It’s all good business weeframetim
That’s the whole point
Nice turnover
Nice bonuses
However Celtic are currently shite
Did you miss something?
Derek Riordan might have fetched a £1m bid early on in his career too.
NegAnon2
00:25 on
1 August, 2014
Macjay we are on the same side. We just disagree on the right road. There is nothing wrong with that.
Would love to meet up for a beer.
===============================================================
The right road……………..That`s precisely how I feel about the right wing left wing divide on here.
A beer would be great.
margaret mcgill
01:03 on 1 August, 2014
weefrathetim
23:52 on 31 July, 2014
margaret mcgill
23:44 on 31 July, 2014
weefrathetim
You will obviously have a differing view, that’s why I am a supporter and a fan, rather than a fan. Jees oh it gets really tiresome talking to your type, away and support yer local team and gie them the pelters ye give Celtic and gie us peace. HH and good night to you. I really am ground down wi you. You wummen will never learn to shut yer gubs. Ghod help yer man, if ye can find the time to find one in between denigrating Celtic
++++++++++++++++++++++
Oh the temerity!
The gall
The presumption
Such impudence
I’m a bigger Tim than you are …..
NA NA NA NA na
NA NA NA NA NA x million zillion to the power n
Hahahahahahahahaha, heard it all now, wit a tube. I will certainly sleep better knowing I have somehow, managed to ease someones strange opinion of themselves. Strange people on here at times. The blog is all yours margaret, and your welcome to it. :-))))
Weefra HH praying to Wee Oscar.
weefrathetim
01:09 on 1 August, 2014
Come back weeframetim
All is forgiven
We love you
Delaneys Dunky
01:06 on 1 August, 2014
Petec
Thanks :)) Great wee vijeo of oor local nature reserve and world escape. Magical place, the Humphrey.
******************************************
It is quality, of that there is never a doubt. When the wind is down and the Sun is high, what a place to go and catch nothing all day. :))
Macjay
We are all on the one road.
Where it leads?
Hail Hail
Isn’t it sad on this typical nowhere day we squabble and squabble and try to see the funny side of things as America initiates sanctions against Russia and donates more tank shells to the IDF to murder more Palestinian children
The horror the horror
DD,
For the gate is small and the way is narrow.
or
wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction.
It may be the wrong road, but we’re on the road to God knows where.
Delaneys Dunky
01:13 on
1 August, 2014
Macjay
We are all on the one road.
Where it leads?
Hail Hail
============================================================
Maybe the wrong road to God knows where.:-)
Strangely,I believe the original was written in English.
Perdition said my oldies.:-)
Margaret McGill 01:15,
It is the Masonic/All SecretSocieties controllers, doing what they do best. Control.
They are making the things happen that they want to happen.
HH
M McGill
Hear Hear. Sickened by the bloodshed in the Holy Land. We need to act as brothers and sisters to defeat the deceivers and murderers. Jock Tamsons bairns all.
MacJay
Our patron Sao Paolo walked the road to Damascus. :)
macjay1,
A crazy mind and a sensible mind post the same lyrics.
;)
I know what I am and I know what you are. I just hope they don’t mix us up for being great minds alike!!!!
D.D.
Was he converted?
To or from Judaism?
:-)
petec
01:27 on
1 August, 2014
Never run yourself down,mate.It`ll be used against you.
On then other hand,modesty is a virtue.
As D.D. says, we`re all Jock Tamson`s bairns.
MacJay
I love Paul’s letters, regardless of his religion. Thankfully St Paul’s Whiteinch teachers promoted his words. I love his words to
Too :)
D.D.
I`m sure you know this was what I was referring to.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conversion_of_Paul_the_Apostle
===============================================================
I was the generation before you and my memory of the teachers was very positive.
My first teacher in St. Paul`s was my mum.
A wild shot……….Did you ever hear of Veisha Nobleska (Sp. ?) Young lass ,Polish parents?
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
01:34 on 1 August, 2014
petec
01:27 on
1 August, 2014
Never run yourself down,mate.It`ll be used against you.
On then other hand,modesty is a virtue.
As D.D. says, we`re all Jock Tamson`s bairns.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
hahaha,
I’m more worried about you being labelled crazy on here!!!!
Jock Tamson wrote letters to the Corinthians?
Macjay
No, I don’t recognise her name. My Polish heritage was suppressed equally with my Irish heritage in our sectarian little toon. Nae work for Irish or Poles in post war Glasgow.
petec
01:52 on
1 August, 2014
Jeez.
I just assumed you were referring to yourself as the crazy one.
Silly me.
Margaret McGill
01:53 on 1 August, 2014
Jock Tamson wrote letters to the Corinthians?
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Not sure, one thing that is correct, is that Mano Menezes signed the Ronaldo of olde.
Come on down.
macjay1,
;)
Everyone knows, it is ok to have a laugh.
End Times after all. :)))
Margaret McGill
01:53 on
1 August, 2014
Jock Tamson wrote letters to the Corinthians?
================================================================
His ancestor.
Jokus filius Tamsonii
Bit weak,but it`s the best I can come up with.
Anyway,now that we`re over the shock and awe,I can envisage raging positivity for the Murrayfield game.
And huge determination.
If Ronny pulls this off ,he`ll be anointed.
Verily I say unto you.
Macjay
I am a hopeless optimist, and I will be in Murrayfield on Wednesday to roar oor Bhoys to a 3-0 victory.
GNGB
Like it or not we are run along very defined principles . Every pound is a prisoner or perhaps more appropriately a hostage to fortune .
That would be the Antoinne kind , never again we will lay out a pound without the opportunity of two back. So we invest in more bodies , with the hope of some Victor to come good but no Graveson to lay us low.
It’s a battle of business , the accountant who will make the numbers or the entrepreneur who will create to achieve.
Unfortunately , we seem to want both!
Lenny made flax because silk could not be made from the cloth he was given. He weaved it well.
Ronny , seems to think he owns a more productive spinning wheel and the board believes that Crompton will replace Jenny.
If we have to go two steps back, to go four steps forward. I can live with creative destruction but the board has to invest in the technology .
Appoint a coach with a philosophy Peter , then back him!
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
02:08 on 1 August, 2014
Anyway,now that we`re over the shock and awe,I can envisage raging positivity for the Murrayfield game.
And huge determination.
If Ronny pulls this off ,he`ll be anointed.
Verily I say unto you.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We are still unlikely to overcome. If Neil was in charge, I’d say we were almost evens to get through.
When Van Gaal is bemoaning the fitness of a full back he just signed, I think Celtic are right to go down the JC and Ronny Deee route.
All the guys that have performed so well for us are favourites, most definitely and their memorable moments will be in the memory banks of all Celtic supporters, some memory banks are a lot worse than others though. :))
From the Southern Baptist Convention
http://erlc.com/issues/quick-facts/persecution/
Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide. An average of at least 180 Christians around the world are killed each month for their faith. (Source: Open Doors USA)
Christians in more than 60 countries face persecution from their governments or surrounding neighbors simply because of their belief in Christ. (Source: U.S. Department of State)
One of the worst countries in the world for the persecution of Christians is North Korea. With the exception of four official state-controlled churches in Pyongyang, Christians in North Korea face the risk of detention in the prison camps, severe torture and, in some cases, execution for practicing their religious beliefs. North Koreans suspected of having contact with South Korean or other foreign missionaries in China, and those caught in possession of a Bible, have been known to be executed. (Source: Christian Solidarity Worldwide)
In 41 of the 50 worst nations for persecution, Christians are being persecuted by Islamic extremists. (Source: Open Doors)
– See more at: http://erlc.com/issues/quick-facts/persecution/#sthash.JJLyYuPl.dpuf
Delaneys Dunky
02:13 on
1 August, 2014
Macjay
I`ll be up at 4.45 am and full of optimism.3-0 won`t be difficult.
Preventing them from scoring will be.
Is Efe out for this game?
petec
02:17 on
1 August, 2014
macjay1 for Neil Lennon
02:08 on 1 August, 2014
When Van Gaal is bemoaning the fitness of a full back he just signed, I think Celtic are right to go down the JC and Ronny Deee route.
================================================================
I seriously think they made a number of bad decisions for the first leg.
Progress for Celtic means we have to be in the C.L.
They have significantly jeopardised that prospect.
An attacking philosophy is fine,tempered by realism.
The last 15 mins. were lunacy.
‘GG 02:19,
I listened to a podcast a wee while back and it claimed that Iran, believe it or not, had the highest conversion rate in the World to Christianity.
Apparently they were getting the God Channel (mental huh) through satellite TV. We can all go nuts about how the God Channel is just an excuse to scam. If the Word, the message, is getting to places unimaginable before, does that fulfill one more prophecy? an important one at that.
I don’t think the Original Orangemen have Television though, so it still may be a long way off.
aprilsbhoy
02:13 on
1 August, 2014
Philosophy is fine.Expound it in the league.
Don`t experiment with the seed corn.
macjay1 02:32,
Where do you start with that game.
The first thing is, Charlie Mulgrew is not Capitano material, he is a decent player but he crumbled, Big Time.
Broonie was sorely missed, I don’t know how we have so many players on that field now, who are not willing to take responsibility. Efe Ambrose is likely to be the scapegoat, he played some really crap passes and had a poor night but he is a right good player IMO.
Maybe Kojo was right about the crowd spooking our players.
petec
02:43 on
1 August, 2014
Where you start is defensively,and should you get the early goal,you immediately sit back and as time goes on the opposition get frustrated,more desperate and the crowd start getting on their backs.
Now,of course,that`s the theory.
I remember reading on here that Ronny wanted the time on the ball reduced to less than one second i.e.. very quick inter passing. Hell.That`s a big ask.
As passes continually went astray,it occurred to me that that was the reason.
Charlie Mulgrew hasn`t turned onto a bad player.I suspect he may have felt the burden of captaincy.
Efe should be mid.Bring in a stopper,not a striker.Soon.
Izzy,I fear should be mid also.Maybe Ronny agrees.
But this was not the occasion to try it.
Evenin macjay and pedro,
Trust we are well (I’m unable to sleep despite only 7 hours sleep since Monday due to drinking crates of lucozade today).
I’m going to put it out there. In the first half hour I saw what I thought were great positives in that game – we looked more creative than I’ve seen in a while. KC was in a role that was the most effective I remember seeing him in a CL game.
Then the start of the downfall was Efe’s red card. My reaction to it at the time, was that it was the heat and pre-season fitness, and I think it was starting to creep into several of the team around that time. The sweat was pouring off of Efe, he looked exhausted. New tactics, demanding more energy. I also thought Chico Muldini looked good in that role (not for the first time) for the same first spell. It all looked good to me.
It was when the tiredness crept in, and it happened so quickly, mistakes started creeping in, and before we knew it, confidence was shot, and we never recovered.
It’s a feeling that happens every year unfortunately, when we eventually get papped out of Euro football, made all the more depressing by this early stage.
But I certainly haven’t ruled us out turning it around – a 3-0 win at CP would never have been dismissed as unachievable for us before – maybe the lack of faith being shown at this stage is because the return leg is not at Fortress Parkhead.
But on this one, I’ll keep the Faith, and as ever, will give the squad 100% support.
I pretty much love any player who wears the Celtic Shirt. I can’t explain it.
I also love the support.
These are two main elements of Celtic, and the history and the stadium.
I’m very, very sceptical about the board who I think are full of shite and need replaced.
I hold them responsible for pretty much everything that goes wrong, and so should any sensible person imo. And in particular, alarm bells should be ringing in the ears of every Celtic Supporter, when the spin, gossip, MSM chat and online discussion is ALWAYS blaming the player for leaving, ALWAYS blaming the support for letting the Club down, and ALWAYS blaming the manager for the results. Why is it not possible to consider that, the player was forced out because of the £M selling on value straight into the biscuit tin, that the Support are in the right and the board are letting them down by encouraging illegal harassment of them in the flamin stadium, and that their failure to invest in succesful managers leads to them moving on asap, and signing the keep schtum clause contracts just to get away and find a board prepared to invest in them.
Next week: 3-0 to the Tic. And the board survive another grossly mismanaged season.