It is a measure of how far we have come during this Champions League campaign that a 2-1 defeat away to Benfica, leaving us favourites to qualify in second place for the Champions League knockout stage and assured of European football after Christmas, is a disappointment.
Unlike previous defeats in this competition, this one has not limited our ambitions.
Around this time of previous Champions League campaigns I’ve opined that Uefa Cup/Europa League qualification would be preferable to finishing second in the group stage, leading to inevitable elimination to a group winner. Teams who drop out of the Champions League have the prospect of a decent run in the Europa League, earning more coefficient points and potentially more cash, whereas Celtic never convinced me they could reach the last eight of the Champions League.
This time is different. We got it wrong last night and as a result lost the head-to-head against Benfica but this was not the case against Barcelona. Most of the current group leaders are better than Celtic, all would create more chances and have more possession against us, but here’s the rub, Celtic can score goals against anyone and can defend remarkably well.
Georgios Samaras has now scored in three consecutive group stage away games; he scored in all of Celtic’s five away games in Europe this season, surely a record. This is beyond a mere statistical oddity, it’s a result of a strategy which Benfica, Barcelona and Spartak have been unable to cope with (last night’s block-and-free-header routine was a thing of technical brilliance).
We’ve scored five goals in total in our three away group stage games. In the eight away games in the competition proper before this season, since losing in Copenhagen, we scored only once (remember against whom?)! In short, we can go anywhere and play effective counter-attacking football which even the best team in history had trouble dealing with.
That doesn’t mean we are champions-elect, of course. Benfica, who are a worthy team but are not tier-one material, got the better of us. They played to form last night and Celtic dipped. Scott Brown was clearly unfit, Charlie Mulgrew may-or-may-not have declared himself ill before kick-off but his condition did not help (stunning corner aside).
Neil also left out Kris Commons. Kris’s form has shaded since The Beating of Barca, so I was not surprised to see him on the bench, but did you notice we started to get balls into the Benfica box after he came on? More of this and I fancy Benfica would have yielded. In his post-match comments Neil Lennon reminded us his players are young and will learn from the experience.
It’s easy to overlook the fact that the manager is also young and learning as he goes along. His tactical decisions have been the real revelation of this group, even if he did leave Kris out and his gamble with Scott Brown didn’t work. His progress as a manager has been, as our old friend might say, astonishing.
Fraser Forster provided more evidence of his outstanding ability. Mikael Lustig and Kelvin Wilson looked perfectly at ease with under frenetic pressure but Efe Ambrose particularly impressed. I’ve watched Celtic defences for decades and we always seem to have a ‘junior partner’ but not now.
The defence made two mistakes last night but in all their games together they have yet to conjure up a Big Dan Moment.
My objectives for this Champions League campaign have already been surpassed but expectation levels are never level, so let’s take care of Spartak and see where the adventure goes next.
Orders are now open for the very first CQN Annual, get it here!
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Pod I – How much was Sir David Murray’s EBT loan again? (thumbsup)
Sadly, I’ve got a horrible feeling of 2002 all over again. The one big difference is Benfica have a very difficult final fixture, which Porto didn’t really have. Whatever occurs, Neil and the bhoys have given the Champions League a really good go this season. Well done and we’re still in it to the last kick.
PHILVISRETURNS 1304
WTF? A mont before Christmas,and you come out wi that wee pearl of wisdom?
Weans read this stuff,you know……..
PAUL67
Please remove this post.
I dunno what you were thinking of,posting it in the first place,haha!
I think that MAN utd and the likes were given additional 5 co-efficient points on qualification for last 16 on the Bert Kassie site.
Note this is not the 4 points for making group stages it is for last 16 qualification and does anybody know if there is any additional points for Europa cup qualification ?
We need all the points we can get to ensure that we are in the seeded half of split next season IF/When we get into CL.
ps Cant check Bert Kassie site in work any more.
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS – Weans read this stuff,you know……..
I thought they were “aff oot”. (thumbsup)
PHILVISRETURNS
Nice one,bud.but ffs don’t rattle his cage.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyj2qL-bQ4E
Di Matteo sacked at Chelsea – Oh dear ??
Hail Hail
The interesting thing is if we do go to Europa we should be seeded as a CL drop down team surely?
Going to the quarter finals of either competition would be phenomenal given the age and inexperience of our side.
There could be some great sides in the Europa league as well so Thursday nights in Paradise could be back.
Whatever happens we should all be proud of our team and manager.
Alll this guff about the taxman wrecking oldco and ‘fictitious’debt
Can someone remind me how much non-tax debt oldco managed to wipe out in this wee manoeuvre – thereby shafting numerous small creditors
Seems some peepil now arguing none of that actually happened!!
Smoke&mirrorsCSC
philvisreturns
13:04 on 21 November, 2012
curly – If it’s any consolation my father later confessed that, while Santa Claus isn’t real, the demon clown living under my bed is all too real. (thumbsup)
What do you call it? It?
Yurcl
The Battered Bunnet
12:13 on 21 November,2012.
Thanks very much.
You have made a great job of reducing a labyrinthine hotchpotch of deliberate obfuscation to a level that even I can understand.
I think ?
Tallybhoy
The format of the CL is all about money.It should be a knockout competition from the first round.
Has Neil not been linked with the Chelsea vacancy yet?!
HH!!
Snake
EL seeding depends if you are one of the best/worst of the eight sides that drop out of the CL
At the moment we are pretty well placed as one of the 4 best although we should wish the likes of Dynamo Kiev + Ajax to lose tonight
If we go into the EL as one of the 4 best we would play a EL group runner up or one of the 4 worst CL teams
Saw the Daily Mail headline in the shop there
“Did Rangers have to Die?”
Couldn’t stop laughing to myself for about 10mins
fanadpatriot
Indeed!
Was it not the major European clubs, aided and abetted by various TV companies, who put pressure on UEFA to completely overhaul the old European Champions’ Club Cup and create the Champions League?
HH!!
67Heaven … I am Neil Lennon..!!.. Ibrox belongs to the creditors
12:31 on
21 November, 2012
Got BT Infinity installed ….WOW, what an improvement (but not in my spelling …..LOL)
_______________________________
That’ll be Blantyre Tim Infinity you go installed then?
Looks like Rafa Benitez will be appointed Chelsea manager tomorrow
Off topic – could someone be kind enough to post the link to Rangers’ share issue presentation.
Thanks in advance.
I agree with Paul’s positive perspective on last night, but I think we also have to think about how we ensure that we continue to make sustainable and consistent progress in Europe in the medium to long term.
Even in domestic games, I think we are not showing enough quality and composure in possession. Trying to perform a back to the wall job in every European game we play isn’t a sustainable philosophy. We have to try to give ourselves a breather in these games and keep the ball for longer spells. This aim should be incorporated into our player recruitment at all age levels, if it isn’t already. To be fair, in parts of the 2nd half vs Spartak we showed that we can impose ourselves on the opposition at this level, but it has to be more consistent.
The Battered Bunnet
Great read.
Going into the Europa, after a win over Spartak and a Benfica win over Barca, would put us as one of the top four seeds from the Champions league. Not a bad position to be in.
Win / Win CSC
Ten Men Won The League 13.36
As if laughing at Rangers plight wasn’t enough today you go and add this little gem.
Oh my aching sides.
Portuguese media claiming that Pep Guardiola was offered the Chelsea job @ 4 wks ago ..
Portuguese media claiming that Guardiola and Chelsea are still talking .
Portuguese media claiming that Guardiola has been told — you have to say yes or no now .
Portuguese media claiming that Guardiola will say no .
Portuguese media claiming that if Pep says no then it’s hello — Rafa or ” the return of a man from the past “
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS – Nuff said. (thumbsup)
curly – His name is Leggo, and in the stillness of the night he is known to hiss, between the sulphur-tinted slivers of his teeth, his strong desire for something called “Thunderbird”.
I assume it’s a Charles Foster Kane type memory of happier times for ole Leggo. (thumbsup)
prestonpans bhoys @ 12:18
An excellent point: especially since Benfica is not the only club which indulges in this after-the-final-whistle corralling of visiting fans in a dangerous, stupid and needless fashion.
Perhaps it happens already but I think that, since this sort of thing happens all too often, it’s reasonable to expect that (as a matter of course) in advance of travelling to games in Europe, Celtic makes appropriate representation to the host clubs, that safe provision is made for Celtic fans’ departure from the stadium and its environs …
TooMuchToAsk?@H&SE.CSC
What’s wrong with Fatso for the Bridge?
I don’t buy into the conspiracy/masonic cabal theories for one simple reason – if it really was a conspiracy then yesterday’s verdict would have been delivered in May, thus saving the dead club.
Spartak’s fixtures may be a contributary factor as to what team they deploy in Glasgow. They play Zenit at home on 29th Nov followed by Celtic 5th Dec, then they are away to Rubin Kazan 9th.
Both Zenit & Rubin are above Spartak in the league, so they may rest a few against Celtic as the game is meaningless.
Anyone with more Russian football experience shed any light on what they see as Spartak’s ambition in the Russian league this season?
My guess? Benitez to Chelsea now. He gets sacked in the summer after failing to win anything and Guardiola comes in.
phyllis dietrichson
13:43 on
21 November, 2012
It might have been a ‘kaflik scholls’ conspiracy …….. LOL
.
SAAAAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMIIIIII…
YEEEEEEESE..
Efe Ambrose particularly impressed? I like the big fella but for me he had his worst game in a Hooped jersey last night. Had a few weak headers out of defence from routine balls, got easily turned inside out twice before being saved by Matthews and Forster and was found wanting positionally on more than once occasion. To be fair he is comfortable with the ball at his feet although can play himself into trouble at times. I’ve no doubt he will continue to be a great asset for us but didn’t think he played well last night.
BigSmokeBhoy
Just by looking at the table those two look like must win games for Spartak to stay in touch with CSKA they are already ten points off the pace defeat in either of those games would condemn them to the status of also rans..
My conclusion they will bring an under 12’s team to Paradise thus ensuring our qualification for the last 16..
OptimisticCSC
Bigsmokebhoy,
Interesting. I didn’t realise they were spartaks two fixtures.
I always thought they might bring a shadow side. Now I’m convinced.
Still won’t be easy.
Gordon_J
Word from the Big Smoke is that Benitez will take the job until the season’s end
Guardiola + Chelsea still talking with a view to Pep taking over in summer 2013
P.s.
Ruben are a point ahead. Zenit a further 3.
Paul67 et al
(Paragraph 36…”The Renumeration Trust was set up in about 2001…….
…..It was valuable in incentivising employees in providing larger sums for their and their families’ benefit in view of the tax savings. Mr Black did not consider the Trust as a means of tax avoidance, but rather as a means of retaining and rewarding loyal employees. So far as Rangers was concerned it enabled the Club to attract players who would not otherwise have been obtainable”
‘So far as Rangers was concerned it enabled the Club to attract players who would not otherwise have been obtainable”
– no stone unturned when assembling a world record squad of Galacto-diddies.