This was a fascinating tactical battle which could have gone either way. From the start, Dinamo Zagreb stood off Celtic and steadfastly refused to press the entire game. For all we criticise Scottish Premiership clubs for defending with 10 men behind the ball, they all press on occasion; Dinamo’s plan was different.
They were intent on defending around 40 yards from their own goal and playing on the counter. This permitted Celtic 69% possession, but that stat didn’t tell the whole story. Dinamo’s counter produced the more chances than Celtic’s possession.
Not that there were great chances. A Pjaca header 10 minutes from time made all the match reports, but in truth, even that would not have hit the target, had Kasper Schmeichel failed to reach it first. Celtic’s best chance came right at the end. James Forrest fired the ball forward, Arne Engels crossed into the six yard box, but Adam Idah was pipped to the ball by a last ditch interception. That aside, Celtic created nothing of note.
You would be forgiven for concluding that when Reo Hatate is off his game, Celtic is too. Reo’s decision-making and passing was poor throughout. He gets the ‘blame’ here because he takes so much responsibility, where Reo tumbled, his teammates followed. He bears the standard and so much responsibility.
I’ve read this was a poor Celtic performance. In truth, it was better than recent away wins at Aberdeen, Kilmarnock and Ross County. This is Dinamo Zagreb, who drew at home with Monaco and won away in Bratislava and Salzburg. They have 8 Champions League points; they are not Ross County.
With two games to go we have hit the 9 point target we hoped to achieve before the start of the tournament. This could be enough to see us through to the next stage, although we are likely to add to the tally. The last time we bettered our current run of four unbeaten in the European Cup/Champions League was season 1971-72, when a seven game unbeaten run ended with two 0-0 draws against Inter and elimination on penalties. It’s been that long – and the standard of opposition was sufficiently weak then we won away in Hungary and Malta!
Knowing that some nerd 50 years from now will look up this run of results with awe, we can appreciate last night’s examination. It informs us where we are in football’s food chain, and provides an insight into where we should aim for next.
Tony Gillespie, Setting free the Bears
Tony’s son Martin has been in touch to say the funeral will be on 18 December. Anyone who would like more details can contact Martin at martin_gillespie@icloud.com
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Opinions eh?
Happy Wednesday.
Adverts beat me.
St Stivs, from previous.
Hospitality tickets are available if you have deep pockets.
Easy to find . Just use Mr Google.
Ordinary fans are being treated abymisably
Are you going ?
HH.
Morning bhoys.
I had a few gripes during the game but within 30 mins was more pleased that we didn’t leave with nothing.
It’s in our hands now and we will play better in January.
I do not have a ticket
10 season ticket holders. All attended the home cup ties.
Not one of us was successful in the ballots.
Saint Stivs on 11th December 2024 12:14 pm
I
That is precisly the point.
Many real Celtic supporters like yourself have virtually no chance of a ticket.
But there are many tickets for ” Fat Cats”
Section
Celtic Fans
Physical Tickets
More Info
£420.00
VIP Packages
Row: VIP RANGERS HOSPITALITY
Rangers Fans
Physical Tickets
More Info
£449.99
VIP Packages
Row: VIP CELTIC HOSPITALITY
Celtic Fans
Physical Tickets
More Info
£599.99
HH.
It was by no means a poor performance.
Unfortunately it was just disappointing.
Point won.
A game that would have been lost in past history, instead saw Celtic well above wee Croatia or Dynamo Zagreb. No ‘trembling mince’ no defensive frailty hopefully consigned to the bin, along with watching from behind the couch brigade. CCV and Trusty with modern full backs playing a very different Celtic game.
Even a depleted Zagreb with seven CL points from three games were a formidable defence compared with a proposition like close rivals Aberdeen, or hungry Hibs. One off, games with no return leg suit attacking football and Celtic were on the offensive, for once unable to score in a game of few chances.
Paulo Bernardo looks every inch a Dick Turpin and the fruit of Celtic scouting, takes on more robbery when you throw Nicolas Kuhn into the same mix. Schmeichel ( the Brendan signing ) could play a great ‘ backsie in ’ and probably does at Lennoxtown. Creative in Croatia didn’t happen, Hatate didn’t quite click, is just more bad news for someone.
Subs Idah, Engels and McCowan did well but ran out of time, in a proper Your- up test passed, BR will flex Celtic muscles in January, for two targets that could help cement the foundations for a lessons learned, CL tilt in season three.
MOM Paulo Bernardo.
So to Sunday.
Are all the Celtic lounges being used for hospitality packages or can Joseph public get access on the day ?
From about the 70th minute onwards, my nerves didn’t like “a fascinating tactical battle which could have gone either way”
Good afternoon all from Flanagans bar. It’s a hard life getting €720,000 for drawing away from home. Hope that helps any lurking hun.
HRVATSKI JIM
Same here, disappointed at certain times during the game we didn’t score then really nervous we were about to be mugged right at the end, so all in all I’ll take the point.
SS- A lot of the hospitality packages for Hampden, start and finish at CP,pre match drinks and food,buses to and from Hampden, more of the same post match,the Sports Bar will be open to the public, not sure about other lounges which aren’t used for hospitality punters
Afternoon all.
0-0 away from home in the CL, I’m happy to take that.
Happy 30th Wedding anniversary to our BRRB and the sainted ‘Small Doll’.
No special cuddles now🍻🤣💚🍀👍
Repeating what I posted last nig in response to some of the neg-head posters slamming the team for not beating a poor DZ 😂…
If you actually look at the table, Real Madrid and PSG could end up in the bottom half of that play off draw.
Qualifying is the priority. Anything else is a bonus.
Ffs! Look where we’ve come from with European results. This is 100x better than we thought we’d get in this competition.
After the Dortmund defeat, we all thought it was here we go again.
Then, after the Leipzig win, we all got carried away that we could beat anyone.
Tough competition, with tough team, most of which are seasoned in this competition and we’re more than holding our own.
Agree, they were there for the taking, but not one bit sickened by a draw away from home in the CL.
The disappointment with some fans is probably because they saw this game as the next stage of our progression, a win away in the CL.
It wasn’t to be , perhaps there’s still a bit of a hangover from the Dortmund game playing on the players mind, might explain the reluctance to really go for it.
Or maybe DZ are better than some expected.
Also, if we can’t beat Young Boys at home to qualify, then I’m afraid we don’t deserve to qualify.
We will beat them and we will qualify. It also looks like no matter which half of the 9th – 24th teams you end up in, you could be up against a giant or an equivalent.
Time and results will tell.
Repost from last night again, as can’t be arsed typing it again…😂
We’ve actually not been firing for a few games now. Not sure if it’s a dip in conditioning, fatigue or what, but some players look a bit lethargic and slower to make decisions than usual.
Am sure we’ll spark again, but as it stands we are in a cracking position to qualify and if we can’t beat Young Boys at CP to do that, then we don’t deserve to be in the next round.
The Villa game will be as hard as any we’ve had so far. Very good squad under a very capable manager. Especially in Europe. His record is outstanding.
I’m confident we’ll dispatch Young Boys and can approach the. Villa game with our chests out, knowing we’ve already qualified. 👍
BRRB: Comhghairdeas on your 30 year romance. Enjoy your holiday.
Bada Bing
I do think those Celtic hospitality packages were sold out within an hour or two of going on sale.
I am not sure if any other ones would be Hampden ?
BelmontBrian 1.20
Cheers!
Almore
👍
The really obvious losses are in cash for CL league positions and points and probably more importantly co efficient points.
Also a QF second leg tie at home would have been better.
Finally the stress of waiting until January to be sure of qualifying. Unless Stuttgart draw or lose to Young Boys tonight.
A draw for Stuttgart tonight would be perfect.
It’s a shame that those of us that are disappointed in not playing better to try and achieve a win are subject to petty name calling …….I’m my eyes we were poor , lacking urgency, poor passing from hatate even simple passes .
I’m happy for all the positive posters who were not concerned during the game and they were correct not to be concerned we got the draw .
Brendan and the boys will know they missed a chance of a win against an under strength team with very little home support to make it hostile .
We take the point and move on .
Melvin Udall (1:32 pm), further to your comments, and playing a game of “IFS, buts and maybes”…
As things stand with tonight’s results still to be applied to the CL league table, any potential play-off for Celtic looks rather less daunting than it would had they snatched a late winner last night.
Currently the potential play-off opponents would come from Atalanta, Arsenal, Monaco, Sporting Lisbon, Lille, Bruges, Benfica, Atlético Madrid.
Had Celtic won last night the list would be: Atletico Madrid, AC Milan, Real Madrid, Man City, PSV Eindhoven, Juventus, Dinamo Zagreb, Paris St Germain!
That first list looks less daunting to me, particularly having drawn away games to two of those teams already.
The Football Association is expected to support Saudi Arabia’s bid to host the 2034 World Cup and a multi-nation hosting of the 2030 World Cup.
The FA has not officially declared its position but BBC Sport has learned the governing body for English football will back both bids at Wednesday afternoon’s online Fifa Congress where the tournament hosts will be officially confirmed.
The FA is expected to issue a statement after the Congress explaining its stance.
Saudi Arabia is the sole bidder for the 2034 event, while the 2030 World Cup is set to be awarded to unopposed co-hosts Spain, Morocco and Portugal, with early matches also being played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
While Saudi Arabia’s hosting appears to be a formality, the FA’s support of the nation’s bid will be controversial, given the kingdom’s human rights record and discriminatory laws.
Rather than a traditional vote, it has been suggested the ratification process will be confirmed by acclamation – with federations in favour asked to show their support by applauding.
Delegates will have to vote at the same time on both bids, meaning they can either support or oppose both. There is no separate vote for the tournaments.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Immoral.
Lots of nonsense on here today (and last night).
If you are happy with the performance and the result, fair enough. Moaning at those who think we should have done better is a bit silly.
This from Brendan:
‘But we lacked quality. The quality of our game wasn’t at the standard that we would like’.
That’s why some of us are disappointed.
How we feel about the performance and the result depends upon what our expectations were. Some of you expected a performance from THIS Celtic team. Hence the disappointment. Some seem to have expected a performance from Celtic teams of the past 10 years. Hence the happy clapping.
Moving on from that, we may be suffering from tired limbs and minds. Games are coming thick and fast.
Cheers,
Weeron.
Melvin Udall: “The Villa game will be as hard as any we’ve had so far.”
Hopefully we can bring our Vs Blackburn 2002, Liverpool 1997 & 2003, Man Utd 2006 and Man City. 2016 spirit to Villa Park (and outcomes like Man Utd 2008 and Arsenal 2009). Overall our record against EPL teams is better than it should be. 🤞🍀
BRRB.
You have more anniversaries than Corkcelt has birthdays .
🤣🤣🤣…Enjoy …again 🍻
“AVOID outcomes like…” 🤷♂️
I was happy enough with a point last night ,we didn’t play that well but could have won it at the end but to be honest they had the better chances.I was half expecting Dinamo to score in the last few minutes , a fate that often befalls us away from home in the Champions league. I believe most people would be delighted to have a game against Young Boys at home where a win and probably a draw would see us through to a play off , 9 points might even be enough, need too see how tonight’s games go.Club Brugge winning last night was annoying as they and Zagreb have 2 difficult games coming up.
As with most, I was very happy to get a point last night, but the game was far too cagey for my liking, by both sides. Reo was off last night but still makes himself available in hard areas to receive a ball and build from the back. I thought their defender played Daizen better than any I have seen this season. It is a testament to how far we have come after the Dortmund result that we can be a wee bit disappointed in a point won away. This is an interesting new format and one that will go down to the wire in January. Everyone is saying that Young Boys should be beaten easily, but they are in this competition the same way we are and will not lie down. I love to watch James Forrest when he gets the ball, he very rarely wastes an opporchancity ( just for you Aipple))) and played a magnificent ball into Arne. That challenge inside the box was an absolute brilliant piece of defending. When I was watching the game last night, I felt like we were back in the 80s, looking at their stadium as if we were playing in some cold war country.
Looking forward to this weekend.
Sean
I believe the corporate supporters buses or limousine’s are leaving Parkhead circa 13 15 hrs for a 15 30 hrs kick off.
That will miimimise costs and optimise profit due to reduced drinking times.
It would be funny if the place was packed out with BRRB’s type people and drank the place dry.😀
The only downside is that the price next time for the pre Christmas jolly would be dramatically increased upwards.
HH.
The hand of God on 11th December 2024 2:08 pm
I was happy enough with…
____
That was a great result for Brugge last night. Their last two games are at home to Juventus and away to man city. City and Juventus play against each other tonight. Good that teams who are close to us in the table, will take points off each other.
Marspapa 2.06
I’ve had more anniversaries than Methusalah B. 🤣🤣
Two points thrown away to a team half full of reserves.A night we should have been champing at the bit to getting stuck in.Sadly,all we got was,an insipid,cowardly approach to the game.One of Europe’s better teams,I could have accepted the point gladly.Not this team
Feel free to be perfectly happy with the point,but don’t expect me to be.I am still raging.
What if that performance carries into Sunday?.Not impossible.
This Celtic lost a game 7-1 by starting off with their high pressing frantic all motion performance football.
Most of this celtic were here last season and losing in that manner in the champions league group.
We can argue the squad is better all round now with the additions adding something, in particular Kasper and Trusty are upgrades.
However, expecting us to beat Brugge at home, and Zagreb away with our domestic type performance football, welll, they will just pick you off.
every team up till now, even in the games we won, had chances, mostly coming from our errors, not their own creativity.
Zagred knew what they were doing last night. Leave the ball with celtic, 5 at the back, anf let them come at us, ………….
a point was a good outcome.
Performance football ? psg, city. real have all lost games.
Liverpool and villa though, very pragmatic imho. results matter more than performance levels. liverpool might loosen up a bit now they have qualified for the top 8.
no false dawns for me, and no over reaction about results either. i do however expect a win now against YB, that is the time to go for it. Last night was not.
We are a point closer, and to be very honest, that is 3 points ahead of where i thought we would be.