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Fine performance marred by bigger failings than Efe

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

I liked a lot about what we did last night. Leigh Griffiths provided more evidence that he is a remarkable predator. Kris Commons delivered another driven corner, his third of this European campaign to result in a goal, Lustig made first contact leaving Griffiths with only instinct to produce a shot on target. That same instinct clicked an instant later to turn the second shot over the keeper and into the net.

Do you remember a moment, before the first goal, when Fenerbahce enjoyed their best spell of pressure, and we cleared our lines aimlessly four times in a couple of minutes? It looked ugly and invited Fenerbahce to continue to pile the pressure on, but it was a salutary indication of how tactically well Celtic played. When under pressure, clear your lines, regroup, and get ready to go again.

On two occasions we dribbled out of a defensive position leading to a goal. Nir Bitton had ample opportunity to clear forward, but with opponents closing space all around him, he hesitated until he could play-in James Forrest, who surge forward to cross for Commons to score.

Scott Brown as immense all night, but having held-off a challenge 20 yards from his own goal on the wing, he should have cleared deep inside Fenerbahce territory instead of trying to make a pass. We didn’t get the ball back until the score was 2-2. Johansen and Lustig were both caught similarly in the second half but neither was punished.  Being brave in possession isn’t always wise.

Some of the passing football we played was a treat to watch. Bitton and Brown played their best game as a partnership, if not as individuals in a Celtic shirt; Brown was certainly that good. James Forrest, now fit, is drinking-in responsibility. He was effective last night, but not because he used his unparalleled pace, instead he delivered link play.

You’ll have noticed Craig Gordon likes a leg save. Few keepers do, they seem to try to get their hands or torso to a ball, but I like that Craig likes getting any hard part of his body in the way.

Don’t let it bounce.

“Don’t let it bounce.” There’s not a central defender in the world who doesn’t hear that phrase every week. When a ball is coming towards the danger zone in the air, get your head on it. If you let it bounce, anything can happen.

This was Efe Ambrose first mistake last night. He failed to read the flight of the ball. The moment it bounced, he was in trouble. With Fernandao waiting to feed on the scraps, Efe should then have concentrated on winning the physical challenge as the ball dropped a second time, but instead he found his ‘don’t let the ball bounce’ instinct too late and committed a second inexcusable error.

Think back almost three years to the opening minutes of the Champions League game against Juventus, Efe committed pretty much the same mistake. He lost the flight of the ball and we were a goal down and out before we warmed up.

Although Efe is taking a large slice of the blame in some places for the second Fenerbahce goal, I’m not convinced this is a fair assessment. To give due credit, it was an excellent corner and header – from a zone in front near post it’s difficult to score from. The point about zonal marking is you defend areas it’s easy to score from, at the cost of leaving less-risky areas unattended. Fernandao’s header didn’t come from a high-risk zone.

For some reason, wispy Leigh Griffiths was delegated to man-mark bulky target-man Fernandao. Wee guys can block big guys, but they need to be standing ball-side of the attacker, preferably facing his chest with arms out, so that when movement happens, he’s at least the right side of the attacker. Leigh was on his heels, completely unprepared.

Before the kick was struck, Fernandao was on the move, gambling on a near-post run. Should Efe have also gambled similarly? On first glance it looked like it, but that’s only because the ball went to that area and ended up in the net. Fernandao could afford to gamble by running into a space the ball may or may not arrive at. This is not the case for a defender. He has to wait until the ball is in the air. If he leaves his zone before the ball’s kicked to follow an attacker who has move early, he’s not doing his job.

It’s all about the block.

Great corner aside, we lost the second goal because we didn’t get a block on Fenerbahce’s target man. Before the kick was taken, Leigh Griffiths was adjacent to and looking at Fernandao, having been delegated the task by the impressive Kieran Tierney, but Leigh was also looking all around him and made no attempt to block.

Griffiths (5’ 8”), the smallest man in the Celtic team, should never have been near Fernandao (6’ 4”), the tallest man in the Fenerbahce team. That’s 8 inches of disadvantage and double figures of kilos weight.

There are two big questions to be asked about this goal:

Why didn’t we have a physical equal on Fernandao, capable of withstanding a shove, or better still, getting his own shove in first? Fenerbahce had one target man striker, we didn’t notice him. It doesn’t matter if you play zonal or man-to-man, if we are conceding 8 inches to the opponent’s main physical threat, we’ll continue to lose goals at corner kicks.

But the real curious question is why was it left to 18-year-old Kieran Tierney to instruct who picks up whom at a corner kick? Action moves so quickly at corners that everyone needs to understand they have a responsibility to take control, not just the central defenders, captain, or keeper. Or 18-year-old novice.

This is not happening at Celtic right now, which is why we’re playing our European football on Thursdays this season. If you put your smallest player on an opponent’s tallest, and it’s left to an 18-year-old to delegate responsibility, you deserve to lose a goal.

Last Man Standing 5

Last call for all those wanting to take part in Last Man Standing 5, in aid of Wee Shay McGinlay who is 2 and suffers from cerebral palsy. To date CQNers and friends have raised an incredible £5400 towards the fund raising campaign, to finance treatment for Shay not available on the NHS, which will hopefully improve his quality of life.

The current entrants stand at 72, so if you want to take join the LMS5 clique, then simply drop a line to Jobo and CRC at cqnlastmanstanding@gmail.com before 12pm Saturday and they will send you more details.

Thanks for indulging me bringing the work of the Foundation to your attention all this week. The Great Scottish Run is less than 48 hours away and dozens of Celtic fans have put thousands of hours into preparing for the event.  Those doing the ‘half’ are going to miss the Hamilton game, another consequence of playing Thursday night European football.

If you can support any of the runners, please do:

Click here for my linked donation page.

Here for Steve Gunn’s.

Here for Thomas Eman’s.

Here for Robert Doherty’s.

Here for Stephen Hewitt’s.

Here for Kenny O’Neill’s.

Thank you.

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  2. Gordon64 on

    I do not enjoy watching us play 4231. For those who do enjoy this nonsense fair play to you. I look forward to the day when I can once again watch an attacking Celtic team with 2 strikers.

  3. the_huddle on

    voguepunter on 2nd October 2015 11:11 pm

     

     

    RUDICANTFAIL on 2ND OCTOBER 2015 11:08 PM

     

     

     

    Had the misfortune to watch Celtic play against a disinterested Turkish side last night and we nearly got away with it.

     

     

    Dear oh Dear……..Gordon Strachan’s teams would have run up a cricket score against them.

     

     

    How far have we fallen?

     

    —————-

     

    We talking aboot Celtic or Liverpool ???

     

    ————-

     

    The guy would shit himself if Celtic drew the scousers in Europe, gawd forbid we beat them :O)

  4. NatKnow on

    GERRYFAETHEBRIG on 2ND OCTOBER 2015 11:09 PM

     

     

    Natknow 10.57

     

     

    Apologies, I reacted like a typical ML5 punter hiding behind his iPad, don’t like the grief Matk Wlisin gets he o my says in the press what guys Luke Hartsin & Surton have said, he was a right good Ayer for us and definitely one of the good guys

     

    —————————————-

     

    Originally from Shawhead myself mate so I know where you’re coming from! :-)

     

     

    I like MW and whenever I hear him as a punter he talks a lot of sense. Hopefully he won’t change.

  5. Gerryfaethebrig on

    Rudicanfail…..

     

     

    Never a misfortune watching Celtic, maybe you are not like me…..

     

     

    Misfortune ? Never an adjective I would use describing “my” team, maybe unfortunate but misfortune ? but I suppose each to their own

     

    I hope you have the misfortune to watch my team progress

     

     

    Hail Hail

  13. Greenpinata on

    Roy Croppie,

     

     

    I have had the misfortune to see A section of Hearts supporters in full flight. The crowd in the hotel I was in were a match for the Huns, and more.

     

    However, let us not be holier than thou. Many of us have conducted ourselves at games and on trains in a manner which we cannot be totally proud of. If we are honest. This is past tense I may add , so I tend to give our supporters and others some leeway.

     

     

    Apologies if I have distracted you from your brill music and photos

     

     

    Hail Hail to you.

  16. theflagstays on

    Wow, what lengths to go to to defend the indefensible. Ambrose is unable to play at this level. Seemples. Not his problem though, the manager selects him. 2nd goal ain’t happening if the 1st doesn’t.

  18. The Spirit of Arthur Lee on

    Celticnewsnow ‏@Celticnewsnow 1m1 minute ago

     

    Ronny Deila: a year ago Efe was making more mistakes..

     

     

    Thank feck i like a laugh

  20. rudicantfail on

    Even Liam Brady’s Celtic side were better to watch than Dud Delia and his dud tactics…

     

     

    Brady had no financial support against the Huns on Bank of Scotland financial steroids,

     

     

    Dud Delia has no opposition and still finds himself out of Champions League and behind a team with a manager who was voted the worst in Bristol City’s history…..

     

     

    You pay peanuts….You get monkeys…..Simples

  21. Greenpinata on

    I bet Brendon’s Rodgers gets binned before Ronny, in spite of their “supperalative ” business plan.

     

     

     

    HH.

  22. NatKnow on

    SIPSINI on 2ND OCTOBER 2015 11:20 PM

     

     

    Natnows/sftb…

     

     

    Some on here actually think it’s a thing of the past :(

     

    ———————————————-

     

    Can only say that my own experience would suggest it’s still with us..

  23. Hamiltontim on

    Rudi

     

     

    Apologies I gave you duff info last night the parade in Liverpool is next Saturday. I can’t make it but if you mail me at hamiltontim88@yahoo.co.uk I’ll put you in touch with some really good guys who’ll take care of you.

  27. Gerryfaethebrig on

    Natknow 11.15pm

     

     

    I sort of guessed you were from the surrounding area, but even on a blog admitting you are from Shawhead you will make that Bellshill Tim feel a million dollars….. All kidding aside Mark Wilson if he stayed fit could have been magic, I remember as a young bhoy United went to that place called Ibrox where the BoS sponsored team played and he played sweeper, he was outstanding, sweeper is like your poor mans No.10, let everybody else do the work and you come in to sweep up or score a goal without marking one single player….. That football lark is a dawdle

  32. Hamiltontim on

    Greenpinata

     

     

    We’ve all been guilty at some time. I pray though that mostly we’re not racist or sectarian like them.

  35. Gerryfaethebrig on

    HT

     

     

    My daughter has been calling it ten of the ten for last 6 weeks, she said “you better stop going on about it or you won’t be going” (she is 7) am out from 2pm till 6pm, the good lady is up at 5am on a Sunday morning so the father duties kick in, by the way her mother is out tonight and not home yet, the wee blade says “it’s different I don’t bother if mums out ” I think there is a compliment in there somewhere !

  36. rudicantfail on

    Gerryfaethebrig…..

     

     

     

    I used misfortune as a noun rather than an adjective, but the more I think of it you’re probably right in a Freudian sense….

     

     

     

    It can be descriptive when watching the current team.

     

     

    Hail Hail

  40. Gordon64 on

    I’m no fan of PL but after hearing DDs strategic plan for us I have a degree of sympathy for him. DD wants us and them to join the English league. Arrogance and ignorance in the extreme. Unless he is privy to some inside info DD sounded like a dottery old man completely out of touch. We are indeed clueless in the boardroom.

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