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.
Thank you.
1,371 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 24
- 25
- 26
- 27
- 28
- 29
- 30
- ...
- 37
- »
Saltires
Just catching up on the blog.
Been there myself, so I know what it’s like.
Thoughts and prayers with you.
Mourhino’s twisted sense of entitlement is the pits and reminds me of other blue peepil. Just seen the replays and his claim for a pen was doubtful IMO AND Saints were denied 2 stonewallers. VVD nearly had his shirt ripped off .Jamie Rednap termed it “an assault”!
Mourhino is an arrogant, overweening, whining git. I have not changed my opinion of him since 2003 in Seville.
Not a big rugby fan,but I hope the English get pumped,
maybe it’s the Aussie relatives or the fact I’m a sweaty
sock,or maybe my Irish roots………oh and btw Jose is imho
SPECIAL .
Saltines
Sorry for your loss. Your dad was clearly a great Celt. You will cherish the stories he will have told you over the years. God bless him.
What were WD40 and the Kenyan Fenian thinking of signing for a pub team.
pedanticcsc
That St Johnstone must be som eteam .
Beat runaway leaders of the 2nd division
Saltires
Hope you and your whole family get through this sad time, for what is worth you are all in my thoughts and prayers
Sorry tae here about yer da Saltires RIP. was there 22 year ago next month. Like you I got my love of the bhoys fae him.
When cleaning out his wardrobe tae send down tae the SVP I found his ration book, mine tae, he was a magpie.
He had bevvy planted all over the hoose, only man in Balloch with a wine cellar, everyone else used theirs for garden tools. that Bulgarian wine tasted good though.
That St Johnstone must be some team.
Easily beat runaway leaders of the 2nd division, and have now walloped the leaders of the SPL.
Don’t want to play them in a hurry.
Oh, wait a minute…
Celtic 3-1 St Johnstone
Saturday 29th August 2015, SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP
All is well – C’Mon te Aussies
;o)
Dirge being sung at Twickers.
Boak!
HH!!
bmcuwp
Got a wee image of you sitting out on a branch now sawing away but unfortunately at the area between you and the tree and you ending up in the bushes.
Wasn’t laughing at ya……honest!
Still…..must have been a better job to be tasked with this time than glossing skirting boards!
Although I’m a wee bit younger than you OT I echo what you say. I too can recall the “years in the wilderness”, October 19, 1957 until April 24 1965
When I read on here how some of the mona lisas try tae justify their tirades by pointing out to being there during the 90s, FFS we all were and some like our generation recall a time when it was not just cheating that caused us grief but pure unadulterated incompetence. However, we just got on with it and kept coming back, as my da used tae say during these times “Celtic will always let you down son”, although it wisnae just me he meant by that but also himself.
My da grew up watching a great Celtic side, Johnny Crum was his hero and he also loved Malky MacDonald and Jimmy Delaney.
He was only 14 when we won the Exhibition Cup and the names of that team read like a litany coming off his lips, he taught me that one around the time he taught me ‘Beattie Donnelly Fallon, Fernie Evans and Peacock, Tully Collins McPhail Wilson and Mochan”. IMHO the greatest team in our history and 58 years later I can still recite it.
However, the war intervened on his Celtic side and on the resumption post WWII we were in terminal decline, couldnae beat the proverbial Casey’s Drum”. He had in his young life never known such adversity.
I was born on a Saturday morning and as a young lhad mentioned tae him that we won that day. Both he and my mother laughed saying it must have been one of the few times we won back then.
Incidentally, that was the season that Jock Weir saved us fae humiliation and relegation, well the history books tell us that but if the truth be told a wee former St Ants red heided dynamo was the main saviour for our club.
The club started to rebuild and within a couple of years had added Bobby Collins, Bertie Peacock, Jimmy Walsh and Charles Patrick to Bobby Evans and John McPhail and the St Mungo Cup resided in the Parkheid boardroom.
In December of that year we added a former Albion Rovers player to the squad and the Coronation Cup was followed by the 1st Double in 40 years. We were a club on the up and although we lost 2 further cup finals, one of which was the first ever televised SC Final, the League Cup finally arrived to be repeated a season later at Hampden in the Sun.
And then calamity struck with injuries and the inevitable selling off of our star players to allegedly pay for the floodlights, the same ones that guided the Luftwaffe tae Tim Clydebank.
If my memory serves me well we only beat the deid team a handful of times within that period, this includes Glasgow and Charity Cup gemmes.
Humiliating losses tae the deid team and the buddies as well as a Jock led Pars in the Cup. As for the LC, forget about that, we couldnae even get out of the sections.
Good players and prospects came and went due to mismanagement, that is until Bob ate a piece of humble pie and brought the “Latter Day Christ”, back.
My da left this world for that Jungle up in the sky 22 years ago next month. He saw the highs and lows but still remained faithful through and through, oh BTW he like most of his peers had no time for the board back then although ironically he used tae drink in “Kelly” at Alexandria Fountain, often rumoured tae be the pub that the former World Cup winner and Renton Captain apprentice joiner acquired shortly after signing for us.
SALTIRES EN SEVILLA on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 6:31 PM…
Just read your post, sorry to here of your loss, thoughts with you and your family, RIP your Dad. HH
Saltires very sorry to hear of your loss. Your Dad sounds like a great man, may he rest in peace. Look after yourself and your family.
SALTIRES EN SEVILLA on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 6:31 PM
Folks just a wee change of subject. Please indulge me.
………………………….
Just read your very touching post. Your father was obviously much loved. May he rest in peace. Amen.
Found a place showing the game tomorrow here in meloneras, happy days.
Bring it on
FLORIDA BHOY (FORMERLY SDB) on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 6:05 PM
Winning Captains-
That phrase I mentioned above is right out of the daily retard’s best efforts at sticking the boot into the Club and supporters.
Balanced critique married to measured language is a requirement from those in stewardship of our public and social media
——
Just catching up. Not sure if this has been mention.
You use terminology like retard, then ask for measured language from others.
Really?
Dick.
Saltines: my condolences on your loss. I was born in 1939 like your Dad,and I am glad to see he brought you up in the Celtic way just as no doubt his Dad did for him. May he rest in peace . Sorry about predictive text SALTIRES.
me and little jackie mac went to ire vs can rugby in the millenium stadium sat before last – unbelievable place – effing shocking we coudn’t sing amhrain na bhfian and had to put up with the dirge irelands call ! hardluck to scotland, me english wife is secretly supporting aus
you can shove your effin chariot up your ar^e
you can shove your effin chariot up your ar^e
SALTIRES EN SEVILLA on 3RD OCTOBER 2015 6:31 PM
Prayers & thoughts bud
U&ur da WNLA
HH
Stringer Bell
I try to ignore ignorance but fair play for highlighting it, any single person that uses phrases like that is obviously never a parent…..
Apologies for me trying to ignore it
Saltires
Just read back, sincere condolences for your loss
saltires en sevilla on 3rd October 2015 6:31 pm
Thoughts and prayers with you tonight
HH
CRC
Foley scores, must be a Tim.
COSY CORNER BHOY …
You done a not bad job on that bampot bhoy of yours :))
strong, STRONG…………
………………. rumours……………………
*cough*
…………..that big, BIG questions in the dressin’ room ur bein’ asked
aboot Deek’s capacity tae manage…………….
In AW the papers the morra…………..
HH
TOSB
Since you are on the blog St Francis or St Ambrose ?
I knew Efe was a Summerlee boy at heart
Saltires
Sorry for your loss
May he reat in peace
just catching up after a good day at fontwell..
i got tired of telling posters that its easier to type record than the word they use…
go figure..
stringer bell nice one .. gerryfaethebrig highlight it when you see it ..
HH
Just spent an hour searching the media for the calls for mc innes head – 3 losses on the bounce – broken crests on the front page of the papers in the morning
Saltires
condolences
NOWA
HH
Twitter saying the Greet(ing) One has been mutually.
He’ll mend ya, yA bassa!
HH jamesgang
Saltires,
Condolences. Feel your pain. My own Da, passed away in 2006. He had his problems…don’t we all.
He once confessed to me that he was a Blackburn Rovers fan…. this a rebel from Belfast!
Bottom, line is…you only have one Da…notwithstanding,
RIP and KTF
Goodnight Timland.
Strongest eleven the morra please Ronnie.
Saltires.Just back on. Sorry to hear of your loss RIP.
Foley scores again :)))))
Foley scores again. Definitely a Tim.
blantyretim.
Are you of to Turkey after Manchester,when do you get back.I thought I read that you will be in the BV for a couple before you head across to McCuills, Hope they have a huddle out by the side door???.