Back in the old days of the Uefa Away Goals Rule, a 2-0 win in the first leg at home had an 80% success rate at proceeding in the competition. Away goals added a jeopardy for the loser in this situation, they need to score twice but conceding once meant they would have to score four, so they could not be too gung-ho.
AZ have no such worries tonight, they can pile forward knowing they need three goals to win or the same to take the game into extra time, should they concede one. We go into the game knowing they will have lots of the ball and territorial advantage.
In all honesty, I don’t think we are anything close to an 80% chance of proceeding, more like 60%. AZ created enough good chances at Celtic Park to suggest they can find ways beyond our defensive lines. What will worry the home side is how prolific our forwards look.
European football is significantly about game management, especially this early in the season. Think back to Neil Lennon’s first season, when he took a 2-0 to Utrecht. That lead was wiped out within 20 minutes before a total collapse.
Think also about Brendan Rodgers first qualification campaign. Having won the first leg against Hapoel Be’er Sheva 5-2, the Israelis went 2-0 up three minutes into the second half – within a goal of going ahead in the tie. Brendan used all three substitutes by 65 minutes and went a touch catenaccio until full time. When the roof collapses, it is all about how you respond.
However the game progresses, Celtic’s match fitness should be better heading into the closing stages, or extra time, if it comes. We need to be ready with a strategy for these periods of the game.
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Celtic Mac on 26th August 2021 2:03 pm
You planning to visit Michael Jackson? :-)
TIMMY7_NOTED on 26TH AUGUST 2021 1:43 PM
I have to say that from time to time I wonder at the posters who seem to blithely assume that the default position for Celtic fans should be support for the SNP and Scottish independence.
I don’t know whether they’re impostors (the site was inundated with them during the referendum), very young, or just totally lacking in any knowledge or understanding of the history of the Club and its support. I daresay there will be some who, for one reason or another, have only a tenuous grasp on reality, and to whom being in a cult gives them a degree of comfort. I suppose they’re more to be pitied than scorned. But as I say I do wonder about the rest of them.
Every club in Scotland, except one, submits their Covid test results for their players to the SFA on a regular basis. The exception “possibly” sends their’s to a paramilitary lab in the occupied six counties. The SFA in turn accept the findings of these bigots and all is fair in the Scottish game. Any suspicion on a wider scale of cheating, rule bending and player behaviour is met by a Sevco internal investigation and the findings passed on to the SFA who accept the findings as fact.
Resolution 12 was conducted to show the collusion in the governing bodies that run our game for the benefit of one club. Their crystal clear findings were buried by our PLC as it threatened their business partners existance and the ability to extract vast sums of bonus monies from our club.
The deeper you swim, the greater the chance of sharks is an appropriate adage when you consider a CEO going to war with the shady side of agents and transfer bonus commissions, and out of the love of money and personal gains, awake to find your house ablaze with your family inside.
We have been let down badly by our suits and their secret society and the pain will last my lifetime. But Ange is here, the torch goes on and we celebrate and enjoy what happens on the park.
We are Celtic, You and me and never forget that. We are the lifeblood.
God bless Terry Philbin, Tommy Burns and Bobby Sands – in that order.
Ourselves alone ☘
Unlike those who blithely assume the default position is to get behind the union and it’s blessed flag and believe all pro independence Tims to be lacking in knowledge and or experience. Imagine meeting someone like that? That position is so arrogant that surely there can’t be any genuine people so tunnel visioned?
But of course I don’t need to worry I’ll never meet those people, they seem to exist only on line.
Good article, Paul. Just as we get a good “away goals” result they get rid of it!
Don’t think we are good enough to sit back and defend. Will probably see the usual setup, but in a more condensed format. Got some pace to hurt them on the counter.
A post from KDS suggests there’s nothing in any of that.
TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 26TH AUGUST 2021 2:16 PM
Every club in Scotland, except one, submits their Covid test results for their players to the SFA on a regular basis. The exception “possibly” sends their’s to a paramilitary lab in the occupied six counties.’
#########
This is a post from the huns thread on KDS about the testing company involved, which suggests that if it is a paramilitary lab it’s more likely to be a republican one than a loyalist one.
’11:33 PM – 1 day ago#131030
They send their tests to randox, they are based in crumlin, a predominantly nationalist town, they hire loads of people from this town. I’m from this town. Randox owner is a Catholic. Dr Peter Fitzgerald. Randox wouldn’t risk their professional integrity and peoples lives to help a Scottish football team win a football League. Unless my mates who work there have done it to piss me off.’
I feel it’s going to be a nervy watch tonight – AZ looked a good side at Parkhead. We’ve looked very good in the last few games but in those games we’ve had a large % of possession. Tonight is going to call for a different set-up, one that prevents them scoring. Hoping we can be clinical with our finishing and grab a first half goal.
Just can’t see Ange playing both Eddy and Koyogo. We’ll need an extra man in the back or defensive midfield, so likely we’ll see either Ryan or Soro start.
TIMMY7_NOTED on 26TH AUGUST 2021 2:25
In fairness I did say there might be factors other than inexperience or ignorance involved.
MNCELT on 26TH AUGUST 2021 2:26 PM
They pose a threat, no doubt about it. But I can’t see a defensive approach being used. I think it will be all out attack to put the game beyond them.
Ernie
Thanks for that, but you shouldn’t be supplying me with facts when I’m in the middle of a rant.😂
Huns will be huns always cheating always have always will. Whether it be diving, whether it be the dark arts of the Orange/masonic lodge at work, putting a team on the park that they cannot afford, not paying bills, liquidation/reincarnation, 1st title to 55th pish and so on, cheating at covid tests.
If anyone thinks differently they are living in cloud cuckoo land.
D :)
Ernie – I fear Ange would be hung out to dry if we go all out attack and lose the tie. We’ve seen it happen before. There’s many people waiting in the wings to jump on an opportunity to remind us of his inexperience in Europe etc. An early goal would set us on our way.
TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 26TH AUGUST 2021 2:16 PM
….
It is not possible to create a rule book deep and wide enough to regulate the Hun if they are determined to push the letter of said rules to breaking point.
Both the SPFl and ourselves would be tied up in knots trying to bring the Hun to heel every time , so they only get sanctioned when it’s a slam dunk
Big Peter’s strategy over the years was to transfer as much stuff to the SPL and leave the Huns admin wing the SFA with nothing to do … Hun strategy now is to chop off the head of the SPL and replace with Hun apologists ….
We need to focus on ourselves our energy cannot be drained away thinking about these tossers …. Change is coming in European football … shape and timing is the only question …
Big Dom’s page 1 of Strategy needs to read and I paraphrase we are a top class European football club who just happens to be located in Scotland…. Everything else flows from that …. The board would be nuts to have a strategy reliant in the medium to long term on the Hun who are going to hit administration say in the next 12 to 18 months … can kicking and mug punters will stop
Still doesn’t mean we can’t have a good laugh at the crap that goes on at the Hun and the puerile rubbish spouted by their cheer leaders in the media …. BBC still not named the Hun players out …. Can’t decide if their bricking it or have decided to just churn out as little shit about the Hun as possible
Explosion outside Kabul airport
.
For me the team picks itself tonight, Hart, Taylor, Welsh, Starfelt, Ralston, McGregor, Rogic, Turnbull, Christie, Abada & Furuhashi. The only other option would be to play Edouard and drop Christie into the Rogic position but even at that I’d still play Furuhashi through the middle as his movement and brain are just too quick for most centre backs to deal with.
EKBHOY
Great points, but really for a world class club striving to be world class in every department, I find it sickening that so much precious time is devoted to making sure that the (impartial) governing bodies don’t revert to their usual standards.
HH☘
So far this season we have basically been playing without a holding midfield player.
Shame McCarthy is injured.
Would play Soro instead of Rogic
For me tonight we play the Ange way, we had other chances against AZ in the 1st game.
People are going on about how they had chances but the opposition team will undoubtedly have chances but if we are attacking then those chances will be limited.
D :)
ST TAMS on 26TH AUGUST 2021 3:03 PM
I can’t quite believe I’m about to say this but if the choice in MF tonight is Rogic or Soro, it has to be Rogic.
When we have the ball tonight we need to keep it. Rogic the better option. Soro persistently loses possession and is liable to pick up card(s) though lack of awareness/speed of thought.
For anyone interested
Huns team announced for 4pm ko
Third choice GK Young-McCrorie starts, no McGregor, Tavernierpen or Kent.
Bench is down to the bare bones.
Predicted temperature at KO is 31 degrees.
TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 26TH AUGUST 2021 3:02 PM
EKBHOY
Great points, but really for a world class club striving to be world class in every department, I find it sickening that so much precious time is devoted to making sure that the (impartial) governing bodies don’t revert to their usual standards.
HH☘
…….
There will always be an element of shenanigans/ trickery in football admin / politics … we just need to keep our heads up and manage the big picture…
2 summers when the Hun were squealing like babies about the league and that moron Robertson was on the radio … he came across as a total tool …. Small handful of clubs sided with the Hun …. They can’t snap their fingers anymore and everyone jumps …
We have arranged matters to help ourselves and the rest of the clubs … Huns are just morons in the corner throwing tantrums… occasionally they need to be taught a lesson fined to keep the noise level down …
HH
SQUIRE DANAHER on 26TH AUGUST 2021 3:11 PM
ST TAMS on 26TH AUGUST 2021 3:03 PM
I can’t quite believe I’m about to say this but if the choice in MF tonight is Rogic or Soro, it has to be Rogic.
….
I don’t think wee Soro ‘s ball control is good enough at this level and sadly he may be a longer term casualty of the Ange revolution….. his play can be erratic but if Ange can work his magic … there is still a chance he could flourish
Hedgeyourbetscfc
We can win tonight, we don’t need to but we can, a high scoring draw for me 2.2 good luck Celtic.
I suppose we were not really expecting a lot from Europe this season with the whole new setup trying to bed in at Celtic Park but Ange’s arrival and the way he has the team playing in such a short time has whetted our appetites for more of the same please and hopefully the upward curve continues tonight.
Sunday is also important but there 34 games or so to be played after that particular fixture.
The Dutch will go for the jugular from the off as we saw in the previous match and let’s give them no encouragement by conceding in the opening minutes, there again it could be us who hit them early. Celtic should continue to do as they have been but with a little caution. Pity jamsie is out for tonight he can turn a match in the blink of an eye and has a pretty good record in Europe of late.
SQUIRE DANAHER on 26TH AUGUST 2021 3:15 PM
Let’s hope the temperature increases as the game proceeds, Squire and I hope McCrorie has a mistake or two in him.
Europe is what it is all about for Celtic as far as I’m concerned. The Club should have been more prepared to help Ange get us safely into the Group stages of at least one of the two top tournaments. They haven’t done that but Ange has over-performed with the hand he has been dealt.
I am very, very hopeful we can pull off qualification tonight if we don’t then the Club have to do everything in it’s power to use the remaining days of this transfer window to provide Ange with the proper resources to win this League and the next two transfer windows to ensure that he has the requisite resources to take Celtic out of the CL group into the last 16. The manager needs the total support of club, players and fans to turn this situation around.
We want huns to lose 1 nil extra time n penalties. lose 15 to 14 in penalty shoot out.
The y then have to stop for fuel on way home. Credit cards refused all round.
FWIW my selection for tonight would be:
Hart
Ralston Welsh Starfelt Taylor
Rogic McGregor Turnbull Christie
Abada Kyogo
THEORIGINALSADIESBHOY on 26TH AUGUST 2021 3:32 PM
SQUIRE DANAHER on 26TH AUGUST 2021 3:15 PM
Let’s hope the temperature increases as the game proceeds
###
Would a lightning storm be too much to ask for?
Favourit Uncle
….. and a wee bit of food poisoning on the `plane wouldn`t go amiss either :-))
Extra time, thunderstorm and food poisoning. Anything else?
ernie
Did you see my earlier post/question re Celtic `s origins?
Imagine that, the BBC have managed to search high and wide and find three ex huns to act as pundits for todays live TV football coverage.
Good to know it will be reciprocated by having Big Packy covering our game on radio later, that’s the big Packy who admitted that last weekends game was the first one he had seen this season. Apparently he’s only a supporter when getting a fee.
I’m with Hot Smoked for team selection.
D :)
Apologies CQN I was wrong its four ex huns.
Friesdorfer,or any other Dundee Tims.
Good Tim pub in Broughty Ferry for tonight’s game. For a friend.
HH☘
Would be astonished if the Huns get put out by this mob, completely gash