As we discussed a few days ago, the margins between success and failure at this level are tight. Two rash tackles inside the box was enough to see Celtic into the playoff round. On another day, the story could have been different.
For me, Kolo Toure’s 30 minutes was eye-opening. His touch was assured, which gave him time on the ball. He was confident enough to hold possession while being closed down, and can carry the ball out of defence.
He talked throughout, often while gesticulating to team-mates to calm down or to push out in a line. It’s not that we had problems in central defence before he arrived, we didn’t, but he gave the entire team an authority we’ve missed. Without him, the game may have ended differently.
This is what a top player looks like in a Celtic shirt.
Craig Gordon had a big decision to make: come out of his box to head the ball, or stay and allow Kieran Tierney to manage the situation. Yes, it was a good finish, but the keeper made the wrong decision. If you head the ball while 25 yards off your line it needs to go safe or you shouldn’t there.
Did you notice Moussa Dembele’s penalty technique? There were two important elements: the pause and the number of steps.
Most players take a penalty as soon as the referee blows his whistle. Moussa didn’t. He waited. Players who wait until a moment of their choosing score a higher percentage of times than players who move on the whistle.
The delay empowers them. They are in charge, they decide when things start. The two step run up further denies the goalkeeper reaction time: “I’m the boss, you don’t know when we start and you’ll have no time to throw yourself about”.
Squeezing the pips
None of the 11 starters were Brendan Rodgers’ players, four joined until Ronny, while seven have been at the club since Neil Lennon’s days. It’s remarkable that we managed to eliminate a team who qualified for last season’s Champions League with players who were caught so short in Europe in recent seasons.
Last night we squeezed the last pips out of the squad. The addition of Kolo and the return of Erik and Jozo will give the defence a formidable look, but we are not right in central midfield, and I know every one of you held your breath when Leigh went down injured.
I left the ground feeling Brendan got a break in getting that squad past Astana (you could argue Ronny could have done with a couple of rash challenges inside the box in similar circumstances). Sometimes you need the breaks to achieve great things.
Oh, and if football was like that every time, every other leisure industry would close. I’m pretty sure no one in the North Stand knew two Astana players were sent off, such was the Festival of Drama.
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The shocks keep rolling in. Spartak Moscow out, Lille out….Teemu Pukki scoring twice against quality opposition…
Bigger shock…Teemu Pukki hattrick…
Celtic deservedly won the tie. Astana were fairly brutal during and then odious after the first leg. On that basis alone they will not be missed.
As he did in that 1st leg, Brendan responded during the half to tactical challenges posed by the opposition. This makes him a much better manager than we have been used to seeing on our bench.
Astana changed their shape when they brought on Ibraimi. They pushed two strikers up, one just playing off the main striker.
BR responded and changed to a back three, and brought on Kolo Toure.
The midfield & defence were still adjusting, when KT lost his man (Canas? or Twomasi?); neither playing him offside nor marking him tight. Gordon made a quick decision to sweep and, once he was out of his area, to head the ball clear. The striker ran across him as he did so and his header, although strong had no elevation.
As we know, Ibraimi did the rest.
Kolo had not even touched the ball and the tie was level.
After they got their goal, they changed back to one up front and loaded the midfield, to which we took a while to adjust. Moussa’s introduction affected Astana’s shape and our pressure paid off.
We rightly won the tie and both penalties were easy decisions for the ref. Touted as a novice by the SMSM, I was surprised by how well he handled the game.
————–
As for the Celtic TV commentary team.
With respect Celtic, you have upgraded your technology to the 21st century, but what about the guys on the mikes.
No disrespect to Paul & Stephen, but Gerry & Martin, who did the live commentary on the U20s game the night before, were better. IMHO.
When we were a goal up, neither Stephen nor Paul thought to mention that our goal didn’t really affect what Astana had to do – just score a goal. Neither did they think to mention the prospect of an equalizing goal and what that would do to the dynamic of the tie. Having Celtic fans behind the mike is fine, but that is not enough.
When Ibraimi came on for Astana, they made no mention of the change in their shape and what that might do to our defensive game plan.
When Kolo Toure came on, they waffled about how his experience would be good for those around him.
Then Stephen told us Celtic had changed to a back three.
As it happens, every Celtic TV viewer saw Kolo signal to his colleague with three fingers as he came on to the field, so we already knew this.
No reference was made to the tactical push and pull from both coaches, neither the implications nor the adjustments. Basic fair I would have thought.
Ironically for me, after they scored Stephen said “I never saw that coming.”
Celtic TV broadcast video coverage of games to the rest of Timland, and, normally radio coverage to the UK & Ireland.
The fallacy that TV commentary is just radio commentary with pictures is regularly exposed on Celtic TV.
We are not the radio hugging audience of 50 years ago. We have been exposed to some excellent (and dire) TV commentaries. When watching a game live we do not need to know all the detail that a radio audience does, most of which we can see on the screen. What we do need is the insight that two people who alone are able to see beyond the rectangle of the pitch that we see: then tell us about that to help us be more informed.
Celtic TV should not just be an easy gig for old pals & ex-Celts. Fans deserve more respect than that.
Paying fans of CelticTV, and Overseas Season Ticket Holders should get better. Payroll issues aside, just get better analysts who fit the Celtic Family profile.
Respectfully,
BobCrampsey CSC
Red fur the sheep!!!!
Park Road
Re Dundalk playing at Tallaght
Their own ground Oriel is not up to UEFA standards ( its a bit of dump,in fairness most League of Ireland grounds are)
Shamrock Rovers ground at Tallaght is the most modern stadium in the League and has the requisite amount of seating to pass UEFA standards
Brondby 3 Hertha Berlin 1
Teemu Pukki hat-trick
LIONSROAR67
What a left peg that kid has.
Great balance and running also.
I want Aberdeen to be as strong in the spl next season as possible, their squad isn’t up to the rigors of six Thursday night games.
I very much hope we don’t have to do the whole europa thing for similar reasons – we need to make sure we assert our dominance over everyone else as early in the season as possible. The triumphalist trumpets don’t need much to get themselves excited but by the same token an early gap will have even the msm backed sevco under pressure
They’re also rans and need to be reminded of it
FAN-A-TIC on 4TH AUGUST 2016 8:38 PM
LIONSROAR67
What a left peg that kid has.
Great balance and running also.
Very talented kid, certainly one of the best at that age i have seen
I’ve lost my hyphen
Praecepta
“Walking on the cracks in the pavement”
Tosb
Not listening to Hugh Keevins…a challenge. Yer having a laugh. Sterner challenges than that out there.
Great result last evensong. Put the lid on a great birthday. Couldn’t have happened any other way.
Saw some plank trying to detract from Scott Browns performance. On a night like last night (irrespective of the fact that he was our best player) ffs let the rest of us enjoy the moment and give yer dome a serious shake.
WeebgfcCsc
CELTIC40ME on 4TH AUGUST 2016 8:43 PM
I’ve lost my hyphen
____________________________________________
– have this one,it’s no loss what a fhriend gets.
P
Thanks.
HH
……………………………
AT
I did say I was prob wrong and I was,
As it was only a couple of seconds between the foul and the dons player putting the ball in the net, the referee got it very wrong imo.
HH
lionroars67 on 4th August 2016 8:19 pm
the young bhoy is a star, his awareness of his team mates runs is superb for his age
LIONROARS67 on 4TH AUGUST 2016 8:19 PM…
Thanks for posting that. Wee man has a big future but I’m sure there are clubs already casting envious eyes at him…
Feel sorry for the sheep tonight Bulgarian referee absolutely shocking
Bulgarian ref so bad looks like a brown envelope performance
NYE BEVANS’ REBEL SOLDIER
Thanks, it’s a nice one too!
You look like you’re short of a space, so here you go .
WEEBOBBYCOLLINS on 4TH AUGUST 2016 8:52 PM
LIONROARS67 on 4TH AUGUST 2016 8:19 PM…
Thanks for posting that. Wee man has a big future but I’m sure there are clubs already casting envious eyes at him…
His performance against Barca was so good its worrying if you know what i mean
LEFTCLICKTIC on 4TH AUGUST 2016 8:51 PM
lionroars67 on 4th August 2016 8:19 pm
the young bhoy is a star, his awareness of his team mates runs is superb for his age
He has got it all difficult to see a weakness in his game lefty
Honestl,, I think this is the angriest I’ve ever been at a referee in a game not involving Celtic or Scotland.
Mon the 10-man Sheep!
CELTIC40ME……:)
SunnyJim
I believe it was michael Stewart for premier sports commentating on the u20 with a n other I made mention how well informed and professional they were.
gearoid1998
HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOPY Belated birthday
The Penalty
The tension, more knots in my stomach, than defenders legs, after facing Patrick Roberts, fear under the floodlights, he’s stepping up but you’re sitting down, burying your face hard into your hands which tell the story of the day.
Milk and fig soap, sweat and half time pie. You attempt to drill your face deeper to a calm place but can’t block out the noise, that bustle of energy, cheers and song to Moussa Demble, that’s piercing the night air, only adds to the fear.
The whistle blows, the crowd inhales of a drowning man, then a silence, most respectful, grabs hold of the air, stillness, amid the chaos, before an atomic flash, enthrals then terrifies you with the reality that some time in the future, at the same time, at the same place, we will need to feel this all again. I’ll make sure my hands smell better next time.
Lionroars67…
Yes, I know what you mean…that’s exactly what I was thinking…
Oh deary me!!!!!!
Maribor score ….own goal by Aberdeen
Wooooooft.
Genuinely sorry and angry for Aberdeen, But I’ll get over it I’m sure.
Now thats what you call a bobble.
Baaaaaaad luck
I was at the St Kevan’s tourney on Good Friday (pubs were shut!) and we all thought (there was a LARGE group of CQNrs there..see above) that the Bhoy was some talent. The other thing we noticed was how small our team were in comparison with the opposition.The next smallest was Barca. Enjoyed it but it is not the same with a black coffee :)
Jobo…how bad was the keeper’s mistake?
giggsy …I usually face or turn my back on a penalty …. BUT…..for some strange reason, I stood side- on, half watching …..hahahaha
Joe Lewis. Paaaaarp!
Goodnight Timland.
Aberdeen were desperately unlucky,the ref was
hopeless and the goal they lost summed up their
whole night,they can now concentrate on the race
for second!!!!
Thanks for the help with our coefficient McInnes you biscuit
Weebobbycollins –
An absolute howler. It was a gentle pass back which he fresh-aired. But when thy showed it again it took a helluva bobble up and over his foot. Wouldn’t have happened if Maribor had the Aberdour groundsman!
18billiardtablesCSC
LIONROARS67
Enjoyed the clip – thanks for posting.
Watched our U20’s Tuesday night and was impressed by the majority of the Youngsters .v. Annan.
Young Karamoko looks exceptional – maybe one of those once in 10 years nuggets that we constantly hope & pray comes through the ranks.
Time for PL to earn his corn and get this lad ‘technically’ tied-up till we get him signed to a professional contract. Who knows if he will go on to make it – but if he does it would be a damn shame if he slipped through our fingers.