Last night’s performance was a vast improvement on the horrible displays against Legia and gave us our second insight (after United) into how Ronny Deila is changing the way Celtic play football.
Key to the performance was the movement of his two Norwegians, Stefan Johansen and Jo Inge Berget, Callum McGregor and Beram Kayal. Johansen, who closed down space high up the field, pressurising defenders, played his best game for Celtic. Less said about his clearance of a Virgil van Dijk header the better.
Watching Kayal was like meeting an old friend again. The player, who in 2011 kept Victor Wanyama out of the team, has been a shadow of his former self since returning from injury two years ago. He is another player who enjoys closing space.
I’m an acknowledged cynic when it comes to even remotely hyped young players breaking through the ranks, but Callum McGregor has now delivered repeatedly. There is a long hard season ahead of him, and let’s remember, form fluctuates, but he has looked like one of the best players in the team so far. I doubt any Celtic player has opened the scoring in three consecutive European away games.
The first 35 minutes saw Maribor sit deep, which allowed Celtic to build patiently. Movement was good during this period, players in possession always had options, so we were able to switch play, force opponents to chase the ball, and penetrate with purpose.
Play was bound to change when Maribor started to close down higher up field, but Celtic reacted by playing low-percentage balls forward, which invariably resulted in possession being lost. I would like to see us look for less-ambitious passes more often.
There were several concerns, not least of all at the back. A defence which was impregnable for much of last season is now being cut open with regularity. I don’t subscribe to the view that players suddenly lose instinct and awareness over the summer, so it’s likely that a change in the midfield shape is exposing frailties in defence.
Maribor players found themselves clean through on a couple of occasions last night, echoing what happened in Warsaw and at Murrayfield. Ronny needs to find a fix.
Despite clearly being the better team, there is still a big job ahead for Celtic next week, better teams don’t always win, but a disciplined performance, no red cards, no mistakes at the back, should see us through.
Take no chances at Inverness on Saturday, make sure players are rested and fit.
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Anyone else not got their ticket in the post for the Maribor game?
NegAnon2. @19.07 hrs
I am saying nothing of the sort, what I am saying is that while dissent and questioning is acceptable, in fact desirable there is a time and place for everything.
The definition of a supporter is one who supports.
We have just achieved a magnificent result that could possibly result in us mixing with the elite–yet again. Despite financial inequality.
We rightfully castigated the team and the board after LW, surely just for balance we must give credit where credit is due.
I am sure that you will agree that continual negativity is detrimental to any organisation and I know that is not what you would wish for.
HH to you.
Joe Fillipi. So does it take 3 years? Cos that’s how long we have been making vast profits in the transfer market? Is 3 years ok? How about 4? 5?
Or is it just that celtic lied to us?
Like they lied to us about passing our details to the police? Or like they lied to us about GCC threatening to remove safety certificates?
Or how about how they have victimised us as a support? Or allowed us to be criminalised? Or banned people without any. Evidence they did something wrong. Or stayed quite while corruption was evident? Or let the 5 way agreement proceed? Or refused the living wage? Or buried res 12?
It’s not like they have a track record is it?
kinglubo
19:13 on 21 August, 2014,
That sounds lovely, I do a similar dish with bacon instead of sausage.
I’ll be giving your recipe a go next week.HH
§The person-centered counsellor facilitates three core conditions to provide a climate … positive regard; Empathic understanding – acceptance; Congruence …§
mmmmmmm maybe Negiee2 has a point….
braw
Green pinta yes of course I agree. If an organisation has laudable goals and suffers set backs then that is life and you support them. But with celtic who is it you are supporting? Those who run the club? Well have a look at the post above? Celtic as an ideal? Well yes. But. That ideal is your fellow supporters. That’s celtic. And right now those who run the club are treating us with contempt.
Neustadt. Congruence! The wholly Grail of success.
My bad. Teamcards activated I just seen
Neganon,
That’s an awfy shabby ‘get out/reply’ to Sftb post.
What another poster thinks is neither here nor there.
Neg Anon
“Remember we were told every transfer window we would improve?
What happenned?????
Did they just lie to us?”
No, I don’t remember that.
I do remember, however, being informed that “our aim is to improve the team after every window”
Wonder why you would lie about that or mis-recollect it? I believe the error re that quote has been corrected a few times. Why do you use your mis-leading version of it?
bit its a wee congruentualitis get oot ……………
braw …..(am no sorry for braw words )
even though ye all missed arsetrolloger! …. Iforgetnowtcfc …hahahahaha
NegAnon. Over the past 3 years Celtic have invested in many players one or two who have not worked out as is to be expected. We have a superb training facility at Lennoxtown and a superb ground in the East end which need maintenance so constant ongoing investment.You make a lot of statements that I cannot answer however,if only half of them were true and I could prove it I would seek answers from the club and if they were not forthcoming I wouldnt waste time moaning about it on a blog I would walk away if it upset me as much as it appears to upset you and do something else with my free time. H.H.
Between
Gaza/Israel
Yes/No
Happyclapper/Mineshafter
Religion/ Atheism
The Board/ The GB
Etc etc
I am rapidly coming to the conclusion that the planet Earth is in fact a lunatic asylum where the population have been incarcerated by beings of joined up thinking to safe guard themselves from the dis ease that separation thinking causes.
Those aliens have their own name for planet Earth.
They call it Shutter Island
and I leave the characters to the imagination.
The
SFTB the meaning is the same. So what. Happenned? Cos clearly our aim has not been to improve every transfer window. A Monica lewisky defence does not suffice I am afraid.
When did we last have a blue chip singing
Neg Anon
“However one of our happy clapper posters today, thinking about how good mcgregor has been focused not on the football but how much we could possibly get for him.
That’s just wrong headed in every sense.
Many are obsessed by how much money we can get for selling and couldn’t give a toss for results.”
I cannot answer for the mindset of others. I would still disagree with the use of “Many” in your final post. Even the ones that do laud the money, such as Kojo, are doing it in a tabloid wind-up (God knows why) way. I don’t think he represents any core thinking with his money-obsessed posts as he’s just not very convincing.
Ok Joe Fillipi. So is your answer that I shouldn’t ask? The club ignore direct requests anyway. But some at the club do read this site.
Celtic have not even tried to improve the playing staff compared to what they have sold. I say they lied. SFTB prefers to dance around the words. But the impact is the same. Downsizing, going in ever decreasing circles. Not because we have to but because we choose to.
The big question for our board is simply why? What is the goal? What is the objective? What is the strategy?
And what do we get?
Tumbleweed.
Auldheid careful you will break that zimmer!
Neganon2
You know Res12 has not been buried.
I gave you an update last week.
You can hardly make a charge of lies when you misrepresent what you were told.
Neg Anon
“SFTB the meaning is the same”
Disagree.
If I say that I am trying to get better but I fail to improve, I still have the defence that “At least I tried”. However, if I tell you that I am going to improve and I do not, I have failed without excuse.
Now, if you meant to accuse PL of not trying then you owe it to yourself to make that charge clear and not to distort his own words.
Auldheid……….Skegness is a bit like that ……Shitter Island …that you were thinking aboot
:) braw
SFTB ah right. It’s all a wind up!! Jeezus I never realised.
Just have a look back, read the posts, read the sentiment.
Neganon2
I might but you might be surprised at whom my anger is aimed.
BT
“When did we last have a blue chip singing”
I think I got one in the Bue Lagoon
Auldheid
Was sneaking a look on Deadclub media to see their pain, have you seen or heard of the accusation the VB(i know I know) have levelled at Stewart Regan today on the 5 way agreement meeting .
SFTB I do accuse PL of not trying. We have spent nowhere near out income in player transfers. If we had and had just fecked it up the I would agree we you.
But we didn’t.
So PL isn’t trying.
And no Monica lewisky type defence where careful analysis of the words will make any difference.
What’s more SFTB.
You know it.
aw Negligee now your bringing wee Monika up …tut tut tut …that lassie brought up enough ….
braw
Auldheid fair enough. But we await the outcome and it’s been a long time. I mean no offence to you. You are doing much more than I am.
You have negative posters, moaners, and Huns, difference between them and me is, I’ve had a brilliant last 23 hours, them? GIRFU them, and HH.
Left click
Not sure, they make so many.
Can you give me the gist.
Neg Anon
Do you think Kojo means what he says?
If so, you have discovered one poster who fits your bill. Just need to find enough to make “many” a truthful word.
P.S. It is not “dancing about words” to want to see people quoted correctly. Neither you or I enjoy having to correct what others mis-read into what we have said. It is just common courtesy to want to stand by your own words, not the version someone else wants to take of them.
NegAnon2. You continue to put your negative spin about Celtic if anyone disagrees you say they are wrong despite the amount of evidence you have been shown consistently that your views are incorrect.I will repeat just the one thing why do you make yourself so negative by supporting Celtic it cant do your health much good ? I will move on now. H.H.
Aw ww bless wee TD in his wee ignorant bubble. All is well. The record(my mammies record) told me so.
Neg anon
“SFTB I do accuse PL of not trying”
Well let’s hear that case now that we have the charge correct.
I am back on the paper-hanging now, so I’ll catch any further around 11 tonight
Joe Fillipi PLEASE show me this evidence!!!!!
And why do I persist? Because celtic should and could be sooooo much better. Because I love what we COULD represent.
Neganon
Be objective…. Stop being a fud….
Happy Days
HH
Auldheid
After taking call from wife ,he got fed up with lack of progress in meeting between parties signed blank forms and left them to get on with it.
SFTB
Excellent effort but, in gardening terms only, you are watering a weed.
The speculation was on how much McGregor would be worth due to his recent CL exploits, rather than “quick lets sell him while he’s hot”.
That my recollection, but….
If an unknown poster suggested just selling him now for the money we would get, that hardly constitutes the fiscal, sporting, and social policy of the club.
If you have a pet hate and a closed mind, no amount of inspired banter will make any difference.
HH
SFTB I gotta fly too.
But. Haven’t you read everything I have been saying???????
That’s the evidence???????