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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PF,
ya grumpy ole bassa!
Fraid Im a defo no now for Gold Cup (or was it the friday?) either way, im a no-show.
How goes it, Celtic apart?
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
The problem with signing players to keep the mineshafters happy,IMO,is that the downsizing has gone on for so long that we will have to build back to a position of strength to attract such players.
Some of our players are excellent,by and large,though mainly in defence.
But many of the rest would have struggled to get game for us six or seven years ago.
As a result,the type of player who would have improved us then is unlikely to consider us now.
I think we face a two or three year rebuild to get back to where we were,a team which is attractive to a Nakamura or JVoH.
Good players need quality alongside them too.
Lennybhoy…Supporting the DAM 5 and CFC until I die
21:49 on
21 August, 2014
hamiltontim
21:33 on 21 August, 2014
Sounds like a Ghuy I know who I would get on with.
Talking of your Bus, calton tongues passed me in George Square just after 16:00, I waved but he blanked me. If he were not driving your Bus at the time I would have booed him…:)
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
=================
Waved and blanked is it:)))
Won’t miss you the next time:)))
Ask BT “Best bus driver of the season”CSC :)
NegAnon2,
chin up me ole son.
keep posting.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Eurochamps67 ,
thank you. Yes , we raised just short of £7500 on Saturday , which was a magnificent effort . Sorry we didn’t get the chance to blether – I was at the Celtic end and was kept busy , as we all were .
To put it in context , the bucket collection pay for all the ancillaries – the bags , scarves , drinks , half-time snacks for up to 1400 kids over the next season – we couldn’t do this without the support of the fans and the blogs – thank you all very very much. We love doing what we do but we are only the point men (and women) for the entire support.
Hail Hail
Sanna
THE TOKEN TIM
All in the garden rosy,ya lucky lucky man.
Glad to hear it!
Btw,have a word with your social secretary. She keeps giving me the wrong dates,haha!
CT
Get a toilet on yer bus then ya wee skank :-)
BMCUW,
beginning to get a complex. Just as well i dont take it personally :-)
But you know I need a minimum of 6 months advance notice and even then theres no guarantee!
Bloody work.
Im sure you’ll have a ball as usual ya maniac :-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
Neganon,
You bought a season book after all the moaning. For me personally, its hard to take you serious after that.
I honestly feel you are garnering support for the board with your incessant moaning. In a Billybhoy 05 yes vote kinda way.
That said…don’t change. :)
SANNABHOY
Did you get my e-mail about season tickets for this year?
My sister was wondering,like…
Neganon2 , I met you at CQN10 – as i said at the time , you weren’t what i expected , but I’m sure most of us aren’t.
Your relationship with Celtic , and trust me , it is a relationship as strong as a love affair , as frustrating .
as a lovers tiff and as rewarding as a life-long commitment can be , id for you and Celtic.
Don’t let anyone come between you .
Don’t stop blogging. Don’t stop loving your team .
Hail Hail
Sanna
THE TOKEN TIM
Aye,we will.
And a curry!
Hamiltontim
23:38 on 21 August, 2014
Through the football, obviously.
PF Ayr
So exactly where was this high point that we have declined from to be so low right now ?
BMCUW , just checked. yes i did – was in my spam folder ! Make of that what you will .
Get her to drop me a line to sannabhoy@thekanofoundation.com.
What’s this about a hootenanny that TTT might not be able to attend – has there ever been such thing !?
Sanna
Jude
Glad you enjoyed it. Following and praying young J makes it.
PF Ayr
Would that be losing to Neuchatel or maybe Kiev Dynamo, or Wisla Krakow, or Basel in the qualifier in 2002 or maybe Anderlecht with an unsustainable budget in 2003 or when exactly was this ?
PF Ayr
Maybe one of those glory Euro years from 1980 until 2003 ? How we have fallen since then
Been on the drink all night so I’m probably talking sense for a change !!!
But the last couple of weeks have been like Claudia Schiffet kicking you in the balls then kissing them better
I don’t remember such a big change in Celtic’s fortunes in such a small space of time
67ECW
Schiffet = Schiffer.
67ECW
67ECW ,
that’s an image i’ll take to my bed !
Sanna
Neganon
Accountancy eh! Monty python was right:
:-)
How much for DDs shareholding?
HH
67 european cup winners
And I can’t remember a more amazing analogy!
How can I sleep now with that notion in my head?!?!
HH jamesgang
Beat it JP. I bagsied her 1st.
Though granted you posted quicker!
;-)
HH jamesgang
Sanna – I assume/hope you mean the “kissing them better” part of that image ?
67ECW
Claudia’s tongue OMG.
What a thought. :))
2.4 mil bid for Stefan Scepovic
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RlYQihEAatc
Burnley78,
thats you off the Christmas Card list.
Its taken me around 6 months or so to get over the last time I was reminded of the “N” word!
Still get shivers (and it wasnt from the sitting in the cold that October night in 1991) when thinking about Hossam Hassan and his personal annihilation of Liam Brady’s Hoops team.
I can still hear the roars of “Allez Xamax, Allez Xamax” from the locals sitting close to us.
Now that WAS a bad night.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
SANNABHOY
Will do,mate. Thanks.
THE TOKEN TIM attended one of the early precursors to these casual little soirees. I think he enjoyed it,but maybe it put him off the main events!
Eurochamps67- is there a DVD of that :) hh
Sanna,
Shut it ya big numpty.
:-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
67ECW
Just off to work-smiling at that post!
Superb,mate.
Scullybhoy
Messi, Ronaldo and Bale
67ECW,
what can I say?
That was an analogy and a half………..and coincidentally, half of it will stay long in the imagination bank.
I’ll leave it to you to decide which half.
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
SadoMasochist CSC
BMCUW,
Indeed I did attend then. Im much more of a small, cosy, intimate soiree kinda guy.
or it could be that HT wasnt in attendance on that one, but was on the others I was “unavoidably detained” elsewhere and couldnt attend…
;-)
HAIL! HAIL!
Token
67ECW
PMSL best post all week
NegAnon2
If you care so much about Celtic then what is your solution ?
Put forward your case and strategy as to how it goes forward ? I know the shareholders would be happy to see a more positive one if it were workable, who wouldn’t ?
Maybe a manager fighting with the board, as some crazy poster put on last night, might be the enlightened new way forward for our club….
or maybe if you walked in PL shoes for a day or two you might find Celtic are as well run and sustainable a football club as you could want given the prevailaing environment.
I would love to see your strategy to move it forward better
Buying players. Wasawerataweaboot?!
MWD says AYE