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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Hi td67
I thought i better post something about last night in case i was labelled as a hider :-)
A good enough result, in an environment (CL qualifier) which is all about results and very little else. Performance and entertainment is a secondary consideration. Probably the scales are tipped a little in our favour, however Its only half time and its still a draw. So its not a great result.
Getting thru the tie and into the Group stages is the objective. Unlike many others on here, this mineshafter felt that Maribor should be an easy tie, an opportunity to put the Legia embarrassment behind us. That objective is still within our grasp. (I reckon that legia are a better side than Maribor)
We all have our favourites,but disappointed with the stick Mulgrew & Izzy have been getting in the last couple of weeks,they have more than enough credits in a Celtic jersey,to earn our support when they hit a sticky spell,a hunnish trait.
Tamrabam
History will show we beat Legia 3-0 , let’s hope it shows the same score for us on Tuesday ;)
Tamrabam
They are not inferior to Legia in Euro rankings
!!Bada Bing!!
In future, if i think someone had a bad game I wont say it….I’ll just say he didn’t have a good game….will that make you feel better?…Precious?
.
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox but saying no to CQN racists
14:11 on
21 August, 2014
Summa of Sammi
“Very Sad that Celtic FC..after all.. might Qualify for the Champions League and that is News on CQN..”
..
Setting..Free..
l have Re-Posted the only part of your Post that l actually understand..
l highlighted on a Day Celtic FC ‘Might’ qualify for Champions league..Which for this Celtic fan means a few things..Pride..Euphoria..Excitement..Joy..Happiness..Feeling lucky..Etc Etc..
as Against..
Naming (On a Celtic website)..2 Rangers supporters that Sang a Couple of Songs..In My Opinion that is Just stirring up Hatred..
..Your post seems strange maybe you misread my initial Post..
Summa
Bada,
I hear ye.
Some folk go ott after a bad pass or performance.
!!Bada Bing!! 14:30 on 21 August, 2014
Izzy needs a rest. He’s only had a week off this summer. Same with Efe.
Charlie and Lustig are both suffering from a loss of form. That is temporary, but neither are playing particularly well just now.
Bada Bing
Izzy was not uniformly bad last night.
He got criticism on the commentary early on last night for not being tight enough to his man, but that man was breaking into the right Centre back position and Izzy had spotted the danger from way over in his left back position and had got close enough to put him off.
He was also responsible for several good interceptions and tackles in the 2nd half on Tavares as their no. 5 pinged balls through to him.
Unfortunately, he spoiled this good work with a suicidal inside pass and some poor decisions going forward. Contrary to the theory that Maribor, like others, had a game plan to upset our small left back, I felt they did far more damage by passes from their no.5 out to the left back and left winger on the Lustig/McGregor side.
Malc
13:46 on
21 August, 2014
It would be nice if, just for once, the SPFL gave us the day off at the weekend – in the interests of Scottish fitba, obviously…
… or do Celtic need another game to help improve match fitness, sharpness, holes in the defence, etc.? I dunno…
Either way, onwards and upwards for Ronny’s tri-coloured Saltired Soldiers. Good win at the weekend, followed by qualification next Tuesday night should just about tip thems over the edge.
=======================
One of the many benefits of not having RIFC around as title competitors is that we now CAN afford to take a risk on dropping points in a game such as the next one.
So the sums are: say an extra £5m from their arrival in the the top tier v £20M from regular CL money?
Its a difficult one . <++++++++++++ irony.
SFTB @ 14.32
What do the Euro rankings show?
Maribor are third rate would be my guess.
Take away the pressure and the transition and it would be a fairly straightforward tie.
If you think we are in a fair fight it only shows how far we have fallen since Nov 2004 or Feb 2007 our own Euro Twin Peaks.
We must be strong favourites — cup football and all that.
If Maribor make the CL proper they will be part of a 3 team group.
If we make the CL we won’t.
Summa
I did mis-read it.
I thought you were saying that it was sad, and an indication of falling standards, that we were celebrating a “possible” CL qualification
Apologies are due to you from me.
P.S. I did not see the reference to the Ibrox club supporters that you were referencing. Agreed there is no need to name them, though the fact they were arrested in England is a neat legal point
Madmitch
I think we are strong favourites but we all know the dangers of overconfidence, and how tricky these qualifiers can be.
Maribor are a better team than their ranking indicates but we were bookies favourites before the first leg it’s just we do better as underdogs.
LiviBhoy
14:27 on
21 August, 2014
Auldheid
Lubo was plucked from obscurity. If we can find a simlar player of ability in the same situation they will walk to Paradise to sign for Celtic.
LB
===============
Indeed, hence my jungle comment. Mind you I liked Maribor’s CF last night. I liked the way the ball “stuck” with him in spite of attention from our defenders.
To the Amazon….(jungle)
I’m not sure how good Legia really are as we were rank in both games.
So I can’t really compare Legia to Maribor, against whom we were much, much better.
We must be strong favourites — cup football and all that.
If Maribor make the CL proper they will be part of a 3 team group.
If we make the CL we won’t.
Could you elaborate on that please?
Still a bit of work to do on Tuesday – they will be dangerous away from home. Wish our players would stay out of the press and do the talking on the park. We are not through yet. Quietly optimistic though. Who is the Serbian we are after – plays in the Spanish 2nd tier. The Ghana winger? All went quiet over there.
MaloneBhoy.Also the Maribor manager and the press are saying they have a good chance to win the tie in Glasgow.The tie is balanced on a knife edge and could go either way. H.H.
MB @ 14.43
Why are Maribor a better team than their ranking would suggest?
Are they better than a 2013 SK?
Are they a better team than a 2014 LW?
We are currently climbing out of a huge hole of our own making.
I do worry about Tuesday then I get angry thinking of why.
overseasbhoy. Celtic are trying to get a work permit for the Ghana winger before they sign him.H.H.
TD67
Could you wait a couple of minutes …
So that I can explain it in crayon.
If we cant beat Maribor at home presumably in front of a full house we dont deserve to be anywhere near the CL group stages.
If we don’t qualify for the group stages I will rap it in here and go and lurk in ff site and see how they like it.
mike bhoyle
14:09 on 21 August, 2014
Efe is still a bomb-scare at times…and nearly cost us last night…again.Somebody needs a word.
::::::::::::::::::
Efe has done us a turn many a time but his ‘lapses’ have been there since the day he arrived.
He gets away with it in Spl and sometimes in Europe but it has cost us dearly on a few occasions.
I would hope that somebody has had words with long before now.
Maybe, he is not a good listener.
Every away game in Europe I am worried even against teams like Reykjavik, never mind a decent side like Maribor.
The scars from watching our Euro away exploits from the mid seventies on will probably never heal.
Bhoys,thanks for your precious replies,i think a bit more support for guys who have proved themselves in the Hoops IMO.No surprise that guys who were at the World Cup are struggling a wee bit,and Charlie played a couple of nonsense friendlies for Scotland in July ffs.HH
MAdMitch
“What do the Euro rankings show?
Maribor are third rate would be my guess.”
That would depend where YOU would draw the line between first-rate, second-rate and third-rate Euro teams. I would not be placing Celtic in any first-rate groupings so, at worst we were playing a team from one grade below us.
They are a team who beat knocked Rangers out and, more pertinently, gave an excellent Seville side a tough test last year. Therefore 2nd, 3rd, or 4th rate, they were capable of giving a struggling ( the Legia match was just 2 weeks prior to the game) Celtic team a stern test.
My point was simple to Tamrabam. Anyone can make a subjective rating of the merits of the Legia and Maribor teams respectively but the (more?) objective rating of UEFA, based on recent performances, places Maribor slightly higher this year and, probably 20 or so places higher next year unless Legia have a good Europa Cup run.
All I asked was you to elaborate on it if you can’t I’ll understand why, cough cough
Back ti you madmitch
.
Setting..
No Worries..
Summa
iki
It’s an interesting point. The players who have taken the most flak recently have been in no particular order:
Izzaguire
Ambrose
Mulgrew
Commons (To an extent – Off form)
All very good players. I think all bar Ambrose have won a player of the year award. I suspect they have become a victim of their own success. The bar has been raised. We expect more from them than most other players.
They all have individual ability and when that ability deserts them or they go off the boil is shows more than others. I suspect they will be OK once they adapt to the system Ronny is adopting.
I really feel sorry for big Efe. I think he is a far better player than people think. He does have lapses but the Bhoy needs coaching because there is a very able player there.
LB
TD
I dont understand it either.All the CL groups have 4 teams.
setting free the bears for res. 12 & oscar knox but saying no to cqn racists
12:27 on 21 August, 2014
There are a couple of things which puzzle me about the Malky McKay issue:-
1) How could someone who was guilty of such casual racism (the homophobia, I am afraid, is more widely shared within football) operate and deal with the varied player nationalities and colours that he had to deal with? Ron Atkinson was a strange one as he was guilty of the language abuses but had a generally positive attitude to using and promoting non-white players.
2) Malky’s e-mails were seized in the course of an investigation into dubious and fraudulent transfer dealings. Yet, within hours of the authorities seizing these files, there were leaks about their racist content.
Now, you can obviously see the vengeful hand of Vincent Tan behind this but he would have to a) know that the police seizure had begun, and b) still be vengeful over Malky even though he had already won his compensation battle, according to some reports.
Does this not leave the police culpable as leakers of the material? How would Tan know what was in Malky’s e-mails?
The final point is one involved in all our interests. If private racist banter was discovered, incidentally, in the course of investigation of another offence, should it lead to charges in the courts? And, if so, what purpose does it serve to leak the material ahead of any charges being proffered or any trial?
I am not seeking any sympathy for Malky, far from it, but I am concerned about further police and press collusion in the wake of all the recent Murdoch and NOTW evidence on hacking.
Any views?
………………………………
If any of the texts or Emails between Moody and Malky McKay were sent on club computers or mobile phones (ie if the club paid for the phones or phone bills), then surely Vincent Tan would be entitled to a report from the police so that his company could do everything in its power to prevent it happening again?
TD
I will guess that MM’s point was that Maribor, if they qualify for CL group stage, will not trouble the other 3 teams in their group, thus making it a 3 way competition for the 3 prize spots.
In contrast, MM is suggesting that Celtic are capable of troubling the other 3 teams we will be drawn with or, at least, one or two of them. Therefore Celtic being there will make it a 4 team group as a contest.
Apologies if that is not what MM was saying
They certainly troubled Seville
BocchiniBhoy
14:57 on
21 August, 2014
TD
I dont understand it either.All the CL groups have 4 teams
I am sure the point being made is that they will not win a game and be tailed off last in the group, we would have a chance of winning some games and not being last
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox but saying no to CQN racists
14:58 on
snap, my understanding too
TOSB
I have had several corrections, earlier today from other posters, to my information in the post you quote.
In answer to your point, I would ask if Malky is entitled to gain access to Vincent Tan’s e-mails to see if they were guilty of the same thing. I was certainly not condoning Malky’s reported language and attitudes, I was just suspicious as to why it was leaked.
An earlier suggestion that Malky was offered the opportunity to turn himself in to the SFA also changes my feelings about the whole thing. A couple of unsavoury characters are playing hard ball with each other. I hope they all lose.
Magnificent Seven
Do you think there is any money in this lark of interpreting on behalf of the cryptic and the acronymic?
If you were using sign language for an MM post you would end up looking like a Village People dancer as they sang YMCA.