In eight days Brendan Rodgers takes Celtic into the Camp Nou to face Barcelona. While Barca are not current European champions, there is little doubt they are the best team in the world at the moment, and no doubt whatsoever that they are the greatest team of the era. A gargantuan task lies ahead. This week we’ll have a look at that challenge and how we might best prepare.
While Brendan has carried all before him in domestic football, and at home in Europe, his Celtic lost in Gibraltar and Israel, while taking a creditable draw in Kazakhstan. Playing in the Camp Nou is another world entirely, however.
Neil Lennon did very well top inhibit Barcelona on three of the four occasions he managed Celtic against them (the fourth was a dead rubber for Celtic, who conceded six, but was a must-win for Barcelona).
On the three meaningful Celtic games, we won once, lost once with 10 men, and conceded a last minute winner in the Camp Nou. A remarkable return against one of the best teams in the history of the game.
Neil’s team defended his 18-yard-box with remarkable endeavour, even with Efe Ambrose and Kelvin Wilson in central defence – and Adam Matthews at left back. Not exactly a legendary defensive line-up, but what Neil proved more than anything, football is about the system, not the individuals.
In some respects, defending against Barcelona will be more straightforward than against St Johnstone. There will be no reluctance to clear the ball long, instead of trying to thread a pass in the middle of our own half. There should be no complacency, and at all times defenders should be aware that their defensive partners are not far away.
In defending the 18-yard-box, Neil’s Celtic conceded space near the corner flag, an area we would normally contest, as this is where dangerous cross balls can emanate from. What that Celtic team had was no only a comfortable height advantage over Barcelona, but this advantage combined with a natural ability in the air, which say Celtic score regularly and defend successfully.
I expect Mikael Lustig, Erik Sviatchenko and Kolo Toure all to play along the back line (will be amazed and concerned if Mikael plays a conventional right back role), with Nir Bitton dropping deep from midfield. So we will not be short of height, but gelling them into a cohesive unit will be one of Brendan’s major tasks when players return from international duty.
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Auld sad sack,
I don’t give a monkeys what a liar like you or anyone else says, I know what sites I visit and don’t visit. You have absolutely no idea what sites I visit, there is also the fact that the ad as I said popped up before the embedded Celtic ad on the Celtic website not as an offsite pop up but part of the Celtic ad campaign.
Cheers for the parking advice BSR/ GEORDIE MUNRO
Wouldn’t it be funny on Saturday to have the announcement that we were going to see highlights of previous league meetings between the sides on the big screens only to be followed by blank screens.
Auld Tam
You accuse me of spitting the dummy, dearie me.
Anyone who you don’t agree with the name calling starts, you sir are a sad, sad old man.
Canamalar
They tried the same routine on me, when i pointed out the Hun ads on CQN.
HH
REGGIE on 5TH SEPTEMBER 2016 4:02 PM
We don’t need statements from Celtic. The lads running Resolution 12 seem content with the efforts from the club.
======
For the record that was the case until around March this year and if you look back you will see a post by BRTH where that changed.
It was all ok as long as we were dealing with SFA as was the agreed strategy, but when that was going nowhere and only delaying going to UEFA, the mood changed.
The result was by end of May an approach was made to UEFA that Celtic would support that resulted in the response of 8th June containing the unsolicited new club/company paragraph.
It also included other dates and information that require clarification from UEFA and whilst progress on that front has been a lot slower than we would have liked it is now where matters stand.
How content we are will depend on any response to what UEFA are asked and the intention is that signatories to Res12 will be given an account from which they can make up their minds if they are content that all has been done and all is explained with regard to the necessity of Res12.
To remind folk Res12 asked Celtic to ask the UEFA Club Financial Control Body to investigate the process of granting and monitoring the UEFA licence in 2011.
The official response in the Celtic AGM Annual Report was that an investigation was not necessary.
CANAMALAR
What a horrible person you are.
Tiny Tim,
The only site visited today that referenced rangers is this site but the pop up was flashed up just prior to the official Celtic pop up that appears when you visit the site.
Jerry…,
What a horrible person you are
Starry Plough how’s it gaun G. How is things in the valley. As regards The Green Man your wide of the mark mate. TGM is every bit as much a reb as you or I. I can vouch for him.
If we were playing Hamilton or Kilmarnock on Saturday how much would we charge. When dead fc were in the league did we charge the same as other clubs when they came calling. I’m pretty sure is was £42 aginst huns and £26 all others. Now newco are here prices bumped up again as opposed to other teams in league why is this. Seems to me the club are treating them the same mate. I think it was hamiltontim who said at a Trust meeting with the club they asked what they will call the newbies PL said Rankers that who they are. Maybe HT can confirm this. As far as I’m concerned that’s Celtic bottling it to call it mate.
I’m working on Saturday so won’t see game for the record if I wasn’t working I still wouldn’t see the game I’m sure I would find something else to do. Anyway take care G always good to chat.
HH
KTF
UTLR
TUCOBENEDITO on 5TH SEPTEMBER 2016 5:15 PM
How many stupid low intelligence Huns does it take to change a lightbulb? 40,001, one to change the bulb and 40,000 to maintain its the same light bulb from before.
= = = = = = = = =
Or,how many huns does it take to change a lightbulb?
None,they live in eternal darkness. ;))
A priest told me that,although he used ‘protestant’ rather than ‘hun’.Men of cloth,eh?!
Mighty Tim
Hows it going?
Cheers for that.
I think Starry is taking the P a bit to wind me up:)
Its all good.
HH
CANAMALAR IT LOOKS LIKE OCD OBSESSION on 5TH SEPTEMBER 2016 5:28 PM
Celtic don’t control those(although they could request an add wasn’t fed if somebody complained), and it also doesn’t reflect your days browsing history. Cookies can exist indefinitely, although most are set to expire within 30 days.
who are we playing this weekend?
TET –
I questioned your claim that the majority of Celtic supporters believed The Rangers were the same club, based on your conversation with one person.
Apart from calling your claim ridiculous, I was polite and did not resort to name-calling. You were the one who responded aggressively, and claimed I was picking on you.
So don’t bother turning the tables and accusing me of name-calling. You reacted like a spoilt brat because I rubbished your claim.
Get over it.
Weeminger,
It flashed up for only a second just long enough to offend :) then was replaced by the official pop up.
AULD TAM on 5TH SEPTEMBER 2016 5:35 PM
It may not be the majority, but I’d suggest it’s a significantly high number. I know of at least one well informed, and online savvy ST holder that has stated as far as he’s concerned the rivalry is there.
I’d say that this kind of attitude is pretty widespread outside of the online communities (which are not as big as we might think).
Just logged in and scrolled back one page, not very pleasant reading. I simply don’t want to be part of this kind of back biting & name calling.
So it;s a quick Hello & a quicker Good Bye.
Keep yer energies for Saturday Bhoys.
Infighting CQN is rubbish
Hail Hail and get over yourselves.
This always happens during international break.
They are no rangers because they are deed. People are dressing up a corpse and getting it to dance. Come full time on Saturday they will be re burying it and saying it was all a joke and they are really deed.
Positivekev.com
KLV
certainly nae Hun pop up ads when I visited the official Celtic FC web site
Weeminger –
I don’t disagree. I merely questioned a claim that it was a majority of supporters, based on one conversation.
I would have challenged that regardless of who posted it. TET then claimed I was picking on him.
I’ll leave it at that.
CorkCelt
Come back bud.
We are all winding each other up, nothing more.
The bhoys are fed up with no football.
This is tame:)
Wait till Saturday.
HH
MIGHTY TIM
Been a rough year mate but that’s for another place and I know the GM is a reb like you and me. As for the prices yes it’s disappointing but the game will cost more to put on won’t it?? I’m at a point now where I’m sick of the whole thing just can’t stop supporting celtic tho’…
And to be honest if I was home now I don’t know what I would do about going to the games in the face of the corruption:(( I’m an all or nothing kind of Tim so I doubt I would be picking my games it would be all in or not in.
As someone wiser than me said on here that we Celtic would suffer the most from the huns going bust and so it has come to pass. Infighting, distrust, accusations and mischief making on here and in other Tim hotspots and many many good CQN’ers gone from here like yer guid self:))
Try explaining the new club story to the young team like my nephew, his answer, who cares they’re the huns Unc:)))
So if me tugging’ the GM’s tail has brought you out of lurk mode it’s a job done:))
Hope all is well with you and yer clan:))
Starbucks CSC:)))
The time to protest about the reincarnation of the hun was when Big Hauns launched his campaign to get them into the SPL.
Other clubs’ support made practical representations to their clubs to prevent this.
The Celtic season ticket holders, share holders and Supporters Associations, did the square root of he haw.
Not our business, said one vocal rep.
Only interested in Celtic, said others.
Had there been the same response from Celtic groups as there was from others, then, perhaps, they would have been dead and remained buried.
That ship has passed over the horizon.
That brings us to where we are today, amid much wailing and gnashing of gnashers.
The arrogant Je Suis Darryll, of SFA fame, could confidently announce that Celtic Park would be jammed when we met and nobody in attendance would give a serious damn as to Sevco’s status.
Looks like he was right. Actions speak louder than words. Even indignant rants.
We have an event at Celtic Park on Saturday, in which there were tickets available.
Such will be the demand, that Celtic, following the principle of supply and demand, put a price of £50 on a ticket.
Some people think that it is worth 50 of their hard earned quids and tried to buy one.
Others said thanks, but no thanks…and didn’t.
Each person exercising their God given free will.
What’s the problem?
Auld Tam
You are at it again, you really don’t know you are doing it most of the time, you call people out all the time if they are not in your sad clique, thankfully I am not in your sad clique.
See if you have the capability, cos I doubt you have, read back to see who posted what and in what order, you will see that you attacked my post.
I knew you were on the blog, but at no time did I contemplate responding to you, why would I bother, when all you do is attack my posts as you have done for years on here, under whatever nom de blog you post under.
I have a great life so really don’t need to get over anything whatsoever, also I have never felt the need to scurry back to scotland with my tail between my legs.
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD
Oh oh rumbled by the Maryhill mob:))
Poor Auld Tam, it’s his Birthday and he’s taking a hammering. No mercy on here.
And I’ve never seen a pop up Hun ad on CQN unless Booking.com is a Hun web site
If the CELTIC board are in any doubt about calling them out as the new club they are .
May I suggest they have a look on ragers media under the thread ….banners for Saturday .
over to you PL and DD
HH
Starry Plough
Its awe that Geordie Munro’s fault.
He just cannot help himself from throwing cats in amongst the pigeons:)
Geordie:)
HH
Any word on the Griffs Hammy
HH
Mickybhoy1888
Ive seen Hun ads on CQN, pointed it out at the time.
Next minute….Im Walter Smith ffs.
I dont lie, im above such nonsense.
I was helping clear out my father’s house at the weekend and came across a box of books I had dumped there about 15 years ago, before I went overseas.
I found a few interesting items, including . . .
THE HENRY ROOT LETTERS
Spent yesterday revisiting this tome and found it hilarious second time around.
Have any of our CQN readers enjoyed the work of Henry Root?
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD
Naw naw naw Geordie’s right mate yer a fizzy shouter wi’ a permanent hump and that Big Mighty Tim just said as much:)))
I’ll be watching the game on Saturday as I have watched every game I can since I left Scotland and when we put them to the sword I’ll be pishing myself laughing’ but one thing I won’t be doing is winding up my few hun mates online because they know their club died and have said as much to me so there’s no fun anymore winding them up as what was once died in Feb 2012 and nothing can change that!
Hail Hail
send me a fiver and ill let you know
Where did I say that the majority of supporters think they are the same club cos of a conversation I had with a mate in America, who you took to be american, that’s what you interpreted it to mean, just proves my point, you take from a post what you want for your own warped agenda, as I said, sad, sad old man.
And if the photo of their team and background staff posing with a (flute band whom it was widely reported were leaving the match to march in memory of a UVF killer shot dead by undercover police when fleeing on a motorbike after going into a catholic area of belfast and shooting an innocent bystander) ,is not enough for the suits to run as far from the disgusting old firm stain then I dread to think what it will take .
HH
Starry Plough
I wont be attending on Saturday, although i had the opportunity.
However….I will always want Celtic to skelp the Huns severely, and with much cruelty.
God help them if i escape the straight-jacket.
It would be like a scene from American Werewolf:)
So, i must remain locked up on Saturday, at all costs:)
HH
TET –
I came back to Scotland after being back twice to visit my dying brother and then for his funeral and returned permanently to spend time with my dying mother and to be with what is left of my family.
My mother passed away 11 months ago.
Thanks anyway.