Ryan Christie is back to his very best. His movement, vision and assists are a significant reason Celtic have scored so freely in recent weeks. Added to the form of Callum Mcgregor, Albian Ajeti, Jeremie Frimpong and Olivier Ntcham, and Celtic have the basis of a dangerous team.
I had no complaints about Livingston’s penalty, defenders tuck their arms in when blocking inside the box and Kris Ajer could have done likewise. No complaints either about the penalty Christie claimed 40 seconds earlier; no player tucks their arms in after they are on the ground. Responding to going behind by scoring twice in six minutes is the mark of champions.
The second Livingston goal and the surrender of territory in the closing moments of the game were more troubling. There was a bit of movement on the ball but it did not get close to Vasilis Barkas’ post. It was saveable. Still, the keeper would be entitled to ask why Serrano was given so much time and space.
Having conceded an unfortunate goal that brought Livi to within another pot shot of taking a point, a team at the bottom of the league should never have got near our six yard box in the closing stages of the game. Their chance in added time would have been a goal were it not for the fact that this was clearly substitute Pignatiello’s first time attempting to header a football. So far, defensive fragilities have ‘only’ cost us Champions League qualification but the bill will grow if we continue to offer up so much space in the final third.
Friday’s article, Applying and Coping with Pressure, discussed what impact the potential of Celtic going top of the table on Saturday would have on Newco ahead of their visit to Easter Road on Sunday. Having given themselves a chance to ‘go 11 points clear of Celtic’ last month, Newco are only a point ahead having played one game more after yesterday’s draw against Hibs.
Neil Lennon and the Celtic players have seen this movie before. They know how to win leagues, uniquely so, in Scotland. Coping with reversals and exploiting opportunities is the attribute of the aforementioned champions.
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Just seen an official looking document doing the rounds, 2 week lockdown is happening
Just binged on EPL mini matches and some of the mistakes were lamentable; from pussy-footing keepers to rugby tackling defenders, open-missers and mad rocket managers: With Kris and Jullien we’re comparatively well off.
Seemed the key to breaking down stuffy defences is speed and space not tippy tappy; It’s the dart over 2/3 metres that readily springs defences. Take the Spurs’ lad Son Heung Min: an efen delight to watch, speedy and lethal: Thierry Henry like. PaddyK should be able to do that, but not sure we feed that style of play. HH
Good post BIG WAVY on 21ST SEPTEMBER 2020 12:18 PM
Big Wavy…apart from his two goals I am not impressed by Duffy…he was beaten too easily by a long ball from the Livi defence which could have cost us a goal…he is our own Connor Goldson, decent but not great. However, if he was great he wouldn’t be with us…
Damn…I’ve only just got used to the idea of going to the pub…1st time today since March…at this rate lots of establishments won’t b re-opening
Quad- I think we are doing too much side to side stuff,a la Brendan, need to shoot from 20 yards more often IMO
Bada Bing
i may as well rip up my flight tickets for 17 Oct now. UK still not on Irish green list and Glasgow likely to have pubs closed
D66…it’ll be 1 up top I think on Thursday….jist as long as it’s not Christie…
Anyway, that fence won’t paint itself. Hasta luego!
A big adjustment to Covid-19 restrictions is now inevitable. Fair pay to ScotGov for providing financial support to folk required to isolate, but it’s clear that we relaxed measures too much over the summer, lost our advantage, and are now in a scrap to avoid a second lockdown.
Folk campaigning to get fans back into stadiums – a forlorn prospect any time soon – will presumably now switch their efforts to ensuring the traditional Christmas do goes ahead.
We’ll find out in early course what restrictions will be reintroduced, but we might expect indoor venues, esp hospitality, to be front and centre, together with tighter controls on home visits, travel and public transport.
We have the potential to lose a goal from a long range shot in every game we play . This needs to be ironed out in training . Slow or no closing down when the danger is clear to see.
Agree BADA. And tho I remember Neil saying he didn’t want to change too much from BR style, he got us playing with more urgency. Tho we’ve reverted to the crab-like stuff. BTW, the lad Castagne looked decent but no better than Elhamed.
From what I have seen both Hibs and Sevco will expose our defensive frailties.
There is much to be be improved and a lot to be concerned.
The personnel has changed so much , that what has happened in previous seasons is irrelevant.
We are far too open at the back .
Don’t have a midfielder who can tackle.
We have seen how easily Forrest ,Taylor and Frimpong were out muscled by Rangers .
Christie has been very poor against them .
Lots to be improved.
THELURKINTIM
:-))) OK – I’ll calm doon.
Enjoy your beer (I’m very interested but, alas, otherwise engaged at work)
HH
BGFC
CONEYBHOY- the document looks genuine, and source is from an NHS worker, she just said new restrictions announced in next 48 hours
BGFC…tell them yer away to work from home ;-))
H.H.
TBB @ 1.29
Not-Jacinda believed her own hype / she imbibed her own waste water.
She had an eight week window to actively suppress the virus towards local eradication.
Unfortunately she did not do anything apart from talk / and talk / and talk.
We are heading back towards a bigger but different outbreak.
So where are the preparations?
Where is the mass testing we will need — SG has done 4-6K tests per day for the last 3 months?
Where is the care home prep?
Where is the active isolation rep?
Where is the hospital prep — CoViD / Non CoViD hospitals / the fever hospitals / the winter wards?
BoJo has been useless but Sturgeon has been next to useless.
Compare and contrast the fire and fury when the SPL had issues with the excuses and warm words when one of her sisterhood pals has made a mistake.
As much as I love the wee man,I get the feeling he is being given a bit of a free ride by the fans,when you consider the appalling treatment of Greg Taylor,by a section of the support.I refer to Jeremy Frimpong.No doubt,a great talent that will develop,but he has so much of his game that needs improving.Common faults,hits the ball too far in front of himself,regularly.When in great positions for cut backs,too often can’t find a Celtic player.Twice on Saturday,and a good few others this season.Once these things are improved,he will be a tremendous asset.
Which brings me back to the point,Taylor,does not get the leeway Jeremy does.This season,thats 3 assists,and a goal for Taylor.Not at fault for any goals we have lost,yet,and I hate to say this,I totally agree with Commons today,the boy gets a rough deal from a section of our support,for whatever reason.Calmac,is playing much better now,he has been pushed forward,as a result of the support of Taylor.In fact,Calmac missed a sitter on Wednesday,from another great set up from Taylor.Yes the boy can improve,but it just seems a good few don’t want to give him the time.7 games in,deary me.I am all for another LB being signed,and if better,play him,but,FFS,stop being so negative about the boy.One thing he does have like KT,is his heart,and effort.Never stops.
Well said TURKEYBHOY. Two hungry young ones both still learning the art at this level.
TB @ 1.44
You make a couple of fair points but you miss the big one — JF is 19 / GT is 22.
However both need support and focused coaching.
JF needs a bit of help with tidying up his game and his end product.
GT needs help with dealing with the pressure and his decision making.
JF plays happy.
GT plays with the 1000 yard stare.
Game by game Greg Taylor is growing on me. As TB has stated he is allowing Callum McGregor to do what he does best.
Remember he is replacing a player that has a current market value circa £60m
Jobo’s excellent player ratings demonstrate a growing appreciation.
HH.
Although I have a tremendous amount of respect for Scott Brown I firmly believe that if we continue
to play 3-5-2 our defensive midfield player needs to be more mobile.
If Brown and Ntcham are in the same team there does not appear to be clearly defined duties.
Watch Livingstones second goal. Both players make for the ball one after the other and
both miss it, allowing a clear path to shoot.
It is important that the midfield make the defences job as easy as possible.
Considering we have Duffy and Barkas new to the club and playing a converted midfielder
at the back other players have to muck in at the back.
As far as I can see when you play 3-5-2 it should become 5-3-2 when you lose the ball.
Mad Mitch
We had 2 cases per million population back in July. At that point we were close to elimination. The only way to do it – and even that wasn’t guaranteed – was to quarantine all travellers into the country. A 14 day isolation regardless of where you arrived from, whether Manchester or Malaga.
I don’t know if ScotGov had the legal authority to do it. I don’t know if they were advised that it was unnecessary, or that it wouldn’t work. I don’t know if they were advised to do it but their bottle crashed.
But the virus is spread by people, it’s a social disease in that respect, and the only way to stop the virus is to stop the people. With no/limited restrictions on travel into Scotland, it was only a matter of time before community transmission became re-established.
We got hee haw time.
Question now is how severe do the restrictions need to be to maintain numbers at low levels. I expect the answer is more restrictions than we have now, but less than we had in April. But it’s a trial and error approach, with error a natural outcome.
Turkeybhoy….agreed…but still need another LB…it’s obvious
Turkeybhoy
Totally agree, we need to get behind young players, not hound them from the club.
Someone on here the other day said Klimala was not Celtic class.
Wow, the boy has played 190 minutes in total, scored a couple of goals,mostly sub appearances
and we can tell from that whether he or Taylor or Frimpong are capable of a carer at Celtic.
Step aside Lenny, people who see a player for a few minutes can predict their future.
No wait a minute could you give me six numbers for the lottery?
CALL OF JAUREZ
Agree on Brighton. They have a very good coach, which we don’t
THELURKINTIM on 21ST SEPTEMBER 2020 12:39 PM
Do you want to read how you started again.
WHER ARE THE MODS WHEN THEY ARE NEEDED.
Turkeybhoy
West Ham reject, not interested, legs gone, not Celtic class, want away, bomb scare, useless, invisible… it’s a wonder we win any games at all.
This isn’t saying posters shouldn’t criticize players but we have posters who do nothing but slate players without posting anything positive.
TURKEYBHOY
Thought Frimpong was very disappointing on Saturday and Taylor played well. As much as I love Frimpongs enthusiasm, he has a lot to learn. Needs a lot of coaching, but I don’t think we have the staff to do that
TBB,
2 cases per million in July in Scotland. Where on earth are you getting such figures.?
On the 28th of July alone we had 22 positive cases.
This figure of course doesn’t include the many asymptomatic cases who weren’t tested.
HH.
Yorkbhoy @ 2:16 pm
“This isn’t saying posters shouldn’t criticize players but we have posters who do nothing but slate players without posting anything positive.”
That`s it in a nutshell.
Cheerio for now.
Frimpong has pace and can beat a player. We won a watch there. Needs coached if he is to develop.
Taylor has no pace and can’t beat a player. He’s a Killie-level player and whilst I can’t fault his effort, he looks like his shirt has shrunk so much to fit him he can hardly blink on the field. He needs coached but can you coach pace and trickery? In our historic defining season are we really going to go all half-in? Effin hope not.
Get the effin chequebook out Celtic. Sick of hearing that any valid criticism of GT is tantamount to some form of abuse. He’s not good enough.
HH
Greenpinata
Yes. Unlike TBB to get things wrong so either that was a typo or TBB means something else. as it stands, it reads as though, in the whole of July, we only had two cases. I am sure that was not the case.
FU….am fully aware of how I started….sorry if yer offended….but sometimes an expletive is necessary for effect…Mods can delete if they wish…;-))
H.H.
TLT – agreed
D :)
`…any valid criticism of GT is tantamount to some form of abuse.`
a) Who decides the validity;
b) Who has described it as `some form of abuse`?
I can see why you don`t rate Taylor but I think your criticism of others who disagree is a wee bit OTT. Jullien worries me more than Taylor does.
You’re an opposition full back. Who would you want to have the ball running at you ?
1. Taylor
2. Frimpong
3. Of course it’s Taylor.
Decent coaches push us left as they see it too. One of the reasons we are hopelessly imbalanced on the left hand side.
Part of the nonsense about judging Frimpong and Forrest as ineffectual or quiet or hiding. FFS.
Now think how a balanced attacking left and right would feel ?
Open the friggin chequebook. It’s not difficult to see.
HH
JJ…I think/hope the influence of Duffy will be a positive one for CJ…
H.H.