Although Celtic created the overwhelming majority of chances last night, they were punished for unforced errors. This is why Malmo are still in the tie.
Lots of positives were evident. Malmo could only foul James Forrest. He is fit and simply unstoppable. Celtic’s least effective periods of the game coincided with when they failed to get James on the ball. When he did get the ball, he often attracted three defenders, which curtailed his options but opened up space for others.
Next week James should find more space. Malmo’s main concern for the return leg will be how to cope with him.
Leigh Griffiths is on fire. He had no right to score his second goal, it was never his ball. The timing of his leap, combined with his reach and finish, were first class. He’ll fancy himself for a goal out there.
Our passing early on was as good as it has been all season but something went wrong, I think Scott Brown and Stefan Johansen’s roles changed. Scott bossed the opening 20 minutes but towards the end of the first half, a tension had crept in.
When our defenders had the ball at their feet, the options they had earlier simply weren’t there. Think back to the early moments when Scott dropped deeper than the two central defenders to give them options in possession. There was one occasion when Brown dropped to collect a forward pass from Boyata, before passing onto Forrest and then Armstrong, who carved an opening, all achieved without resistance. Our movement made Malmo look pedestrian. We lost our way when those options dried up.
We know what we will get from Forrest and Griffiths but the key three Celtic players next week will be Brown, Bitton and Johansen. Hareide criticised Celtic’s fitness, it’s certainly clear that the early pace we set was not maintained, although it could be argued that pace was impossible to maintain. If Brown, Bitton and Johansen have the stamina to cover the acreage they did for parts of the game last night, we will be comfortable in Sweden.
The major concern is the likely absence of Mikael Lustig. Efe and Dedryck both need immediately-available options in possession. It will be absolutely critical that they are not left to play long clearing balls forward. If this happens, we will invariably lose possession and Malmo will be able to build sustained attacks.
Ronny may decide to deploy Saidy Janko instead of Efe. Efe got the nod for the bench last night as we needed cover for both central defence and right back (he’s also convered left on occasion). None of us have enough information on Saidy to offer an informed opinion on this option yet, but he may be asked to step forward.
Malmo got as much out of last night’s game as was possible. They scored two goals and didn’t pass up a good chance. We have the lead and there’s nothing too worrying in what we saw from the visitors. They will play a different game at home, have more possession and create more chances, but Celtic will create lots of chances of their own.
There’s a hard 90 minutes ahead, but it’s in our own hands, and Ronny’s right, we can win out there. This tie has a Blackburn feel about it.
One for the golfers…….
Taggsybhoy is raffling a Round of Golf for 4 at the magnificent Aberdour Golf Course, where our annual CQN Golf Open takes place, to support his Great Scottish Run campaign in aid of the Celtic Foundation. The auction ends next week and you can bid on it here on ebay. Check it out, and check out what YOUR Foundation does as well.
This is a brilliant way to get involved and achieve something significant, well done to Taggsy for taking the initiative.
Thanks to everyone who donated as part of yesterday’s competition to win a Celtic Euro shirt, courtesy of Magners. Special thanks to the winner, Glasgowdave, for allowing us to auction the shirt at a later date. You’re not a bad lot.
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LIVIBHOY on 20TH AUGUST 2015 10:34 PM
Charlie Mulgrew ?
Yes. For our next two games.
He,of course ,should have been on last night.
Night night now. HH
HT
Accurate soubriquet for me
Charlie mulgrew ahead of efe Ambrose any day for me.
If it was a choice between those 2
Bada
Ronny made 11 changes when we played away at Inverness last season on the weekend before Maribor.
We lost in the highlands and we lost to Maribor.
I’d rest those who need it and I’d leave out Bitton (his calmness in possession could be the key next week!) but I wouldn’t make wholesale changes.
WITS,
Yes I has a great time. Got the bus park at 4.15 pm, I had time to meet the family then get dropped off with Clogher Junior at the ground. Met a few CQN lads, saw the game etc. The bus left at 10pm, the boat was full of Celtic lads. It got in at 2 am.
The young lad loved every minute. Better than the plane.
Clogher
Ambrose will start if Lustig is injured.
Mikael knew the type of injury he suffered last night. He pulled up immediately and had his head in his hands, seemingly mor from despair than pain.
Forrest is favoured by Rd, WGS and Lennybhoy. That should be testimony enough, no?
Forrest’s travails both injury and offence wise, are well documented.
Unsurprisingly the player has lost his way, but he has everything if he can be recharged.
WITS
Left foot Charlie @ right back!
Don’t get behind the wheel after what you’ve been puffin oan buddy!
;-)
HH jamesgang
PFayr- shop windae for him,Stokes is a better option than Ciftci right now,he has blotted his copybook, but this is not the time to bear grudges.HH
Not keen to weaken the team and give Hearts the chance of a bigger lead.
They will challenge this season. They have impetus, confidence and their whole club is on the up.
Cowiebhoy
We are talking at cross purposes.
I dealt with those points in my last post.
I never argued that he DID directly create a chance. I did argue that his very good play led to chances being made, even if it was by the indirect method of drawing covering defenders to him.
Goals are the most valuable currency of all. Leigh Griffiths worked hard all night to get his two. Berget scored two without troubling the match observers much. Both players scored the same amount. Are we really going to say that they both played equally well.
When JF was recovering from regular and persistent recurring injury, his form suffered and we saw less evidence of the raw talent that is and always has been there. But until 9 days ago at Kilmarnock, many were still rating him on that form rather than on his potential and achievement before injury. JF and Lustig are worth persevering with because, when fit, they are superior to the other players vying for their positions. Punting them only ever made sense in the context of believing that they were doomed to be permanently injured.
I wonder how Coventry felt when they sold John Hartson to us, after he had scored 6 goals in 12 games with them. They then saw him rattle in 88 goals in 146 games before injury and age finally caught up with him as he left Celtic.
Point is, any non-twisted ( NB- St. Stivs on the wind-up) observer knows JF had a good game last night. Like all creative wingers he will have good and bad games in the future. We cannot go on basing our transfer/punt him policy on the basis of the last 90 minutes or even 2 or 3 games without a goal or assist.
Let’s judge players in the round and not just on the goals and assists. In JF’s case they will arrive again soon enough. It is all in his locker. He has a 1 in 5 goal record in his Celtic career, not bad for a winger. Pedro just went to Chelsea on the back of a 1 in 3.5 ratio. James Milner got a Liverpool move with less than 1 in 10.
Clogher
Good stuff
I prefer flying myself,but sure each to their own.
At least you were there, I was watching it from my wife’s hospital bed. She is fine now but very inconsiderate of her to have surgery the night before celtic play
Hamiltontim – so you’re not a proponent of ‘cash n carry’ management style I see!
Your post at teatime was so 100% spot on that I thought Livibhoy or H had written it!
You been copying people’s homework again you young scamp!
Night!
HH jamesgang
James Forrest I’m not his biggest fan for a few reasons he did well last night, chased back a few times too….
Very predictable though, he goes out when he should come in and vice versa, he played well but also frustrating at times.
PFAYR you oot Tuesday, ma wee mucker…
Ayrshire is Green and White
Jamesgang
Left foot charlie, better than no foot efe
Keep on smoking
HT-Never like to see us drop any points,but in the grand scheme of things i wouldn’t risk any injuries.Bitton and Brown looked like they were not 100% last night,LG is our only striker and Forrest looks like he is fit at last,cotton wool for me mate .HH
I personally dont think its a matter of Efe being out of form, he’s prone to make costly mistakes in any game. Nice big guy or not
HH
JAMESGANG on 20TH AUGUST 2015 10:57 PM
WITS
Left foot Charlie @ right back!
==========================================================================================
But,somehow an improvement on nae-feet Efe.
WITS-Good luck to your better half.HH
WITs,
I hope that all is okay there. The price for flights was off the wall, that is why we took the bus.
It was great fun. well run, and safe.
Clogher
Bada
Thanks
She is doing fine, all positive. Missed a few winners at York because of it though
Oh poor me, priorities CSC
Worried we will lose £10 million non scoring, no assisting wonder winger in the window now.
We should rate him on how many defenders teach him.
Give me strength.
Macjay
WITS
Give me ‘decent feet’ Janko and Fisher please.
We have a big squad. Most equipped in a bipod fashion!
Laters
HH jamesgang
Bada Bing,
I would like to see our team on Saturday along the lines you propose. Hopefully,and I would expect the pitch to be acceptable from a football perspective.
On another note, athleticism has its place. Eve Ambrose is undoubtedly a fine athlete, but he is not a good reliable footballer.
Skill must have its place alongside athleticism. Put simply KC has skill that others do not possess. He must play a part next Tuesday and a fit James Forrest is undoubtedly an asset.
Most defenders find it difficult to cope with a tricky player running at them with speed and James Forrest will play a pivotal role.
Questions must be asked about losing so many cheap goals considering we have an outstanding goalkeeper. There are also questions to be asked about the suitability of certain players ,but I feel they must wait until we have achieved a very winnable game on Tuesday.
HH.
Thanks Clogher
Yes the flights can be crazy sometimes
A few years back an old firm game ( remember them) was postponed. I went on ryan air website straight away and booked return flights to Glasgow for the following Wednesday week at £ 1 each way,before the rearranged fixture was announced. Next day the rearranged fixture was announced for the Wednesday I booked. Yahoo flights went to 200 immediately.
Guess what, something else happened and the fecking match was put back another week
Lost me £ 2. .
Boo hoo
At 2:0 nil game should have been killed off.
Same at 3:1, all a similar pattern to last year, when we were in winning positions against Maribor, Legia, Salzburg and others.
Against Qarabag away, he recognises importance of the result.
Hopefully he recognises the important thing next week is qualifying.
If he does he still won’t have beaten a team he shouldn’t (theoretically) have beat, but, he will at least beat a team he should have beat.
Jamesgang
I get my posts from Google-dee-gook :-)
Bada
I partly agree mate, I’d rest anyone carrying even the slightest injury too.
Night all.
James
O.K.
Yes.
Efe for domestic…tolerable.
Virtually anybody else for a tight defence in a must-win.
Repeat of the john Barnes sports life stories on stv now.
I saw him play for Watford , and then Liverpool. Live.
Wide player. Worked his ass off defensively. As a left winger. Goal scorer. Set them up.
But he was no James Forrest.
Incidentally, I wouldn`t be writing off Hearts in the league this season.
Certainly not to the extent of risking three points.
Ambrose is so bad, I would rather pay Cifti at right back rather than him.
Commons should have been on for Armstrong not GMS, who is struggling right now.
!!Bada Bing!!
A belated, welcome back.
Seen you post(s) about Ryan Gauld – Now always thot this boy had something, when he made his first appearances for the first squad at the beginning of the year he was getting huge plaudits.
Since then – little…
So a couple of things, do you kinow what he’s been doing the last couple of months?
And how do we get roung that leetle 60MEuros buy out clause?
Hail Hail
WITS,
No I wasn’t quick of the mark with the flights. They were asking for 350 return for the two of us.
Took the bus at 100 each and glad I did.
Clogher
Evening folks.
Anyone out there got BT vision? Is it any good? I need to leave sky, had enough of them
Maleys bhoy,
I have BT vision – rubbish.
Only time I ever watch it is when Celtic are on
Doesn’t even have monster trucks :-)
Chairbhoy-cheers,last i read Gauld was staying with Sporting Lisbon’s B Team,Scott Allan plays in same position,maybe the cheaper option.I think he will end up at CP some day.HH
Clash – I need to leave sky, now about £110 per month and no champions league games. Even with movies and sports off I’ll only save about £25.
BT is about £67 for 2 boxes, bt sport and fibreoptic broadband.
What’s so bad about bt vision?
Clogher
350 each is a rip off
You did the right thing