Footballers often play two games a week but their peak fitness levels are achieved when the play once a week. More often than that and the muscles don’t recover quickly enough. Top players’ muscles are finely tuned to deliver 90 minutes of exertion. To reach this peak, they NEED games as well as training. It appears to be beyond the ken of sports scientists to create a training routine which matches actual matches.
Apart from a 25 minute run-out against Hearts two weeks ago, newco’s players will not have played a football game in 22 days when they line-up against the champions on Sunday. If the boot was on the other foot, I would be concerned.
Celtic watchers will note that they score more goals late in games than early. Ronny’s team try to win the battle for territory, the ball and energy before running over the top of opponents. Whatever happens in the opening 20 minutes on Sunday I would expect Celtic to be far more effective in the final 20 minutes of the game, when their superiority will be most effective. There’s a chance newco will crumble early on, but I don’t expect many chances at either end until later in the first half.
While we all know how Celtic will play, it’s harder to figure out how Kenny McDowell will line-up tactically. If he was Ross County manager he would defend his 18 yard line for 90 minutes and hope for a breakaway, but I’m not sure that’s a viable strategy for Sunday. Lose an early goal and he would be caught between damage limitation and attempting to get back into the game. It could get very messy.
My hunch is that he’ll play a conventional 4-5-1 and attempt to find space out wide behind Celtic’s full-backs for Kenny Miller to run into. The full-backs will play forward, there will be space, we’ve just got to be faster than the 35-year-old ex-Celt now plying his trade in the lower leagues.
Despite their form against Hibs and Hearts this season, newco have an excellent record against Premiership competition in the cups. Three wins, against Inverness (only one point behind Aberdeen on same games played), St Johnstone and Kilmarnock, without a goal conceded, is a measure of what they are capable of, when they put their minds to it.
The wins against Kilmarnock and Inverness are particularly noteworthy, as both Premiership clubs enjoyed the majority of possession, but were frustrated in attack and hit with sucker-punches. This is what McDowell will seek to do at Hampden.
Ronny, get the job done. Very, very, very, thoroughly.
A reminder for North American readers that the Annual Celtic Supporter’s Féile is on in Philadelphia this weekend. The events include live music each day, the US premier of The Asterisk Years, with a Q&A with Paul Larkin and Graham Wilson of Beyond the Waves podcast, as well as live coverage the semi-final. You can find out more, including how to book, here.
Have you booked for the CQN11 Str Patrick’s Dinner on Friday, 13 March? We’re hoping to raise enough money to build Mary’s Meals a school kitchen in Malawi. Mary’s meals emailed an hour ago with a report on one of the kitchens we built last year, in Kholoni, where they are now feeding 1245 children each day, a considerable increase in the roll-call since the availability of kitchen facilities, see the photo above.
Email me for tickets, celticquicknews@gmail.com (to the Dinner, not Malawi).
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Unforced errors now 36 Novak 37 Andy
Just coming into glasgow now, the bus is buzzing everybody expecting a massacre
C O Y B I G
Gordon,
Matthews, Denayer, VVD, Izzy,
Biton, Brown, Johansen,
Commons, Griffiths
Guidetti,
5-3 Novak
Novak serves for 3rd
bournesouprecipe
Fishul??
50 shades
I remember
Belt n braces
starry
Near enough? ☺ ☺ ☺ ☺
Just wanted to say thanks to Andyr53 and Lennybhoy for their offers of help over the past couple of days in getting me and Wee BGFC to the game today.
Andyr53 – don’t be concerned. I know we have slipped up in the past (Raith Rovers at Ibrox, for goodness sake!), but if we play with the right level of intensity, I can’t make any case for anything other than a trip back to Hampden for the final.
Anyway, happy to report that we are parked next to the Toryglen sports centre, so very much a Hun-free zone :-)
Wee BGFC will be along in two minutes with his prediction for the day.
HAIL, HAIL
BGFC
18 minutes in
Sassuolo 1 Inter 0
Elderly Inter neighbour man beginning to rant and rave .
BSR
I would love to see that team:))
The two G’s would run riot and I think Ronny has been keeping JG for this game:))
Mon The Hoops..
Tennis quick news.
What next? All the drama from Crufts.
Tiny Tim, just met your good lady and Danny, they are steaming lol
Novak wins 3 set leads 2-1
6 games out of 7 for Jock. Not looking good for Muzza.
starry
He might throw a surprise and unleash wee Jamesie?
bsr,
Would you put out crystaltips today ?
Right. Out to see the Celtic. Good luck to all Tims today – stay safe.
No excuse, the Hoops – savage this flagship of everything foetid about Scottish society.
Was there the obligatory negative Celtic story in the rags this morning, or did that die out with the “Old Firm”?! :-)
T4
Muzza doing his best to get this finished before the humping of the reborn Huns.
Hello this is WEE BGFC. Me and Dad safely parked in the Celtic end. :D
Prediction:
Celtic 7-1 Sevco 5088 Ltd.
Canamalar
Who?
Andy’s intensity has dropped
His mind is elsewhere.
Hampden?
All over – now got the football
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10153104271216189&set=a.10151138927316189.493851.748326188&type=1&theater
Hi ghuys great photo Miss Hebcelt sent me from Kenya where she is doing volunteer work in St Jeromes orphanage. Alan from CreetownCSC you’ll know this place. Hail Hail Hebcelt
Wee bgfc
Oh hampden in the sun celtic 7 sevco 1
Guidetti not starting. Not surprising, amazed so many papers had him in their key player head to heads.
Still expect him to get the hat trick though…
bournesouprecipe
Or maybe Mikael and Jamesy down that side, Wallace is the only half decent player they have, might be a move to keep him occupied:)) Helping wee Jamesy up!!
Hebcelt
I know Eddie from Creetown and know he goe out to Kenya also
bsr,
Really :)
Wee Jamesy ffs
Wee BGFC – I’m going for 3-1, but I hope your prediction is spot on!
Enjoy the game.
T4
Getting sore to watch now as Jock turns on the afterburners
Hello this is WEE BGFC. How’s the team out already? It’s a 13:30 Kick-off.
BT sorry I may have the wrong name could well bee Eddie could you let him know,thanks Hail Hail Hebcelt
Canamalar
He’s a wee man of many pet names.
Oh Hampden in the frost
Celtic won and Sevco lost
Will do Hebcelt
bt,
Watching jockos coach shaking a bottle of water earlier, wondered what he was mixing :)
32 minutes in.
Sassuolo 2 Inter 0 ..
Inter are a shambles.