Tactical change ahead for Celtic

178

Kieran Tierney went from being talked about as a future Arsenal captain to sitting on the bench.  There was no apparent drop in form, the change was due to tactical requirements.

Mikel Arteta follows the City Football Group preference for full backs who cut inside, can take the ball under pressure and turn. This hasn’t is natural to Greg Taylor, who started life in central mid.

Kieran is a classic overlapping full back. He likes the ball in front of him, can hit the bye-line and cross. This is also Alistair Johnston’s natural game. Alistair had to relearn the roll when he came to Celtic.

With two overlapping full backs the midfield well take on a completely different shape, while the rule of the wingers will be different.

I also think a striker with a physical presence does better with this plan.  More crosses into the box fits with someone like Adam Idah more than Kyogo, whose sale in January looks more like forward planning.

There’s lots to look out for when Celtic return after the summer.

Click Here for Comments >
Share.

About Author

178 Comments
  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5

  1. Timmy 7

     

     

    I totally agree with your comment about the lack of planning by our football side of the business on previous post.

     

     

    Sadly we don’t have a proper structured football department fit for purpose.

     

     

    We have a manager and a recruitment guy.

  2. DeniaBhoy on 11th June 2025 12:05 pm

     

    Are we still in the pre-season cup?

     

     

    ______________________________________________________________

     

     

    Unfortunately not, that has been won again by Sevco and as a result they get to keep it to put alongside the ceramics and bike

  3. Paul 67

     

     

    If that is so then it really is a retrograde step.

     

     

    Back to the 00s style football.

     

     

    Others are evolving and we are stagnant.

     

     

    I really hope not.

  4. I don’t know anyone who did not enjoy the ‘we never stop’ and inverted roles introduced by Ange and GT was a perfect disciple.

     

     

    Let’s hope we evolve and don’t step back.

  5. A culture where players play safe every time for fear of being judged on possession stats on a mo day morning is no longer a good one.

  6. “There’s lots to look out for when Celtic return after the summer.

     

     

    Totally agree, breath of fresh air having KT back…

     

     

    It will be interesting to see what formation and strategy the Manager goes with*

     

     

    We can go five at the back, we can go 4 -2-3-1, the good aul 4-4-2, that gave our NT manager a victory over Lichtenstein, or do we stick to 4-3-3

     

     

    We shall see…

     

     

    *If he’s still allowed an input there:)))

     

     

    Hail Hail

  7. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Fantastic news. Can’t be easy to attract players to a country where you have to pay tax. Well done to all involved.

     

    Great to get in a player of proven quality and a natural leader. I’m sure the manager – and most supporters – will be delighted; certainly the ones who want to see us improve and push forward beyond old firmery.

     

    If he gives us more width that’s definitely not a bad thing. In the cup final everything was coming inside and getting completely congested – just what our opponents wanted! Getting round the back would have disrupted their shape.

     

    Welcome Kieran!

  8. I do believe there is an operational football department structure at Celtic Park.

     

     

    How else do we identify and recruit players ?

     

     

    and it is successful.

     

     

    even in a country where players have to pasy tax, just like every other individual.

  9. Don’t understand why we let Daniel Cummings go , and sign Callum. Makes no sense at all to me.

     

     

    Just get our business done early please Celtic, no last minute panic buys, not difficult surely

     

     

    KINGLuBO

  10. KINGLUBO on 11th June 2025 12:44 pm

     

    Don’t understand why we let Daniel Cummings go , and sign Callum. Makes no sense at all to me.

     

     

    ————————

     

     

    you are over thinking it.

     

     

    daniel wanted to leave, thats it in a nutshell.

  11. Kieran Tierney was effective in his first season at Arsenal which ended with an FA Cup win in 2020, in a final where KT contributed to the winning goal from the wide left position. After which Arteta began to move away from central forwards, to the point where in more recent times they have played without a nominated striker, a decision which may have cost them an EPL title over the last 2-3 seasons. Arteta also brought in left sided players from Man City, Brighton and from within, leaving KT playing abroad or as a bit part player, starting from the bench in the latter part of last season, and playing fairly well in doing so. Our best hope is that he improves our defence in our more competive games in the SPL and Europe. Not expecting an Andy Robertson style, or even a Greg Taylor, more in a role, available to the goalie, supporting our midfield and wide players with good passing and reading of the game, and it has to be said, and not to be underestimated, effective throw ins. With some occasional forward forays. Stays fit he can do all that.

  12. KINGLUBO @ 12:46 pm,

     

     

    Yes, you had to have the right calibre of players though…

     

     

    Hail Hail

  13. Did anyone notice that although PSG had most possession in the European Cup Final, they also committed more Fouls than Inter.

     

     

    The conventional wisdom in Celtica is that this is due to double standards in refereeing, yet the agreesive high press PSG and Celtic play, means they are prone to give away Fouls when they have lost possession.

     

     

    With better players, and more options, I can see our transitions becoming much slicker and faster – it’s where the modern game is at…

     

     

    Hail Hail

  14. bournesouprecipe on

    Paul67

     

     

    So we tried to sign Greg Taylor for months he went so we’ll run the club on new tactics to suit.

     

     

    Don’t think so CSC

  15. !!Bada Bing!! on

    B78- When your hero was in charge, we signed Jo Inge Berget on loan ,on a Tuesday, and played a CL Qualifier the next night,our most valuable game of the season, how’s that for forward planning….

  16. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    Good point made on previous thread about KT’s quality not being trumpeted sufficiently.

     

     

    Forget he is KT coming home for a second if you will.

     

     

    We are signing – on a free – a just turned 28 year old full back who is approaching 300 games across

     

     

    Champions League

     

    La Liga

     

    EPL

     

    Internationals

     

    Big domestic games (mostly won) in Scotland.

     

     

    That’s a good CV and an upgrade.

     

     

    Now add KT coming home, loving Celtic, loving working with and for Brendan, and with something to prove?

     

     

    Great acquisition

  17. Back to Basics - Glass Half Full on

    I don’t pay much attention to tactical details in the modern game but, like most fans, I can look at a pitch and see where our players are in and out of possession.

     

     

    Football is full of trends.

     

     

    Inevitable both as an evolution of the game and to solve current problems.

     

     

    Inverted full backs are one of those trends.

     

     

    If you had two full backs who could effectively invert AND overlap?

     

     

    Could it be as simple as the opposition having to face four challenges from those positions?

  18. GlassTwoThirdsFull on

    Presumably Bernabei was signed because he played the same way as Taylor…..?

  19. Scotland the midden is the highest Taxed Western country because Tims are too crippled with weakness to vote for Socialism over Woke Gender Benders.

  20. Tory/Lab/Lib/Ref/Gre/Snp/SF/Dup/FF/FF/Ssp

     

     

    Are the Clown show that Clowns vote for as they are crippled with Woke Scumbaggery!

  21. bournesouprecipe on

    We can’t go on backing our elite manager when he’s going into his ‘last year’ Shirley? Engels is @hyte, Idah is invisible and Kasper is past it, the recruitment team sign good ones, Brendan signs the others.

     

     

    Insider underlings are terrified of Brendan, a ‘cheque book manager’ that in two years turned recruitment upside down, having stemmed the tide of players that flooded the place in 2023, and not one of whom, remains presently at the club with much of a Parkhead future.

     

     

    Transfer window opens – Round up the usual suspects , unheard of record breaking profit and Brendan un ‘emptied’ as yet. Will he be bank rolled to ‘refresh’ the playing staff like other big clubs, or more likely reigned in, and given more expensive prospects that end up dotted around the world.

     

     

    That contractural extension will come up again around winning the qualifier, if we don’t win it, the developmentalists will carry on as normal. Let’s hope it’s the former and he continues to be as influential as he has been, in both his highly successful Celtic gigs.

  22. Queen’s Park, competing in next season’s Scottish Championship, have confirmed a friendly match against Celtic, scheduled for Friday, 4 July, at The City Stadium [Lesser Hampden] with kick-off set for 7:45pm.

  23. price tag bias seems to permeate the timternet measurement of Adam Idahs 20 goal return on investment.

     

     

    Even the greats had poor stats in their first seasons.

     

     

    Suttonn – 13

     

    Hooper – 22

     

    Larsson – 19

     

    Hartson – 24 (took him 8 games to get that first goal)

     

    Skippy – 31

     

    JVOH – 18

     

    mAGIC – 20

     

    gRIFF – 20

     

    Moussa – 32 (the exeption)

     

    Viduka – 8

     

    Eddie – 23

     

    Kyogo – 20 so the same as Adam.

     

    Kris – the real outlier cos he wasnt really a striker – 32

     

     

    and our daizen – 8, 11, 10, 33

     

     

    what do people actually want ?

  1. Pages:
  2. 1
  3. 2
  4. 3
  5. 4
  6. 5