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Tactically abject. We can do better

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By on CQN BLOG & Comments

Congratulations to Brendan and the players, last night’s results makes it virtually certain we will qualify for the knockout stages of the Europa League. This tournament will give us peer-level competition into next year, Uefa coefficient points and could see income hit (drumroll) NINE figures for the first time.

While the wider context of last night was positive, the performance in Paris was tactically abject. In successive seasons we have conceded seven goals away to the top seed in our Champions League group. The total of 12 conceded to PSG this season contributed to them achieving a new record of all-time top scorers in a group stage, despite having only played five games.

I love the football we are watching under Brendan as much as you, but we are singularly unprepared to face opponents who perform at a higher level than us. This issue has nothing to do with our lowly league, or the calibre of players we are able to recruit, or even their endeavours during the game, it is about tactical choices.

Last week I watched Sweden resist Italy for 90 minutes at the San Siro. Sweden were awful, they couldn’t string two passes together. It was an exercise of attack v defence, but whenever the Italians turned one man in a yellow jersey, another two would descend upon him. There was no space inside the box, no overload of unmarked strikers fighting each other to latch onto a loose ball.

The contrast to the acres of space we allowed PSG last night is stark. While this is a great PSG team, one who have a good chance of going all the way in the tournament, this result is exceptional, even for them. No one in French football has conceded as many as seven to them this season, nor did a poor Anderlecht side.

The reason for this is not that the weaker French sides are all better than Celtic, it’s that they pack their penalty box, as we used to do, when facing top teams in the Champions League.

Think back to how Neil Lennon’s team pulled narrow at the back to deny Barcelona, with Lustig, Ambrose, K Wilson and Matthews in defence. Or how Gordon Strachan’s teams twice kept Milan, out for 90 minutes, with defences of M Wilson McManus, O’Dea, Naylor at home, and Caldwell, Pressley, McManus and O’Dea at the San Siro.

None of the defenders Strachan used would get into this Celtic team, nor would Efe, Kelvin or Adam Matthews. The key difference between the respective outcomes is not personnel, but tactics.

I loved the confident way we played for the opening 8 minutes but I also knew what we were in for as soon as PSG started making passes. We are, by a magnitude, not good enough to take the game to PSG in this manner. They found it very easy to carve us open and score, and as soon as the goals started raining in, that early confidence evaporated.

Instead, we played most of the match looking unsure and exposed. Any development opportunities had to be crammed into an 8-minute period, after that, it was just brutal. It wasn’t even down to poor individual performances. In fact, several players did very well, they were just tactically abandoned.

After Gordon Strachan took Cafu, Maldini, Gattuso, Seedorf, Pirlo, Kaka, Inzaghi & Co. all the way, Milan went on to beat Bayern Munich, Manchester United, and Liverpool in the final. Don’t pretend this PSG team are significantly better than that Milan team, because it is just not true (I could argue the opposite). Nor are they better than the Barcelona team Neil Lennon beat 2-1 and lost by the same score.

The key difference between now and then, is that Gordon remained haunted by his first dreadful result as Celtic manager, as was Neil, who was schooled 4-0 by Utrecht in his first season qualifiers, whereas Brendan’s equally dreadful debut result did not impose the same need to learn a lesson.

There is beauty in defending, so let’s learn to do it well.

FRIDAY EVENING ON CQN…

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  2. Celticrollercoaster supporting @WalkWithShay on

    Outstanding Christmas video from Celtic again!

     

     

    Roll on Sunday and to the first part of the Double Treble

     

     

    HH

     

     

    CRC

  3. Big Jimmy on

    KEVJUNGLE on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 10:50 AM

     

    Big Jimmy @10:10

     

     

    ###

     

     

    Fella, as soon as the control freak cliquemeister gets his hauns oan yer details, emails, phone numbers etc, then you’ll be lured to the initiation ceremony, plied wi mind controlling toxic cocktails, then all of a sudden, a psychic memo will be programmed to appear in front of yer eyes whenever the targeted rogue anti clique poster appears on these pages, and you’ll be ordered to find fault with posts that, before your initiation, would be water off a ducks back, and when your indifference dizny have the desired effect, you’ll slip doon the clique league table rankings, then they spit ye oot, or, worse still, they start leaving wee notes aboot ye oan the teachers desk. Its all part of the plan ;

     

     

    Dogs chasing cars CSC

     

    …………..

     

     

    NAE FECKIN CHANCE !

  5. Big Jimmy on

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 11:15 AM

     

    HELP THE AGED

     

    …………………

     

    Aye yer right mate…..Someone buy me TWENTY Beers !…LOL.

     

    HH

  7. oldtim67 on

    Blantyretim.

     

     

    I know that you are coming into the Blane Valley, I’ll be in around 3 .20 pm,see you then.

  8. Big Jimmy on

    AULDHEID on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 11:05 AM

     

    Yesterday I posted a definition of fortitude.

     

     

     

    Today it’s gratitude.

     

    ………………

     

     

    Well said that Man….64 and feckin counting !

     

    HH

  9. ernie lynch on

    Maybe it would be an idea for Celtic to park the bus for a spell, maybe 10 or 15 minutes, in domestic games, just to try it out, see if the players can adapt to it.

     

     

    And if parking the bus is too extreme, maybe switching to some kind of a catenaccio system.

     

     

    It would be a useful option to have available against some European opposition.

     

     

    The short passing, playing it out from the back style is fine in itself, but if superior opposition know that it’s the only way you are ever going to play no matter what they have a huge tactical advantage before a ball is kicked.

  11. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    BIGJIMMY

     

     

    You’re in no need of HELP THE AGED.

     

     

    It’s HELP THE EEJIT you need!

     

     

    I’ll send you the phone number(!)

  12. Turkeybhoy on

    INVINCIBLE ‘GG on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 3:45 AM

     

    Thanksgiving Day over and a wee read back.

     

     

    Perspective.

     

     

    A mere 18 months ago we were ecstatic as we welcomed Brendan to Celtic.

     

     

    Now it seems that a number are ready to start throwing brickbats and abuse at him.

     

     

     

     

    Yes ,some are,and rightly so.Do you think that because he is Brendan Rodgers he is beyond reproach?.To lose 17 goals in 4 CL games,and do nothing about it is bad tactics.This fawning and hiding heads in the sand is Hun like.If you keep making the same mistakes,the manager and players should be held to account.

     

    They rightly have had enormous praise for our domestic dominance,and qualifying for the group stages of the CL.You take one,you are not immune from taking criticism when you continually get it wrong.This is not a knee jerk reaction from myself because of Wednesday.I have been saying we must be a lot more cautious when playing these games.If we must “Park the bus”then so be it.

  13. Big Jimmy on

    I just clicked on the link for Celtics Christmas Video…and glanced at my window………….It’s feckin SNOWING in The Calton !

     

     

    Awe nice !

     

     

    HH

  14. Big Jimmy on

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 11:39 AM

     

    ………………………

     

    Like the Huns……. I phoned the Samartains…..they feckin hung up oan me !

     

    HH

  16. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    TURKEYBHOY

     

     

    I disagree,mate. We don’t have the players for a park the bus approach.

     

     

    To do that would require signing players who aren’t much needed except for the dodgy four games a year against the top Euro opponents we habitually draw.

     

     

    I want players who fit the system 95% of the time,not 5% of the time.

     

     

    Take our dumps and gradually improve.

     

     

    Two years ago,CLQ failure and EL 2 points humiliation.

     

     

    Last year,CL group stage and some fantastic nights. Knocked Man City’s season off course,btw.

     

     

    This season,looking like Euro football after Christmas.

     

     

    That’s progress,mate. Like it or not,we can only do it a bit at a time.

  18. 50 shades of green on

    DOC on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 10:55 AM

     

    Loosing a game of football isn’t embarrassing, loosing your club, that’s embarrassing.

     

     

    @@@@@@

     

     

    Am stealing that one mate if you dont mind.

     

     

    H.H

  19. Saint Stivs on

    The Griff………He’s a better Elf than a Cabbie ! LOL

     

     

    ———–

     

     

    your right, that was the wee missing bit, he could have turned into an elf and the taxi a sleigh , and magiced away above celtic park.

     

     

    barry norman csc.

     

     

    -)))))

  22. Turkeybhoy on

    TWISTS,

     

     

     

    N TURNS on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 9:51 AM

     

     

     

    Absolute drivel.That was an embarrassment no matter how you try to dress it up.We have watched Celtic teams in the past be hopelessly outclassed by world class opponents,and battle out results.Man U,twice at Celtic Park.Barca,with a much worse looking back 4 than started on Wednesday.We have had batterings in the Camp Nou,from the worlds best,and got results,or plaudits for making a fist of it.Against this type of opposition,all you can do is “Park the bus”.I would gladly have accepted a 3-0 in Paris with our pride intact.

  23. Fess19 on

    BMCUWP and others,

     

     

    Celtarella: some guys on here say he is a good Celtic man. Must have changed somewhat since I grew up supporting Celtic.

     

    Celtarella called (and I quote) All Tims are parochial schizo twats

     

     

    I had a post about the hundreds of teams set out each season to reach the CL and we drew 2nd and 3rd favourites. Finished with the Griffs quote ” yer teams dead”

     

     

    Celtarella fired straight back with ” the huns are not dead you bunch of physcos”

     

     

    If this is the new standard of Celtic supporters I worry about the future of our club

     

     

    KTF

  24. Big Jimmy on

    Right Celtic…… we gave PSG some early Christmas presents in recent weeks…lets give Mudderwell ( and the rest) HEE feckin HAW !

     

     

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 11:52 AM

     

     

    SPOT ON Mate.

     

    …

     

    HH

  25. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    FESS19

     

     

    Trust me,mate. He’s as Celtic daft as you and me. His approach is a bit shock-jock,but that’s the kind of girl he is(!)

  26. Big Jimmy on

    FESS19 on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 11:58 AM

     

    BMCUWP and others,

     

    …………

     

    Well said mate…I couldn’t be arsed reading back at what that Chump…CELTELLA Posted on Wednesday night after the game.

     

    The Celtic family don’t need Chumps like him…… or Her ?

     

    There’s only one TWAT…….

     

    HH

  29. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    TURKEYBHOY

     

    *

     

    Celtarella fired straight back with ” the huns are not dead you bunch of physcos”

     

     

     

    If this is the new standard of Celtic supporters I worry about the future of our club

     

    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

     

     

    Agreed,mate. Anyone who can’t spell psychos properly has no place in my club.

  30. Turkeybhoy on

    BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 24TH NOVEMBER 2017 11:52 AM

     

    TURKEYBHOY

     

     

     

    I disagree,mate. We don’t have the players for a park the bus approach.

     

     

     

     

    I disagree.Its not that we dont have the players to park the bus,its that they are not being set up to do it.Against Barca,our greatest CL win,Lenny had a plan.He did not have the best of defenders,but he had a plan.Give them the ball as much as they like out wide,dont get drawn out.His words.They had 80 % possession and we won 2-1.We looked as if we had a fleet of buses that night,against a better team than PSG.We see it at Celtic Park regularly.11 man defence by inferior players,and regularly we struggle to break it down.All these results do is damage the name of our club.

  31. tonydonnelly67 on

    I don’t think we have the personnel to park the bus, and hopefully never will, I would be a hypocrite to back it, I see enough of it in the SPFL every week to condone it, it’s boring annoying and the hype that managers from St Johnston and Dundee get for it as far as I’m concerned is way over the top.

     

    In a home and away aggragated game like in the stage of the Europa league, yes I see the discussion on that obviously, but a wee tweet here and there should be good enough, signing playing 4 central defender and 2 full backs? 7-1 psg? A few young guys played in that game don’t forget, did they learn anything from Wed. Night?

     

    Come Sunday at around 16:45/55 we will soon find out but I’m sure they will turn it on, there are a few in here who hope they don’t, just to justify the B S that they have been posting over the last 48 hrs. Let me tell you something right now, by that time Sunday they will be under the rocks they came from underneath on wed. Night, shower a ……RDS THAT THEY ARE. Iv wiped better of the heel of my shoe.

  32. Eurochamps67 on

    Horses?

     

     

    Buy money on Gulliver in the 12.15 Lingfield

     

    Josephine Gordon 100th winner this season

     

     

    Then put it on

     

     

    Russe Blanc 12.40 Haydock NAP

     

     

    Eurochamps67

     

     

    Got 6/1 on Cue Card before Sizing John declared non runner!

  41. fleagle1888 on

    Twists/BMCUWP… a double reboot seems to have sorted the issue, thanks for your help!

     

     

    My nap for today is : No Hassle Hoff (Haydock 14:25)

     

     

    Good luck y’all… fleagle1888

  42. BOBBY MURDOCH'S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on

    FLEAGLE

     

     

    I just got your message-I was hoping there was a glitch to,save me my weekly embarrassment!

     

     

    Off to the pub,I’ll ask some wee wean to pick a horse for me,this expert form analysis disnae work!!!

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