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…
Friday night’s @CQNMagazine Podcast
A CELTIC STATE OF MIND
With Lisbon Lion @Cairney2Subscribe here: https://t.co/7i8rarBBl3 pic.twitter.com/RMjDOVrrKF
— Paul John Dykes (@PaulDykes) November 23, 2017
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have = haven’t
ERNIE LYNCH on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:01 PM
Completely agree. PSG is just a plaything to their Qatari backers. They might just as easily invested their money in a Formula one team.
Russian Oligarchs growing up in the slums of Moscow do not have childhood fantasies about one day owning a big EPL club.
Ego and opportunism is all that it’s about.
NFL parked the bus in six CL group games, he won four ae thum!
Will we ever see his like again ?
Colour me hun.
All inclusive.
Aye, if yer in the “bud” clique.
Pfffft!
…..oot.
I might be forced to agree that maybe Brendan “tactics” weren’t the best last night…however…Brendan is NOT to blame for some schoolboy errors that occurred, when our midfield gave the ball away easily, and therefore our makeshift defence was on the back foot for the majority of the game.
I like to think….no I like to believe, that the Board will back Brendan with a “War Chest” in January or maybe next summer….and depending who is available, and depending who wishes to play in Scotland…Celtic will be much stronger by the beginning of next season ?
In the meantime, lets enjoy what we have ( including Europa League football ? ), and hopefully we can look forward to back to back Trebles….with the bigger hope that those are BOTH ” INVINCIBLE TREBLES” ?
HH
Interestingly, in 13 domestic league games we have scored 30 goals.
In the same number of domestic league games in France, PSG have scored 43 goals.
We dont need the numbers to know they are on a different planet, which makes being so open against them all the more unfathomable.
We can talk about Lisbon and beautiful, inventive football but its not always possible.
PSG would have been delighted to see how we setup last night and in Glasgow.
I hope we learn our lesson. Worryingly we haven’t so far.
HH
M6BHOY on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:10 PM
……………………
I DIDN’T suggest that Celtic withdrew from UEFA competitions…you have made that up.
I “ASKED” what was the answer to a corrupt UEFA Competition…withdrawal …cos that aint gonna happen.
As for other Celtic being at the “Forefront” of challenging the corrupt UEFA and other European clubs aligning themselves with Celtic in such a fight….that aint gonna happen either.
What chance of that ….when even SCOTTISH Clubs refuse to back Celtic, when Celtic have asked for a Judicial Review into RES 12…..your kidding yourself on mate.
Brendan’s philosophy in Europe didn’t work at Liverpool & it’s not working at Celtic.
However at a Domestic level he is brilliant.
If he refuses to change what do we want to happen ?.
BARNEY64 on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:04 PM
Thanks for your reply. I have to agree that we can’t really compete in Europe without a more demanding challenge domestically. There needs to be a realistic overhaul of UEFA competitions such that all clubs have the chance to succeed (as it once was). But money talks…….
Some wise man once wrote “all animals are equal but some are more equal than others”.
CORKCELT
Sign better players!
M6BHOY on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:10 PM
……………………..
Why don’t you contact ALL those other clubs in Europe and ask them to form a “BLOC” to challenge UEFA…and when many if not all form that challenge to UEFA…then write to Celtic and ask Celtic FC to join the “BLOC” ?
Why should Celtic be at the “Forefront” of any such “BLOC”….we have enough on our plate fighting corruption in Scotland.
M6Bhoy
I have seen anyone suggesting Celtic should withdraw from the CL so you are just making that up.
There were at least two posters last night advocating not participating in the CL Danso and Soz both posted several times to not play in Europe
Ach well….Disappointed, but at least I’m not feeling Blue :-)
I have found some comfort by looking at the top of the comments on the right hand side – It’s called the league table.
As Philbhoy is known to say – C’mon The CELTS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Philbhoy, The players we have are unbeaten in 64 Domestic Games, so from that perspective we don’t have a problem.
The players who would make us competitive in Europe would not want to play in the SPFL & in any case we couldn’t afford them.
Decent espresso in Paris -!!!!
A bar in Rue Rougement . A home from home for Napoli fans in Paris . .2 guys at the bar talking about PSG V Celtic . Verratti in particular — both in agreement that the Verratti who plays for PSG is on another level to the one who turns out for Italy .– Why ?? – one thought that he plays better when surrounded by top class players ( and there isn’t many of them in the current Italian squad ) and the other thought that Verratti like many other modern times players simply doesn’t give a fig about his ” National team ” . For what it’s worth I thought he was their best player last night . Pass and move / give it /receive it .All night .
Lunch time choon—-I’ll be singing this on Saturday –
https://youtu.be/B9WgdrSGKzU .
Any hoo.
Sunday and part 4 of our quest for back to back trebles beckons, part 5 looking good also.
Choke on that visiting huns and Brendan knockers.,
Also thought the 67 light show last night was fantastic, either we had fans all over the ground or the PSG fans joined in, more likely to be both now that I think of it.
H.H
I’m disappointed but not too downhearted. PSG were a formidable team, but still one with vulnerabilities, which the likes of a Man City or Chelsea could exploit. So I wouldn’t have them lifting the big cup just yet.
I watched back the Anderlecht v Bayern game , and thought Anderlecht played really well in parts, so we need to be at our best to get a result in the next game. We have all seen how we fold when under severe pressure, so I’m taking nought for granted re the EL.
As fans we have to take a holistic view of the CL group stage, and despite the way it’s played out re PSG, we would all have taken this situation of being in 3rd with a home game to play, when the draw was made.
Now , firstly, we have a domestic cup to go and win.. Bring it on.
HH
PSG were by far the better team all night long but why abandon our playing style, we need to hold onto the ball and the players work on it all week long. If after 2 years of working that way they still struggle they are not the correct players. So the answer is replace, not necessarily with better players but with ones that are comfortable with the system.
As bad as last night was tactics had little to do with more than half the goals and chances created, some players being unable to pass the ball 5 yards, being able to follow runners and to tackle I. E win 70/30 balls in their favour or to clear effectively was the main issue.
Ps ncham, dumbelle and Kt actually done well would not be to harsh on sumonovic who go thrown in after 6 weeks out.
I would like to see a commanding goalkeeper and better centreback and I would also like to see Keissa given a run in the team
HH
Last night was very painful to watch, especially as I missed the first 15 minutes! Paul mentions the Sweden v Italy game and I really think we missed Lustig’s experience on the pitch.
Will be interesting to see how PSG do against Bayern away (assuming both sides play full strength teams) and in the knockout stages. Their speed of thought and fitness looked once again a level above anything we’ve seen before. Only games they have failed to win this season were when Neymar was missing through injury, and then when Neymar was sent off late on…and they still scored with 10 men! Really hope they dish out a hammering or two to an English team as the smugness & disdain for Celtic/Scottish football coming out of the media with 5 English teams likely to get through is palpable.
We will dust ourselves down. Motherwell should be very worried about this weekend, I can see another 7-1 League Final scoreline 60 years after the last one!
The reason that we can’t “do a Sweden” is because we are not Sweden.
Sweden don’t have to modify their style game by game, yet that is what is being asked of Celtic.
Strachan and Lennon had better results perhaps, because their basic game was more pragmatic and didn’t require major alterations for Europe.
However, added to that was the ever decreasing numbers turning up to Celtic Park to watch basically uninspiring football, grinding out results.
Our bread and Flora Pro Active is our domestic competitions. That’s the basis of our income and that requires people who buy tickets being entertained.
It’s the Celtic Way, always was. Not always successful in the distant past, but always a joy to be there.
Europe was and is the cherry on the cake, welcome, but not our first priority, as the game stands at the moment.
Tactics and formations are irrelevant If players make the same basic errors. Tactics and formations only work if the players are capable of playing them.
We played a significant part of last night in a 5-4-1 formation, defending deep and in numbers. It made no difference as defenders couldn’t defend and midfielders couldn’t retain possession. The players we have are too good for Scottish football and not good enough in CL. We may fair better in EL where the teams are not as good as PSG, Bayern, Barca, City, but with our current players its not a guarantee.
We need a keeper and two good centre halfs better than what we have if we want to at least have a chance of competing at CL level. We currently only participate.
PSG killed us last night because our players could not do the very basics of the sport.A lot of the goals were nearlycarbon copies of the 5 scored at Celtic Park.We have learned nothing.Careless passing in our own half,giving the ball to these guys in the worst place,happened time and time again.Thats not down to how much they cost,thats our mistake.Defenders,who time and time again,lose their man,dont see or anticipate opponents movement,ball watch.These are all basic mistakes.
I never expected anything from last night.They are too good.What I do expect is for BR to accept the situation,put out a team whos only purpose is to stop the name of our club being dragged through the gutter of European cities.Keep the drubbings down.They are doing enormous harm to our reputation.When you dont have the players available to go head to head,then dont.
The most boring club towatch away from home in Europe is Man U.Does Jose care.Not a jot.
In my opinion,BRs is badly at fault for last nights humiliation.
TEUCHTER ÁR LÁ on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:30 PM
Talking about not feeling Blue.
I watch Sevco v Hamilton on Saturday. I sometimes tune in and watch uuntil they score their first goal.
(Un)fortunately, I had to watch the whole game.
There was one point, when a defensive mistake almost let Hamilton in, the legendary commentator, Tom Miller, said, “They nearly gave Hamilton the Blue light there!”
Bring back Ronny!! :)
Financial Fair Play .
Italian media claiming that Inter are intent on buying Pastore from PSG in the next window . Inter are just one of many European clubs who operate in clear breach of UEFA’s Financial Fair Play guff –
To quote an Italian fitba journo —
” UEFA are like Trump — pumping hot air to the gullible “
Just cheer us all up …remember that there is ALWAYS someone worse off than yourself !
Taken from Daily Rectum
One CLASSLESS CHUMP accusing others of having “No Class”….he’s right about one thing though..”.it is NOT the Ranjurs he knew”….Thats cos they are DEED ya Chump !
………………
Barry Ferguson says Rangers are ‘lacking class’ as manager hunt continues
The Record Sport columnist reckons there must be more accountability as the Ibrox side look for a replacement for Pedro Caixinha.
Barry Ferguson has slammed Rangers as the delay to name Pedro Caixinha’s successor continues.
The Record Sport columnist reckons there must be more accountability and the Ibrox side are ‘lacking class’ over the protracted search for the club’s new boss.
Graeme Murty remains in temporary charge, but the former Gers skipper says the time is now for more clarity as the search continues to replace the Caixinha.
Ferguson admits that Rangers must find the right man quickly who is allowed to make an impact in the transfer window in January.
Barry Ferguson says Rangers are lacking class
Graeme Murty is still in caretaker charge
He told PLZ Soccer : “They’re lacking class — the full club. That’s not the Rangers I know.
“You hear things from a ‘spokesman’ or a ‘spokesperson’.
“Somebody come out and face the music — let the fans know what’s going on, like what the finances are all about. But the main thing just now is that the fans are wanting to know who they’ve got in their minds to be the next Rangers manager.
PSG beat Bayern Munich 3-0 in Paris. It will be interesting to see how they get on in Munich.
If they win comfortably then there are real warning signs for the Champions League.
I suspect that last night’s result could be regarded in a completely different context come May.
The qualifying teams from the other groups will not want to be drawn against PSG. There could be a few more thrashing’s handed out.
Remember when we beat Barca and Neil Lennon’s tactics were copied by other teams playing them. It caused Barca all sorts of problems.
Conversely after last night everyone will park the bus but there could still be a few hammering along the way.
UEFA could end up with a club that has bent the financial fair play rules beyond breaking point, getting away it and winning the big cup.
If they do the same thing in the latter rounds the victims will speak up.
For us the thought of an unlikely Europa League win could mean we have to play PSG in the Super Cup or whatever it’s called!
How ironic would that be!
Some of the PSG fans appeared to join in with the Celtic support in the 67th minute.
Maybe for all the drubbing their team was inflicting, they know there’s something missing from their club and it’s something they can never buy.
I meant to add….did wee Barry tell the world about his Finances…his EBT etc…did wee Barry provide any clarity about his finances when at the Huns….did wee Barry provide any clarity when he switched all his money into his wifes name ?
HaHaHa.
HH
BIG JIMMY on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:22 PM
If you come to the conclusion that nothing can be done about corruption in Europe and Scotland then you have a personal decision to make. I made mine a few years ago and decided I wouldn’t part with a single penny of my hard-earned cash till the game was as clean as it could be. A level playing field for all participants is not to much to ask for is it?
I still have an interest in Celtic but I no longer allow it to dictate the rhythm of my life the way I used to. I now much prefer playing to watching. I do this twice weekly and feel much much better for it. If that’s walking away then I am happy to have done this.
FAIR FINANCE RULES
Paul and Brendan are right. U.E.F.A. is corrupt insofar as they have allowed P.S.G. and Man. City to break the Fair Finance rules to the disadvantage of other clubs.e.g. P.S.G. have a transfer budget in excess of £900 million.
TREBLE WINNING CAPTAINS on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:53 PM
…………………
A very sensible post…it will never catch on !
Well said that man.
KTF
HH
M6BHOY on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:54 PM
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nae bother, thats up to you……but why do you continue to watch Celtic in ANY corrupt competition whether it’s a UEFA and/or SFA/SPFL Competitions….and then come on here greetin and moaning…I certainly don’t remember you coming on here when Celtic gubbed the Huns 5-1…TWICE , and praising the Celts
Wrong tactics. poor defenders but mainly a lack f fight and belief. We did the same against AStana FFS! but managed to sneak a couple of goals. Boyata is mince outside sspl. Jozo wasn’t match fit. but you defend as a team. from the front.
Turkeybhoy 12:45
Spot on. Same mistakes happening over and over again in these games. It’s not just the club’s reputation – Brendan isn’t doing his own reputation any good.
TURKEYBHOY on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:45 PM
……………….
The day that Mourinho is boss at Celtic FC is the day that I chuck watching Celtic.
As for “it doesn’t matter what PSG players cost” ?….sorry mate but it does….as better players have better movement…and usually quicker fitba brains…thats why they cost so much.
HH
CORKCELT on 23RD NOVEMBER 2017 12:25 PM
Brendan’s philosophy in Europe didn’t work at Liverpool & it’s not working at Celtic.
However at a Domestic level he is brilliant.
If he refuses to change what do we want to happen ?.
———————–
Hi Corkcelt – I think it is starting to show signs of working.
The performance against Bayern at Celtic Park, although a defeat, was much more impressive than the one in Bavaria. We maintained our own (domestic) approach, and showed well against an excellent team. We lost, but certainly gave a much better and more positive account than in the previous game.
Similarly, against Anderlecht, our ‘domestic’ approach was again maintained and we had one of our best ever away performances in Europe.
Bayern are, in many ways, bigger and better than us, and you wouldn’t have been surprised in recent years to see the Champions of Belgium giving us a doing. To play very well -positively and maintaining our own attacking / pressing style – shows a great deal of progress. we can only make that progress by trying to maintain that approach against better opposition – if we revert to park the bus, we will never get to the stage of being able to challenge positively in a game against the elite teams.
PSG are a couple of levels above everyone else. We were poor defensively in the system we used – I’d suggest we need to aim to maintain the system but improve how it is implemented. Cut out more of the slack passing, track runners better, be more aware of players running in behind you, etc.
Stick to the system, and improve our individual play within that system – we will get better and challenge.
HH
BGFC
That’s not the Rangers I know.
—–
No Barry – they ain’t around anymore!
I expected 3 or 4 but not 7. I did say to my wife after we went 1-0 after less than a minute that my fear was that we had just poked the bear!
We lost some very sloppy goals with misplaced passes and poor, poor marking, but PSG are at a different level from us! Defenders from the SPL don’t have the same speed of though as Neymar, Mbappe and Cavani. Neither do our midfielders have the same speed of thought as Verratti (best player on the park buy a Parisienne mile). We were well beaten by a far superior team, no matter how its was put together. Better defending may have kept it to 4 or 5 and the award of a penalty before they hit number 4 (when Muossa was brought down) could have resulted in a 3-2 half-time score and a far more interesting second half.
It’s also interesting to note that we lost 3 very quick late goals; IMHO, that shows we mentally tire at this level and are open to sucker punches (like we were against Bayern).
I don’t think we will be the last team to be battered in Paris! They beat Barca 4-0 last season and have added Neymar and Mbappe since then. Barca beat them 6-1 in Camp Nou in the return, so we ain’t the only team to be at the wrong end of a bad result! I don’t recall the pundits slaughtering the PSG manager after that game.
There were some positives to be taken; we scored the first CL goal against PSG and looked very tidy for a brief period at the start of the game; we created a number of chances and better decision making and quicker thinking (a la Neymar, Mbappe, Cavan and Verratti) may have yielded more goals.
First trophy of the season on Sunday!
KTF