This is one of those hard ties to analyse. AEK were no more than a decent team. Certainly not a clear cut above, and for that reason, the tie remains alive. But despite being preseason, they defended impeccably.
They did their homework. Tom Rogic, who was immense on Saturday, was not given a yard. Celtic opened well with Callum McGregor the principle threat, most often when linking with Kieran Tierney. After those two crafted the opening goal, AEK man-marked McGregor out of the game.
James Forrest was effective when used; it was his change of direction which drew the second yellow card for Galanopoulos, but we were overtly left sided, reducing Forrest’s effectiveness. Olivier Ntcham was our creative fulcrum after McGregor was shut down, but the normally incisive balls into the box didn’t quite come off.
A few early mis-steps from Jack Hendry were not punished, but the resulting nervousness throughout the crowd was clear. Central defenders are crucial to how Celtic play. If you inhibit their willingness to step forward or show for a pass, you inhibit the entire team.
I’m not sure what Kris Ajer thought when he let a cross ball bounce inside the box a minute from the break. It was an inexplicable decision which brought AEK level and changed their game plan for the second half. Even tiring with 10 men, they defended their box flawlessly.
We regularly tried to find Odsonne Edouard with a ball over the top, but invariably found the striker dropping off to take a ball to feet. Nothing seemed to work for him.
A word on Scott Brown. Much of what Scott does is understated but I thought he raised the bar last night. He bossed all his personal challenges.
I called AEK favourites when the draw was made and they are more so now, but they are not Barcelona, circa 2010. We have been here before; no throwing of towels just yet.
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weebobbycollins
Now there is something we can all agree on…
:)
FRAMBO11 on 9TH AUGUST 2018 2:33 PM
Have we signed an 18 year old French centre half?
Who cares? Sick of projects and loan signings!
Something on NewsNow Celtic about it..
Did not see the game yesterday as was caught in massive storm in Toronto.
Not going to watch replay on Celtic tv as i feel i have probably seen it before.
Next few weeks will be crucial for Celtic,the supporters and our board.
Make the right decisions and a good domestic season beckons but the wrong one will have a huge impact going forward.
Not to keen on the blaming of individuals for the goal conceded or lack of potency as it is a team sport and it’s not the first time such circumstances have presented themselves.
We have a good pool of players and coaches but there is a major flaw in our playing system that is to concentrated in one area to the detriment of the whole.
Some after the Rosenberg ties were open and honest about how much space we afforded a limited team and faced criticism for.I had already stated at start of season that we need a different plan and mindset for Europe.
The players shoulder some of the blame but the coaches need to be aware of their shortcomings and up their game.
MIKE IN TORONTO on 9TH AUGUST 2018 2:14 PM
I love the theory but one day I would be Pink the next day Black and some days Pink and Black
67ECW
CQN has been exhausting, but I think we all needed this…
:)
Lustig should have cut out that cross. That’s what a full back should do and that’s what an AEK defender would have done. I can’t understand BR’s loyalty to Lustig, who has been a weak link for some time now. Gamboa is simply better.
The other thing I can’t understand is why Kouassi never plays, not even coming on from the bench.
But I know nothing and I know that I know nothing.
EMPTY THE STANDS.DOWN WITH £ 49 TICKETS.P!SH ON YER NEIGHBOURS LEG.BUY RA MACAROON AND SPEARMINT GUM.MORE MINORS AS CHIMMNEY SWEEPS,BIG MC GHEE FOR CEO,WEE MURDO AS MANAGER,HUGH KEEVINS AS PRESS OFFICER.,MICHEAL KELLY FOR PROVOST,
Wait a minute,think I went too far with that last one.That could never happen.Could it ?
On Twitter there are zombies arguing about selling Windass and someone has piped up accusing them of sounding like *gasp* Tims!!
How very dare they.
JAMES FORREST on 9TH AUGUST 2018 2:55 PM
DAVIDOPOULOS:
It’s hard to disagree; this has been a bad week on all fronts.
Honestly, people inside our club need to be having a serious sit-down and an airing of grievances to sort this lot out. If that happens we might actually be stronger for it … the club has felt, for months now, like it needs a good shake and maybe this will do it.
*********
Would be nice, but our Club dont do talking away. :)
We were cheated… our Board know what happened (at best .. and were likely party to some of it), but decided that us little fans/shareholders didn’t need to worry our pretty little heads about things like that … in truth, they sussed that most fans (i) didn’t care, or (ii) really wanted Rangers to continue … and it seems they were right … they have said nothing for 7 years…
so, why would they think they need to tell us anything now … when they want their (dis) information to get out, they have their vehicles for doing so (like CQN) and will tell us as much or as little as they want us to know …
The funny thing is, if BR does get fed up, I can see fans all up in arms …. would BR walking away be enough to force fans to force the Board to do something …. when cheating didn’t?
Seems bizarre to me, but that may be the case ….
but, if people want anything to change, they have to be prepared to force the issue … money talks … if you are paying someone, and they aren’t giving you what you want, dont keep paying them, or they will keep giving you what you dont want …
Marlon Santos’ loan to Newcastle has fallen through (work permit).
Just saying that in Scotland you can appeal based on level of ability and what he would bring to the league…
Big Boyata staying then ?
James Forrest on 9th August 2018 2:38 pm
“A Level 5-esque piece …”
Pitiful.
___________________________________________________
Yes James, your article was pitiful. You generally write to a hgher standard than you did today. Your piece was based on subjective speculation on a radio show that the BBC have not deemed fit for purpose otherwise it would have been all over their website – and in the SMSM today. You are the only person spinning it.
Should Celtic comment on it? Absolutely not! They are more likely to speak to the BBC and advise them not to run with an unverifable story. This is in response to widespread allegations the manager is unhappy.
If we look at the quotes from the Herald they can be spun in many ways:
Q: Is it reading between the lines to suggest you are frustrated?
BR: “I am fine.”
Q: Are you looking to get quality before the end of the window?
BR: “I would hope so. We identify the targets and like I say we just hope that they can be completed.”
Q: Are you happy with the reasons given for quality not being here?
BR: “Whatever I feel will always be private. I will never speak openly on that.
So where does it say he is unhappy or ready to quit? It’s all speculation. Journalists (sic) like McLaughlin are paid to create headlines; if you can’t get a real one, then just make it up from an “un-named source”. Even better, just add 1% of truth to simple speculation and there you have it! Headlines!
I myself (many, many years ago and nothing scanadlous or illegal) was the subject of a Sun front page headline which was a tenuously football related story; this was concoted in a pub at lunchtime by a couple of journos I was friendly with after they were chatting with my wife. It had little truth in it but was a fantatsic headline and a very amusing piece. I have a framed copy of the paper on my wall – a gift from the journo as it was his first ever front page!
Anyway, I digress to make a point. You have created a piece based upon nothing other than speculation on a speculative (and unverified) piece on a radio show. It is sel-perpetuating journalism worthy of Level 5. You are better than that and you know it!
KTF
And the only reason I really suggest big Marlon is because he took out the referee with a slide tackle while playing for Nice last season…
Sandman,
There’s some gems in yer post there.
You think McGinn is over rated? Your opinion not the managers.
No doubt Hayes was a Rodgers target as well. Signed as a squad player and was until he broke his leg. Wasn’t his fault that some of Celtic support have snobbery about signing players from Scottish clubs. See Jack Hendry for the latest addition to the boo boys club.
I don’t think anyone is concerned with Rangers signings. In fact I don’t think anyone mentioned them up until you mentioned them? Who have they signed? They have spent more money net than Celtic during Rodgers tenure though but as we know it’s salary that counts not transfer fees paid.
MULLET AND CO 2 – aye, we’ll see what happens. The board obviously have to make signings now or Brendan could be at the end of his tether. He obviously wants experience – hopefully we get it.
As you probably realise, I disagree with everything you just said :)
Here’s where I have difficulty … i can’t copy and paste your username. If I use the words “on yer bike!” don’t take it the wrong way ;)
I suspect you’ll enjoy this article a lot more …
https://thecelticblog.com/2018/08/blogs/sevco-fans-taking-delight-in-events-at-celtic-park-are-proving-again-how-stupid-they-are/
Disappointed with the result last night. We looked good for long spells in the game but couldn’t figure out a way through in the final third. As P67 said, AEK did their homework and performed very well at the back.
Our central defense was exposed again at this level. Brendan knows this is his biggest headache. I thought Lustig was poor at their goal for allowing the cross to come into the box. It caught everyone on the back foot. Seemed like he gave up thinking the guy would not be able to effect a decent ball into the box. Our other players switched off thinking Lustig would deal with it.
We’re not out yet. Brendan will make us difficult to beat against this team. Just need a tad of fortune up front like they experienced last night.
Sandman on 9th August 2018 3:01 pm
How very dare you add logic to the panty-wetting on here (and other sites)?
Let the drama queens have their 6 days untill we progress to play Malmo or Videton and all will be well again!
KTF
If Izzy is coming back can we also get big Sammi for his away goals in Europe?
FAnatic
if you are in TO, get me email/number and say hello. Would be happy to meet you for dinner if you have time.
James Forrest on 9th August 2018 3:33 pm
Yeah, much better James; we will disagree at times but at least we will never be huns!
KTF
?
Did You have a pet Hamster ?
?
There may be something in the argument that Rodgers has a problem with identifying defensive targets – good ones anyway.
Someone else made the point that he has let Mulgrew go. I would add O’connell And Sviatchenko to that as well as Ambrose. He also continues to state that Boyata is his best defender and sanctioned the signings of Hendry and Compper.
Who knows if he identified Compper and Hendry as his targets. I get the impression he did like Hendry and identified him as a talent that could be developed but Compper I’m not so sure about. Ok we only spent £1m but his age and everything else goes against the profile of any signing we have made recently. The only parallel is perhaps Toure but he was brought in to steady the ship and then was dropped after mistakes against Gladbach.
O’Connell looked ok to me. His passing was great but perhaps pace and positional sense was an issue. He is playing for Bury so this might be a clue but wouldn’t be surprised if he would up going for decent money.
Mulgrew was slow but could play as a centre back and scored free kicks into the bargain. Was he really worse than Boyata if he is the benchmark?
Sviatchenko seemed to be dropped due to a couple of mistakes and there were rumours of him wanting out despite the public persona of loving the club. Strange one.
Ambrose being let go was a no brainier.
I have asked before if Rodgers thinks the Centre backs should be less important because he truely believes in defending from the front. I just can’t believe he would think that way given the level of coaching he has. He obviously sees the Centre backs sees all of their stats and has an identikit in his mind of what a CB should be and do. If he has asked for a better CB he hasn’t said it publicly and perhaps he never will but I think the fans need an explanation of what he is looking for from his CBs.
Change of subject fromthe other posts although maybe not as important.
Our substitutions these days seem to stifle our momentum in games and often in my view make things harder.
Last night was an example in that I felt we started to play as individuals when Leigh and Scott came on, same thing on Saturday.
Seems we have a great plan for the starting 11 but not so much with the subs.
Maybe that’s they nature of substitutions but it was generally the same last year.
Any IT bhoys out there? I asked this before but am still struggling to get rid of certain ads. Things like Trending and Sponsored and Powered by Quantcast. Can I block these – they tend to only appear in Celtic related sites.
shooie
I think that’s a reasonable observation. I think part of it is generally the nature of substitutions, however my little theory is that the disruption you are talking about is more noticeable when we are struggling to break down team and running out of ideas – in these circumstances our play has become a bit slower and more laboured already but the introduction of a player who needs a few minutes to get up to speed makes it appear that the rhythm has been disrupted.
Could be a load of rubbish but that’s my tuppence worth.
scullybhoy
Are you on a computer or a smartphone/tablet?
Bring on the Herts. The league is our bread and butter. Get a result against the Edinburgh bigots and let’s get back on track.
The £49 and Jungle posters are Hun squirrels.
???
Hail Hail
D. :)
MNCELT,
Lustig was exposed because a Celtic player lost the ball up the park. I can’t see from highlights who it was and how it happened but I seem to remember Brown or Rogic losing it in a dribble or a loose pass over near the main stand. No one then shuts down the launches pass. Lustig then exposed through lack of pace and inabilty to block. Ajer chooses not to put a touch on it and I think Brown loses the guy that scored. 5 or 6 errors if you include Gordon’s positioning.
The Centre back had 1 of the 6 with the midfield involved in 3.
It was a blessing they went down to 10 as the counter wasn’t supported by so many runners as it was in the first half. Our final ball into the box was a pass to them to go on the counter.
How many corners and free kicks resulted in a further corner, free kick or shy to us? We lack the ability to nail a set piece or cause any panic in the opposition box. Invariably the goalie gets it and some of our players are setting up to defend the counter in the opposition half before the set piece is taken! If it doesn’t improve we shouldn’t bother putting it in the box from a set piece and try to go the Barca way!
BATEEN BHOY on 9TH AUGUST 2018 3:47 PM
?
Did You have a pet Hamster ?
?
____________________________________________
Nope; it wisnae Freddie Starr!
KTF
VFR
Thanks for the advice on my “malware” problem a couple of weeks ago.
HH
Ernie lynch.
What we achieved was down to one man.
Jock Stein.
What he achieved as celtic manager was despite the old board not because of them.
They treated our club like their family business.
In the final end they treated him badly.
it is a tradition at our club.
” It’s hard to disagree; this has been a bad week on all fronts.”
Bloody hell !
I don’t see why Brendan wants a replacement for Armstrong. We have enough guys to sit where he sat last year.
Brendan should be wanting a guy who is better than the midfielders we already have. I don’t think an extra midfield benchwarmer will help us go to the next level. He should be “succession planning”for he right back slot as a priority.
I like Lustig but he does have fitness issues.
We don’t have an organising general at the centre of defence. You know, a reader of the game, the one who is shouting, pointing, cajoling the others. Broony does it in the middle but we have no one at the back doing it.
MoN’s teams had an abundance of leaders, we have only one. It’s possibly the fact that they are all so young but I would love to see a King Billy (whoa there!) or big Roy type giving it loud and clear to all around him…and that takes nothing away from Broony btw, he remains our captain…
@ GARYGILLESPIESHAMSTRING on 9TH AUGUST 2018 4:20 PM
Armstrong played 39 games last year, someone has to make up that deficit this year.
People mention Eboue but he looks like a defensive midfielder. McGinn and Armstrong were in similar moulds- box to box, driving forward and offering threats.
I’m sure if Armstrong was on the bench last night he would have been introduced to provide an additional threat getting into the box.
Does anyone think then, that if a fit Roberts and Armstrong were on the bench last night they wouldnt have come on, both offer something different and its no longer an 11 player game we play, usually 14 players are involved in each and every game. Armstrongs direct running may have resulted in AEK players committing themselves and Roberts does the same.
its good to vent but maybe we should follow the reasoning thru till the end (im guilty of this too)
GARYGILLESPIESHAMSTRING
I believe we missed out on a RB from the Bundesliga which was close to completion. Think he went to France. These things happen. I still think the tie is there to be won.
HH