This afternoon’s friendly against Tottenham Hotspur gives Ronny Deila a dilemma. Last weekend he played a second string against St Pauli, but with things going so wrong in Warsaw on Wednesday, the pressure is on to pull a game plan together which will work at Murrayfield.
Our other concern is that the squad, without Ambrose, Brown and Forrest, is already looking threadbare. We simply can’t afford an injury to afflict Commons, Griffiths, Stokes, Johansen, van Dijk, Matthews, Lustig or Izaguirre.
The suggestion was put to me this week that we should play Lustig with van Dijk in central defence on Wednesday. Lustig can play there, but would Ronny trust them on such an important occasion without a warm-up game?
If I was taking a risk with first-team players this afternoon it would be to pair these two. If we’re going to get the required result on Wednesday the most important area of the team to get right is the defence.
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I have been watching the first half from Helsinki.
Cannot believe how many moaners there are about our young guys getting a chance to test themselves against a strong Spurs team.
In every other sport, young athletes actively seek out opportunities to test themselves and improve by playing better opposition. Celtic are getting paid to get what we would normally have to pay for.
The capacity of some posters to find embarrassment and disgrace in a defeat in a friendly is constantly surprising. Do you think Liverpool or Man U fans are bothered because Celtic once beat them in a friendly?
I don’t care if this is a 10:1 win for Spurs, it will be worthwhile for our young lads to be tested. And the first team that has to play Legia gets three or four days to develop their game for the return instead of spending 2 days in a plane in order to get 90 minutes practice of a game plan.
We have enough to trouble us in facing up to next Wednesday.
Today’s game is not one of them.
Getting humbled around Europe dies nothing for CFCs stature
EPL entry ….they think we are a diddy team…..they are right ….
We’d be lucky to get promotion out of the Championship with this crowd we have at present
We seem to be engaging in a process of cocking it up from a position of strength
BB, cheers, didn’t think so.
DrambowieCelt, agreed, but hard lessons can be good ones.
As long as any criticism is tempered by the fact they are playing an EPL team a week away from the start of the season.
My suggestion for next season to try and avoid a repeat of this pre-season`s angst. (I am working on the assumption that van Dijk and Forster will be sold before the month is out).
Between now and December Ronny Deila works with the squad and any incoming players to do the best that we can in all competitions, working out who in the current squad is essential for 2015/16 CL qualification.
By the end of December the board make final offers to any players who are in the last year of their contract. If players are not being offered a contract, be honest and say it, stop messing the manager, the player and the fans about. Lets not have a repeat of the Samaras situation.
In January 2015 we sign up those players identified as essential by Deila to fill weak spots in the current squad and to replace the players coming out of contract in May 2015.
Assuming we have the league won by the league split then we should send the 1st team squad into a close season starting at the beginning of April with the remaining league and Scottish Cup fixtures played by fringe and development squad players.
We bring the first team players back from their close season on the first week in June and play midweek friendlies against teams from Scandinavia and eastern Europe so the squad are used to playing games against teams match sharp from being in the middle of their league campaign. By the start of July the other squad players return from their close season to bolster the squad for the qualifiers.
Meanwhile there are no distractions from incoming/ outgoing transfers.
I think its worth trying. At the moment there are way too many things going on during the European qualifiers, players moving in, out, travelling all over the globe to play nuisance friendlies that are focused on generating income rather than priming the team for the season ahead.
Just Another Tim @ 15.21
“This proves we have noone in our youth system capable of playing at this level”.
It doesn’t . It proves you can’t put out a whole team of youngsters against a multi-million pound team and expect them to compete. O’Connell and Henderson look good to me.
….PFAyr, I wonder if a single player in today’s line up would get anywhere near a Celtic team playing in that league?
At least at this stage in their development.
And I’m referring to the youths playing.
Oh well thats us told then.
todays game is not a one-off
we’ve been saying for a few years now – a test, good for the youth development etc etc
at what point in time will we get the benefit of nuemrous humpings over the past few years ?
or did time start when ronnie arrived a la pol pot and we need to wait some more years ?
Liam Henderson had another good first half.
I reckon once the European qualifiers are out of the way he’ll get an extended run in the team!!
the glorious balance sheet
Amen
Discussed this the other day – would use the Scottish Cup Final if we get there as chance to bring some of the first team back.
Their hols can start April and end May
HH
Enjoyable game. Spurs first team v Celtic youngsters.
Players that look like they’ve got it
Craig Gordon – as much as Forster is a favourite of mine I think Gordon is better.
Liam Henderson – in among all the high cost Spurs midfielder he is showing up well
Efe Ambrose – classy
Filip Twardzik – left back not his best position but a good footballer
Paul McMullen – keep an eye on him
Those in the Maybe section:
Jackson Irvine – doing well but I need to see more of him
Those in the Never Good Enough:
Teemu Pukki – I’ve done my best to see the good in him and he has some qualities, just not what I think we need
Just Another Tim
15:21 on
2 August, 2014
This just proves we have no-one in our youth system capable of playing at this level.
Imagine not having a youth player capable of playing EPL players.
Actually the vast majority of our players at present.
SFTB- It can also be a bad experience for young bhoys,getting a chasing from a far superior team HH
79caps
Fair comment regarding putting out a whole team. Henderson may be good enough for our first team but that is about it among the youth/fringe players on display today. Apart from him I’ve not seen anyone today that you could say would walk straight into our first 11 and probably never will.
I don’t think you develop youngsters by sending a full team of them to compete with one of the best sides in EPL.
Does nothing for club or aspiring young players.
….PFayr supports WeeOscar
15:28 on
2 August, 2014
Getting humbled around Europe dies nothing for CFCs stature
EPL entry ….they think we are a diddy team…..they are right ….
We’d be lucky to get promotion out of the Championship with this crowd we have at present
We seem to be engaging in a process of cocking it up from a position of strength
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Spot on.
These pre -season friendly’s are a nonsense as they do not do anything but erode the reputation of Celtic.
I understand some games to aid sharpness but 2 on either side of a CL qualifier is ridiculous.
Just Another Tim
Henderson and perhaps O’Connell and Twardzik (though not at left back) could play at SPL level, I think. Only Henderson at European level.
PFAYR – Get yer chops round this uneven playing field fella. Today’s opposition below :
Turnover: 6th in league, £147m (up from £144m in 2012)
Match receipts: £33m
TV and media: £57m
All commercial activities: £57m
Wage bill: 6th highest, £96m (up from £90m in 2012)
Wages as proportion of turnover: 65%
Profit before tax: £4m (up from £7m loss in 2012)
Net debt: £55m
Interest payable: £8m
Highest paid director: £1.658m paid to Daniel Levy
I said a while ago that the pressing game can leave you vulnerable to quick counter attack.
Spurs look most dangerous when we are attacking and lose the ball in midfield. Need to be more careful with the ball.
Norton /Johnston ready to go.
Bada
Could see the point of it if was maybe a Championship side, but then of course Finland wouldn’t be interested. The game is about Spurs fitness, and the result in Warsaw made this game even more odd, because I’m sure the original intention wasn’t to have an entire Celtic reserve side.
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
Should we just accept that standard though?
—
bournesouprecipe
15:32 on 2 August, 2014
Oh well thats us told then.
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*Behave*….!
Don’t You Hiv ‘Tasks’ Tae Complete..?
;-)
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the glorious balance sheet
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Couldn’t agree more.
My best memory of the league cup is not winning the trophy, not beating Rangers(IL), it was MON sending a youth team to Tynecastle and playing them off the park, think it was 4-2 with Maloney, McGeady etc. That is what I would use the League cup for. The Scottish cup is of course historically more important, but playing through to the end of May is detrimental to the preparations for the following season.
I thought Lenny should have wrapped things up at the end of March, perhaps selfishly, knowing he was leaving, he tried to get to 100 points.
If we’re playing qualifiers in Mid July, I would think 6 weeks is the minimum preparation I would want. I also think Scottish football in general would benefit from summer football(bigger crowds, bigger Tv deal as not up against EPL, better preparation for europe), but at the very least start the season on July 1st and have a month break in January after the new year fixtures.
Bada Bing
Only if you do not have the mentality to cope with defeat and these guys, by surviving various age-grade culls, have a stronger mentality than you and I.
They know they are a reserve team, plus Efe and Teemu, playing against a first team. They can process this much easier than fans who seek opportunities to feel embarrassment.
Just Another Tim
15:40 on
2 August, 2014
BIG-CUP-WINNERS
Should we just accept that standard though?
It’s a team of kids cobbled together, against an EPL team.
johnyy it was 5-2. and the youths did well, but i am sure the star of the show was lubo.
*Grrrrrrhhhhhhhh………….Loses perfect dodgy link whilst reading alternative CQN opinions*
Balde on for Pukki
Jude
Looking for Borderlescot e/w at 40s to make it a good day at Goodwood. :)
Pukki hooked
Amido on for Pukki
McManus on for Irvine.
bsr
Izzy wizzy lets get wizi a wig
Pukki coming off 5 min in to second half. Looks knackered :(
Going for it now
Pukki off and Balde on