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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Plus we panic when we get the ball in tight situations. I personally believe that’s more to do with a lack of options and movement than poor ability.
Well done paddy bhoy on yer gold.
79caps
How to get the perfect kick off
Drambowiecelt
couldn’t careless I thought it was 2-3
excathedra44 15:37 on 2 August, 2014
“These pre -season friendly’s are a nonsense as they do not do anything but erode the reputation of Celtic.”
I don’t think many people take pre-season games seriously to be honest. If Celtic were beating Tottenham today I don’t think any of us would claim Celtic would finish in the top six of the EPL next season on the back of it.
“I understand some games to aid sharpness but 2 on either side of a CL qualifier is ridiculous.”
I’m not sure Celtic can do about this to be honest. It is pre-season. We have to play these qualifiers in pre-season, which is also the time we play pre-season friendlies.
79 caps
“Celtic can’t get the ball in this half. What are the youngsters learning?”
That your first sentence is wrong??
setting free the bears for Res. 12 & Oscar Knox but saying no to CQN racists
You must have missed the last replay. Big deflection
I see Norwich are looking to loan out Ricky van Wolfswinkel
IMHO he is the type of player we should be looking at.
Every year EPL teams buy a load of £3/4 m players for £9/10 m, and then punt them a year or so later, because they haven’t worked out, or they are over their squad sizes.
Before he went to Norwich this guy had a good goal scoring record, and the fact that he didn’t cut it at Norwich doesn’t make him a bad player.
Whilst the finances were very different, MoN was good at buying players who had lost their way / signed for the wrong club and revitalising their careers – Sutton, Thompson, Vega, Varga etc
These days we can’t afford to compete with even the bottom end of EPL, but, by being cute, we can get value and let decent players rekindle their careers.
Thoughts?
Just Another Tim
Calum McGregor ?
But you have a point.
Youth development is neglected at CP. Our kids are the cream of the Scottish game and regularly compete against their peers down south and Europe. I’ve watched them dispense with Hibs, Dundee United and the Rangers kids regularly.
Then nothing for many of them. Meanwhile Dundee United and the other clubs give lads a chance……….
Next you have Celtic supporters recommending we spend millions on their graduates.
Wonder why ? Easy the demands of Celtic supporters.
kingoh 15:57 – haw, you’re crusin furra bruisin …..
malone bhoy 15:58 – we are as slow as a month in the jail and have been for years. Pedestrian doesn’t come close.
Did I miss a tip fae BoabyEvans Intrinsic?
Great sprint performance!
Kevtic eh???
Thanks Lhads was worried when posting the tip , but pressure off now will post more tips if I get any from same source
Delaneys Aye he put it up earlier this morn.
Clashcityboy- not a bad shout at all – he has euro experience too hh
Gold for Conlin :D
Well done Michael conlan.
Johnny Rambo
Fair enough. None of the replays I saw were front on so I will accept your view.
Clashcitybhoy:-
I think van Wolfswinkel would be a good player for us. He`s scored goals in Europe for Utrecht and Sporting Lisbon and he has a bit of physical presence too.
But we`d never be able to sign him outright so we`d be back to where we started this time next year. I think he is already set for Saint Etienne who we could get drawn against in the Europa League qualifiers should we be unable to recover our position against Legia.
Scotland v Ireland contest up next at the boxing bbc1
Flynn v Fitzpatrick
setting free the bears
Not a very convincing answer.
Clashcitybhoy
Is he not signing for St Etienne???
.
Great Fight by the Boy from Northern Ireland ..
Switch to Southpaw ..
Well Done..
Summa
Drambowie
Shoulda read back.
Was it amongst the Middle East stuff that I scroll past? :)
Our pre-seasons are a shambles, have been for years.
Given that we stake the entire reputation of the club on qualifying for the CL, you’d think we might have come up with a strategy which prioritises that by now…
@weeboaby. did you weigh in yerself???
SFTB
There definitely was a deflection. Gordon had shot covered but it hit defender and wrong footed Gordon.
Squire Danaher
Can you tell me whereabouts on my remote I’ll find that button?
Cheers :-)
The glorious balance sheet,
Outside The top 4/5 I would suggest we could compete with French clubs on wages?
79 caps
Give me a more convincing question.
The bhoys are learning how hard it is to get possession and keep possession but they are still trying. I can show you glimpses of short periods of play where they are doing it well. As with any skill, they will have to learn how to do it better and for longer.
Delaneys Ha aye
you must scroll faster than me.:)
Starry Plough
I think Van W will go to France, but I was using him as an example of the way EPL teams bring in foreign players at vastly inflated prices, and 60/70% of these guys get punted after 12 months for 60/70% of the original transfer fee.
I think there is value in that market
Auldheid
I have already conceded the point. The side on replays I saw did not show it clearly. It is good that Gordon did not mis-read it so badly.
Backs to the wall time now
Italiabhoy
As I said yesterday persuade Scottish football of the benefits of switching to play in summer.
Removes two major disadvantages of fitness and fitting in.
I’d bribe the SPFL to vote for it by promising 20% of CL winnings from qualifying club.
Everybody wins.
@15.59 Kev
I’ll say again eh??????
SFTB
I missed your correction which I looked for before posting as you play it straight.
Clashcitybhoy
You’re right the amount of talent warming the benches down South is incredible..
Ole Ricky would be one I would like to see in the Hoops though..
I had £10 on it & also have it doubled with other fancies so I have done ok