That was the latest instalment in a long running series of Behind the Couch Celtic away performances in Europe, with the wonderful exception that after Hapoel Be’er Shiva had us on the rack in the opening period of the second half, Celtic put five at the back and closed the game out without any stressful incidents in the final 15 minutes.
There are a few moments worthy of comment:
Hapoel’s penalty came as a consequence of Celtic pressing high up the field for the first time in the game. The home team dropped deep as they were temporarily reduced to 10 men, but when Celtic pressed high to take advantage of an opponent receiving treatment, they easily passed through us, switched the ball left and gave Saidy Janko his first difficult moment of the night.
More on Saidy in a moment, but we cannot allow teams to pass through us so easily. We should never have been caught so high up field. Our alertness, interceptions and tackling were not good enough. Craig Gordon’s block at the penalty was priceless (or at a price of circa £26m, if you’re being picky).
There’s a reason teams who mark zonally at corner kicks don’t mark the penalty spot. It’s because headers from the penalty spot need to be exceptional in order to beat the keeper. Sahar’s goal wasn’t an exceptional header. It bounced before passing Craig Gordon three feet inside the post. It should never have been a goal, and although Craig’s mistake for the second was more evident, the first was as worrying a goal to concede.
We’re fond of talking about “schoolboy errors” in football but Saidy’s lack of awareness of his direct opponent and goalkeeper at the second goal was a classic error from the 9-year-old’s game. I’ll be generous and say he’s not ready for a game at this level. Craig Gordon doesn’t have a let off for this one, either. While his fullback made a mistake, an alert keeper would have prevented the goal and knocked Saidy into next week. Awareness concerns exist for him too.
Whether it’s Craig’s self-confidence, or that the defence don’t have confidence in him, goalkeeping mistakes came perilously close to seeing us drop out of the Champions League last night.
Not that Craig shoulders all responsibility for what was a weak performance. The middle of the park was experimental and looked it. On the back of one of his best games for Celtic a week ago, Scott Brown’s passing, control and influence was miles off the pace.
Scott, Callum McGregor and Nir Bitton were swamped in midfield. Too few Celtic players were showing for the ball, which was thrown forward aimlessly whenever a Hapoel player closed us down. If central midfield is right, your defensive and goalkeeping frailties are less evident, but we were exposed too often at the back last night. There was a period in the second half when watching on TV made it impossible to know where we were going wrong. After a Hapoel chance, we would see a replay, and before it cut back to live pictures, Celtic had lost possession and were again under pressure. This happened repeatedly. Central midfield was the major problem with the performance, if not the result.
Don’t let any of this dampen your spirits. We’re into the Champions League group stage, a fact which will see us break through the £80m turnover mark for the first time. By comparison, turnover was £51m for 2014-15, the most recent season accounts are available for.
Despite the increase in expenditure this season, we’ll pay our bills without increasing borrowing or selling players. We’re on the circuit again, which means we’ll find it easier to attract talent going forward, it means we’ll find it easier to attract commercial deals and pretty much every KPI at the club will become that bit more attainable.
Last night was a transformational day in the life of your football club. We’re back, enjoy it!
903 Comments- Pages:
- «
- 1
- ...
- 8
- 9
- 10
- 11
- 12
- 13
- 14
- ...
- 24
- »
Philbhoy
I will, cheers.
At least you got there in the end :-)
HH
Saor Uladh He came in 2014
TET
Take care!
Underground @celticrumours
Hearing Mccarthy family members saying he’s signing.
I recall being in Amsterdam and walking into what I thought was a sports shop, asked where was the Feyenoord tops, which was my Dutch team. Shop assistant informs me I was in a Ajax supports shop, true story……..
Well what can one say about last night
It wouldnt be Celtic if we had not done it the hard way .
The aim of the qualifiers was to ,er , qualify and we are in the draw tommorow .
I have saw many estimates of how much we will get for reaching the group stages ,from £20m to over £30m
Although I think the £20m reports are from the deed club lovers in the MSM .
Have they factored in the money made from the 3 home ties we have played to get there .
Think on that all you sevco lurkers .
Add to that the millions we made from the friendlies ,all money made above board and generated rather than stolen .
To hear their fans pain on snyde tonight made our achievement all the more sweeter .
The caller of the night was an angry sevconion who spat that our supporters will be wasting our money buying tickets for the groups stage games as we were never going to win the CL cup .
That my friends in CELTIC is one MAJOR difference between us and them and it will show when the dads army 11 start dropping points even with their MIB help .The new clubs crowds are built on bitterness and the WATP attitude ,when it dawns on them that their just there to make up the numbers you won’t be able to get a game of golf or bowls for the queues on a saturday
As soon as the CL tickets are on sale I will be over to waste my money with a MASSIVE BIG CHEESEY GRIN OAN MA FACE .
Well done to Brendan and the bhoys
HH
I dislike Ajax & their Supporters with somewhat the same intensity as I dislike Huns. Hope they are mollicated tonight.
Philboy
you come home from drapping aff the wife and you switch aff the telly because you couldny bear to watch,then a few hours later you scroll through a blog and take exception to a a contribution by a poster who was actually watching the game, let me assure you that the guys thoughts were probably being shared by a quite a few Celtic supporters last night judging by the the roaring and shouting at the telly of the boozer I was in last night
If the game had been at Celtic Park and the score was 2-0 and they only needed one more goal to qualify would you have switched aff and left the ground to go and check out the local property market
Add the £8million (apparently) from that Champions Cup to the Champions League bounty and you’ve got a whack of money.
Is the lad Mccarthy any good ? Not seen anything of him since his move down south, due to lack of interest in english fitba
I’d say when the group stages are over people will be asking what the hell Leicester were doing in pot 1.
Reckon they’ll get pasted in the groups and will be lucky to drop into the Europa.
I have watched McCarthy on several occasions and can honestly say I can’t recall him ever impressing.
BUT .
He has to be better than MacGregor.
TT
TINYTIM on 24TH AUGUST 2016 8:35 PM
Cheers for that, Brendan must have a role in mind for him IF true
I sold a clients house in June and he moved and bought a pub in Leicester.
Odd’s are that he we will get Leicester in our CL group ,for that reason(:-)
TT
What pot were Ajax going to be in? Pot 4?
They’ll be in the Europa League pot if that first half is anything to go by.
I actually think that it was Peter Lawell that got us over the line last night. I hear that after the second goal went in, he had a message relayed to the players that their bonuses were being doubled to £100,000 a man for qualification
MCCarthy? Rather give Henderson game time..
the was like a lost boy at the Euros
Just seen McCarthy in the International games, I’d rate his performances there as OK but not brilliant.
CORKCELT,i’m sorry but BIGCHIPS upped the ante and i’m going for his suggestion.If we’re going to dream might as well dream big. ;))
It’s just magic to be having these thoughts happy in the knowledge they’re genuinely possible.
HH
Bring the Irish lad to Celtic asap – exactly what we need in the spine of the team! Young, experienced, energetic, powerful, good height, ambitious, and a celtic fan!
Underground @celticrumours
Hearing Mccarthy family members saying he’s signing.
Rumour Johansen emptied his locker at Lennoxtown today
Exslaemuirbhoy
I’m sure that whilst watching him I have posted on here stating how ordinary he was ,and that I couldn’t understand all the hype about him.
He is a Scottish Celtic supporter who chose to play for the ROI.
He will therefore be world class for many tims,
TT
MICKYBHOY1887
The game err, wasn’t at Celtic Park and the rest you made up.
I’ve no idea what your point is, however, if you can put together a litany of horrible posts made by a genuine Celtic supporter during last nights game I might read them and agree he to is a hun.
McCarthy would be a great addition his defensive game still needs worked on though
HH
Not read back..but apparently we need three results to go our way or we are in pot 4.
Anyone confirm & which games ?
HH
Mickbhoy1888,
Would you have preferred that he overcharged his wife for the journey ?
Goood evening Champions league Bhoys and Ghirls :-)
Now I would love to see Celtic sign another 3 quality players
But
We need to move a few on first in my view
Borussia M,gladbach three up….ht….Raphael looks the bis…..they are a good unit….one to avoid…..but everyone in the last 32 are good…bring it on ….Leiscester would be a braw heads up….
Thoughts with the poor folk in Italy….
Braw.
Bada Bing
Won’t be sad if that is the case.
Other than wee Jay will miss him.
TT
Oh and I did not say in any of my posts that “I couldn’t bear to watch”.
You said that.
Go and annoy a hun poster now, unless of course you are a………………………
TinyTim on 24th August 2016 8:40 pm
#Miaow
ADI DASLER
We neede three from Man City, Ajax, BMG and Salzburg to get KO’d for us to be in pot 3. Not happening, Man City and BMG cruising, Salzburg winning, only Ajax losing
Tinytim
more than a tad unfair. The lad will shine domestically and he has an international future with a team that qualifies Can only be good for us. Mistake by Koeman ?? not if he will only let him go on loan. We can revisit this if it ever happens
HH
DHARMA BHAM
Good to see you posting!
Hope you are well!
I wonder who we will get in the quarters!!!!
Maradominic
You make a good point.
Henderson looks just as good .
TT
Re MacCarthy, I suppose he has youth on his side. Being a supporter may just add that wee bit extra to his game
AweNaw
Only stating my opinion on what I have seen.
(:-)
TT
MICKEYBHOY1887
Mibbe you should drink in a Celtic pub instead of the one you were in last night.
C’MON THE REAL CELTS AND NOT ALL THESE POSERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!