Shakhter Karagandy covered 5k more ground than Celtic last night, 500m per outfield player. That’s 5.5m per minute, per player, or an extra meter every 10 seconds or so. That kind of advantage means that when the ball breaks loose in and around the danger area, the more active team are in space – which happened at both goals.
Conversely, when Celtic were in advanced positions Shakhter players were there in numbers. The difference was not caused by exceptional exertion by Shakhter, in their match with Maribor last night, Viktoria Plzen covered 11k more than Celtic, or a clear 2 meters every 10 seconds per outfield player.
Despite enjoying the vast majority of possession the Celtic players were lacking in movement and ideas. Being short of ideas is one thing but lack of movement is altogether unacceptable. We have to prepare fitness levels ahead of the second leg meticulously; Inverness on Saturday is only relevant for those who need game time ahead of Wednesday.
The Mouhokolo-van Dijk novice partnership was a surprise; a lot of faith was shown in players few of us know much about. Could we have held Kelvin for another few weeks? Would it have been less of a risk to play Ambrose and/or Mulgrew in defence? Yes to both, I suspect.
We learned Georgios is not a striker in 2009. He is one of our most effective players when away from home but not as a striker. Anthony Stokes is a striker but his style is just as unsuited to the formation we played last night as Georgios’. We seemed to pick a team to combat Shakhter’s strengths which didn’t play to our own.
I’m not convinced signing a player one week before an important game is an ideal preparation but taking the money early for Hooper, weeks before Amido Balde (or anyone else) has settled and considered a viable starter, is a calculated risk which is now in sharp focus.
We should also show some respect to Shakhter. The club are miles out of their depth at this stage of European football but they left with all the credit. After the game, manager Kumykov played down his chances, “we are not the favourites”. He’s a clever man who knows what he is doing.
It is possible Celtic will play as badly next week but it’s more likely that we will put on a vastly better performance. Between now and then we have plenty of opportunity to wallow in an embarrassing defeat, so knock yourself out, but I’ll hold fire until the tie is decided, which I expect to be in Celtic’s favour. Bring it on.
You got to love European football.
Penalty kick practice, please……
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watchthemotors
also the Toronto c.s.c.
Venue: 2220 Midland Avenue, Unit 27
Toronto, Ontario
Tel: (416) 609-8819
thanks bhoys
Masty
,if you read my post I said in the last 24 hours,there were plenty saying we had thrown away £20 million and more than a few saying we had no chance if going through,how many said we won’t keep a clean sheet or we can’t score 2 goals,have a good read back and its a damn sight more than 2
Forster for England?
He’ll be a long time waiting if he can’t improve his command of the box and his kicking which returned to shocking in this match.
I had Michael Owen as co-commentator for the Liverpool match and he recollected Fraser at Newcastle. A lovely lad he said but I do hope he’s improved his kicking. Clearly he needs a lot more practice.
I’m afraid he is getting to be one getting by on reputation. The fact is you’re only as good as your last game and his with a number of others was a shocker.
jackie mac- good news on here today for once and boy do we need it. Nice one mate.
What I am worried about is that the team do not seem to have taken on board how bad the result is and that they need to up their game. Read on a twitter feed from a journo with them that the team were in shock with result! Many of the players including Joe Ledley who was named, thought we should have taken 6 of that team.
The problem is they didn’t. Is it complacency? So often Lenny says after a poor performance saying he was pleased with the way we played and I sometimes think did I watch a different game.
We may indeed overturn the tie next week but my concern is that the display last night was no different from several displays over the last few weeks.
We pass the ball back and across the park giving the opposing teams lots of time to set up two banks of defenders. We are just too slow. Last night we had a break away when Commons picked up a loose ball and ran at the defence but we only had the right back up supporting him. Where were the forwards, where was the mid field.
Is it lack of fitness or stamina? One of the commentators mentioned this last night saying that several of the players were looking done in by their body language and/or were limping.
Is the SPL so easy that they can can win at half speed and when the come up against a team outside it they are shown up tactically and physically. Remember the Liverpool win was by fringe players.
My worry about the return leg is that regardless how poor a team they are still difficult to breakdown if they line up with two banks of 5.
Lets hope we get an early goal. So Lenny two forwards from the start and introduce the defence to one another.
gordybhoy64
you never mentioned money…you specifically said towel throwers…….I have seen 2….everybody including myself are raging mad at the lack of commitment both on and off the park but almost to a man have said we will get past this mob..
Not getting down about the 0-2 first leg result. . Still believe we will go through.
If the group of players we have cant pull this around they aint deserving of wearing the hoops
However
Cast your mind back about 5 months. . Nfl talking about resting players in league games as part of preparation for the early start to the champs league.
Shirley part of the plan was who we would have available and a blind man coulda predicted hooper and wanyama gone.
Inside info for nfl said wilson would leave too
Im sure virgil was not bought as wilsons replacement but maybe moyokoulo was ( I never rated Wilson in any matches I watched him so no big loss to me)
But we had 5 bloomin months to replace hooper and wanyama … balde was wip so not a straight swap. And no replacement for wanyama so far.
This is not a knee jerk reaction but IF .. and its still a big if ,,,, we go out to that poor man’s ict … neil should offer to resign stating either .. im not good enough .. or….. I asked you to provide funds and you hung me out to dry
Masty
are you a regular in the bramalea?,my uncle was a member for years til he passed away a couple of years ago,
watchthemotor
Where in Toronto? All the clubs mentioned would welcome him, but some are an hour’s drive away…
Let me know what part of toronto (even if only to say downtown), if you know, and I’ll point you in the right direction.
Well, despite our shocking result last, confidence is high that we’ll be going through. 86% yes. See, what were we worrying about?
Ah’ll awa n see whit Clyde huv tae say furr emselves……n see if the hoops bhoys foning in share oor confidence.
Masty,
I am in work and on my phone but I will have a scroll back later,aye the mood of the blog is more positive today but it doesn’t take away the fact that plenty on here last night had written us off
Is the blog deid
Masty
I may well be one of the two you are talking about.
I can’t see where we are going to get the goals from, and god forbid we lose a goal, can’t see us scoring four.
I think we will beat them next week, but am not sure about progressing.
I pray I am wrong.
I don’t think its towel throwing either. Most posters are giving their views on last night’s performance and all agree we have to improve and change the way wee play.
Me, I think we have to experiment against ICT on Saturday and see what can work against a team that sit in.
Marti
The Km covered stat is interesting. The commotion is in the motion and they had more motion and caused more commotion. Wasps are busy and annoying at this time of year but they are dying. They look for someone to sting.
Karagandy’s wasps found dimwitted Parahandy’s last night. Weak and available to be easily stung.
Problem is for wasps after they have stung they die and usually get stamped on by an angry victim.
Lets hope football follows nature.
http://www.onfieldsofgreen.com/good-for-the-soul/
A wee supplment to last night’s rant.
Eyes Wide Open
I agree with your analyses. The team’s lack of movement off the ball has been a bugbear of mine for a no. of years. Paul’s stats in the article are very disappointing. We have a lazy squad of players who are poorly coached.
Think the CB pairing last night is what we should go with for the immediate future. Give them a chance to develop an understanding and for FF to know their style. Thought they both showed game intelligence, apart from at the second goal. Would love to see a settled CB partnership this year with no chopping and changing. Confident about next Wednesday. Throw Derk, Amido, Sammi and the two Tonys at them.
Don’t need new players to beat this lot just players to pressurise NFL’s pets.
Zaluska (FF get your mind off Benfica and Rio) Lustig – Virgil- Charlie- Matthews
Brown – Rogic – Ledley
Commons – Amido – Boerichter
maybe rather than calling people like me and TET towel chuckers those saying we’ll do this can give us sensible reasons as to why we are so wrong rather than have a go at us.
Who is going to get us the goals?
Is the manager going to actually drop those players who never get dropped to get us through?
Do you honestly think Celtic can defend that long throw effectively for 90 plus minutes without a chance being created in the first instance and taken in the second?
Do you think we’re good enough to keep them out when they break forward when inevitably one of our players plays a bad pass in a bad area or is tackled successfully?
Is there enough pace in this team to nullify their back 9?
How likely are we to score from one of our set pieces against a side that tall?
The level of wastefulness and sloth last night added to the performances preseason against lower league German teams and our less than impressive wins over other opposition as well as that night of torture in Sweden has convinced me Celtic will bow out.
I don’t want it to happen but I have seen nothing to convince me we can get 3 without reply. We’ll need 5 goals at home against a team playing with a back 9, two fast forwards on the break and a load of 6fters who will mop up crosses rather easily if last night is a gauge.
Unless we score in the first 10 minutes the game will fizzle out, our players will wilt and they’ll see their game plan – limited though it is – work for them yet again in this competition.
That’s how bad that result was last night and that’s how bad our team were.
The manager has a week to save the club’s season – I honestly think this game next week is that important.
Get through and the fans are happy and onside (until the board sign a loan forward and maybe someone for 500k) with something to look forward to.
Lose and get a consolation cup run (maybe) against lesser lights with 30-40k attendances and domestic attendances dropping again.
Those are the stakes here folks and that’s why folks like me are so angry and worried about this.
We don’t want to see Celtic lose but we bloody well know a disaster when we see one.
I am quite shocked by the number of Celtic haters who have managed to infiltrate this Celtic site.
No, I’m not even referring to our cowboy country misanthrope & his puppet
We all know only too well where they are coming from.
Delaneys Dunky. I would stick with the same CBs as well, they tired visibly but they need time together on the park to improve there fitness and there knowledge of each other.We are all talking about bringing in new players but these players need time to settle it may take them a season to do this there is no magic wand.H.H.
Snake – would you trade Seville for playing in that season’s CL Group stages? I wouldn’t. The season isn’t over if we don’t get through. It’s just a lit less interesting until after Christmas. If we can stay in EL that long.
“I’m not convinced signing a player one week before an important game is an ideal preparation but taking the money early for Hooper, weeks before Amido Balde (or anyone else) has settled and considered a viable starter, is a calculated risk which is now in sharp focus.”
That’s about as close to criticism over selling/signing policy as I’ve seen from you Paul.
If, in my company what would happen if I had let three of my top performing employees terminate their employment, not replaced them adequately and my company’s financial results suffered as a consequence? I’ll tell you what would happen- I’d get the sack. You are a businessman yourself, is this how you would run a company?
Having said that, I still think we have enough to turn over the deficit next week. If we can get an early goal, it will unsettle them and we could score three.
giggsy_spaceman
wasps dont die after they sting you
bees do
hate wasps, evil wee gits
weeminger
How often do Seville’s come along?
Looks like Spurs are going to be selling Bale. Think they’ve just agreed to spend £60 million on Lamela and Willian.
We won’t buy if we don’t progress, that is a given, possibly a loan, that will be it.
Seville, we had players who were good enough to get us there, doubt I could say the same today.
Snake Plissken. I know where your coming from and like most Celtic supporters you are suffering but surely you dont write of a tie at half-time when in the second half you are playing at home ? I dont disagree with a lot you say however,I think it is after the tie has completely finished and we know our fate that a post mortem should or shouldnt be held. H.H.
Joe Fillipi
Neil needs a settled CB pairing, a Billy McNeill, John Clark type. He has never had that in his time here. Build from a strength at the back and let the flair players play with confidence
KK,
“haters”?
Surely you mean passionate Celtic supporters who wear their hearts on there sleves ?
Many on here live and breath their love and passion for the team and a defeat is like a body blow, for people like yourself it may be juvenile but there are many many who irrespective of their age feel defeat as an assault on their love.
You appear to take a more philosophical approach, it’s only a game, one result, problem is you are trying to judge everyone against your standards.
I prefer their passion and can see/feel their pain, while you accuse them of having alterior motives, happy clapping can be a really blindingly stupid practice sometimes.
as_i_thought
Spurs with the addition of the two you mention, have now brought in eight players with the Bale money.
Now that’s what I call taking a gamble.
It will never catch on >}
thsnks tomtheleedssupporter
we gotta beat these punters next week- are they a good club, yeah, are they well drilled, yeah, is the manager canny, oh yeah, are they a good footballing team, no chance.
“I’m not convinced signing a player one week before an important game is an ideal preparation but taking the money early for Hooper, weeks before Amido Balde (or anyone else) has settled and considered a viable starter, is a calculated risk which is now in sharp focus.”
Question is why is Balde not ready? He’s been here over two months.
O.K.
Ye wanna See Celtic. well.. FIXED?
Hear goes..Nuttin’
Neil, Ah hiv already Dealt wi..
He needs Mair Seasoning..and He should . In the Interim, while he is waiting fur his
Knowledge tae Mature..
We should Hire a Guid Advisor, fur Neil.. a real Advisor ..no an EX CELTIC PLAYER or
an Ex Celtic Manager.
Next..
We should set aboot..
Demolishing the Line-Up of Oor Present Mid-field.
Broonie..is Scatter Brained.. Nae Guile..
Ledley,is.. Lazy? Could Be. Ah jis Think he is Very Limited.
Kayal..is a Desperate kid. Playing a Man’s Game.
Commons is .. well.. He has the talent, awe right ,but, he jist disnae Fit In.
Gut the Mid-Field..
Build a New One..
Wan at a Time.. but .. Mak sure that It the present cast of characters ur Cleaned oot.
Fur there isnae a Spoonful of Brains, anywhere in it.
and A Mid Field…
is the Well frum where awe the Guile should Spring.
Our Present Well..is Bone Dry!
Gotta Go, Joe. See Ya..
Kojo
Still, Laughin’
Much to lament about for last night. However it’s more important to have a full house next week, than it would be to have if we actually qualify. If we were playing the first round next week, we’d expect to win 2-0 at least.
gordybhoy64
18:00 on 21 August, 2013
Masty
are you a regular in the bramalea?,my uncle was a member for years til he passed away a couple of years ago,
——————————————————————————-
sorry mate I had to go get mrs masty…no I am not a member, but my big mate is a founder member and ex-president, his brother posts on here, although I have never set foot in the club I can count on quite a few of it’s members as close friends…