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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THE EXILED TIM
I think you’re right, too much of a gamble……
Joe Filippis Haircut
Granted it is half time but given the form and problems our side has with scoring goals and keeping out goals and chances from their long throws I think we cannot do it.
I REALLY hope I am wrong but I am seriously worried and nothing I saw last night or before has allayed that fear.
Sorry but I’m just calling it as I see it.
Just watched celtic arrive home on bbc news.
Got to say i like the tactic of ignoring the smsm … dont feed them
And all the fans they interviewed at celtic park were quietly confident too
Mon the hoops
GlassTwoThirdsFull
Balde was bought as a work in progress, according to Lenny.
HH
Canamalar prays Oscar can do it again @18-43
Well said.
JFH
There is some merit to your suggestion about keeping the powder dry until after ….. however, my issue is not with the result, so much as the performance…. and performances like that (cant pass, dont move, create little or nothing, and get out coached) have been the norm since NFL took over …. as the old song says, ‘why wait, til it may be too late?’
Last season was great, but, the problem was that the results (which were better than our play deserved) caused a lot of people not to question what was, or should have been, obvious to anyone watching ….this team cant/wont pass, and there is no tactical awareness…(except, I will give NFL his due… he can set up a team to defend doggedly… which worked well against Barca)…
People have been pretending the king is clothed for too long…. I agree that we have the players to turn this tie around…. but, what is the definition of madness? Doing the same thing, and expecting a different result. If the players we have play the way we know they are capable of, sure this tie is winnable….
but if we go to Celtic Park with the same or similar line up and tactic (or, to be accurate, lack thereof), the same result is likely to ensue….
If the tie is to be salvaged, change needs to happen, and it needs to happen before the return…. there is no point waiting until afterwards, and doing a post mortem
That doesn’t mean that, on the day, we shouldn’t back the team…. Hell, in my world, for the return leg…. I’d make every fan who attends join the GB (if only for the day)…. sure, bring back the thunder…. and the fans have to do their part…. but so do the players and the coaches who have to put up their hands, admit they haven’t been good enough, and find a way to do better.
What is in it for the Spurs gamble?
CL money with a top four place next year. £30m perhaps.
Their stadium is not big enough to sustain growth. This looks like a big gamble indeed even with the Bale money.
I think they have shown their hand to early to Real. They may just leave it alone now till January or next year.
Living in the Love
I am no business man, thankfully :-) but I do get your analogy. Is PL a business man?
Snake Plissken /THE EXILED TIM
I have not really read anyone having a go at you both, why would they? you both have just as much right to air your opinion as the next poster on here and long may that continue, as for a reason on getting through next week, it’s simple for me, we are a far superior side than them, early goal and this mob will capitulise, if we had scored last night it would have happened, again only my opinion.
canalamar
“happy clapping can be a really blindingly stupid practice sometimes”
And may not always be restricted to posting Celtic fans.
as_i_thought
maybe it is, maybe not,
Levy is a canny operator, knows that Bale is going, got players in I would imagine cheaper than they would have cost with the Bale money in the bank.
A gamble aye, well worth the risk imo.
HH
Watch the Motors – let me know if i can help your brother out. I live downtown but i’m a member of the Toronto #1 which is east of the city. There is a downtown club in McVeigh’s Pub which is very hand for the subway etc.
MikeinToronto – I was in to see Primo again last week; food was superb; lashed into the sardines as an appetizer, had the veal and shrimp as a main course; mucho vino tae:)
slainte
tony
James Forrest
Great blog, I agree.
Our ‘strategy’ (sic) is quite clearly suck it and see…
We have even seemed to deem projects to much of a risk now….
Snake – very rarely. Its almost ironic that GS twice getting out the CL Group and NL doing have perhaps made them rarer than they might have been.
I just think that its too early to declare the entire season a failure if we don’t qualify.
Masty
We were the better team last night, and look at what happened.
HH
kilbowie kelt
18:27 on 21 August, 2013
I understand what you are saying up to a point, but when those responsible for the running of the club have taken a mis-step, it our duty to point that out.
We have for months heard about the windfall we received for last seasons Champs League run. Forward planning should already have been implemented to build on that strength, so that European money would perpetuate itself. How do you do that? By ensuring the squad is of a sufficient quality to get us over the line every year in qualifying. Yesterday’s performance aside, asking Lenny to put out a winning team without a proven, established goalscorer is just unacceptable.
THE EXILED TIM
18:59 on 21 August, 2013
Masty
We were the better team last night, and look at what happened.
HH
——————————————————————————
canny disagree mate, but 1 poorly defended set piece and 1 crazy deflection,if we had scored 1st we would have won comfortably it’s all about opinions mate.
BSR,
If you’ve got suspicions air them, name and shame and don’t be afraid to be wrong.
Same for anyone, if you think it’s a Hun call it.
Else yer just pretending and hoping.
Alluding means yer frightened to speak yer mind, it’s also an easy out for happyclappers to make sweeping generalisations pretending to be too polite yet nasty enough to have a real go at people they know are Celtic supporters who have different opinions.
Torontony
I cant remember if I mentioned to you, but I enjoyed the place so much, I took Liam and Wendy in… they also loved it! The sardines you ordered looked so good, I ordered them when I went back, but they didn’t have them in that evening…. so, another visit is in order!
I’m sure you must have had a drop of the vino last night…. to drown your sorrows. hell, after that performance, I almost did!
Hope you are well, mo chara.
Apart from anything else if i keep telling myself we are out the pain next week won’t be as bad.
Should we somehow pull it off then I will be over the moon.
Starting from a bad place is not such a bad idea.
BSR,
Think I picked you up wrong, nice twist :o)
Happyclappers are more likely to be huns than tims, never thought about that perspective and it makes sense, thanks for enlightening me.
Hail Hail
Masty
Assuming we don’t give away a stupid goal, assuming we take the chances we make.
I agree we will most likely qualify.
Just having to rely on too many ifs and buts for me, sadly.
HH
Snake Plissken
——————————– I can feel yer pain mo chara, but if we cant take care of this very poor team then we will be were we deserve, and to me that will be down to the bean counters.
Snake
I agree, always been a glass half empty person, anything else is a bonus.
HH
THE EXILED TIM
on last night, I feel it hard to make a case for this mob getting past the half way line, that’s how bad I rate them.
Hoopy Do
What would you rather be…….
Or a wasp
HH
Phil
Masty
That has to be down to the coaching then.
The 2nd goal was a catalogue of mistakes and failings, bad header from Myokolu[spelling] Izzaguire out of position not chasing back eventually chucking it, Brown did the same, Matthews turns his back on the shooter it hits his heel, lack of courage to take a hit, spins up lovely for the guy to head it, with Van Diyk standing off and not challenging, why did so many pros make these mistake during 1 attack?
I agree with all the sentiments that Lenny has been let down by the board but why does he not call their bluff and threaten to resign if they do not back him in the transfer market. That been said it does not excuse poor tactics and no plan B.
Weeminger
(Anybody)
You mentioned Ajax earlier today.
I mentioned them last night as a club who maybe yo yo between the CL and Europa league which might be a reflection of the model they follow and which Celtic have apparently subscibed to.
I had a wee look today and surprise surprise Ajax do yo yo and have done so for the last ten years.
http://www.uefa.com/uefachampionsleague/season=2013/clubs/club=50143/history/index.html
I think there are good reasons for this and it is to do with the timing of releasing and signing players.
It takes at least three months for a player to settle in and show consistent form and if you lose 3 good playeres each year at the end of the season, EVEN IF YOU SIGN A REPLACEMENT AS SOON AS TRAINING RESTARTS you are still going to lose the fluidity of the previous season and performances become disjointed.
I think expectations were that we would build on the previous season but you only do that if you buy a replacement at the developed level of the guy you sold and guys at that level are going to by pass Celtic because they have already bridged the gap that Celtic are the bridge for.
Looking back, the last 16 CL team of last season developed in the Europa the year before and if we end up in the Europa and do well and hang on to the best, we will be more able to qualify for the next CL.
I’m not giving up on winning next week but if we do and even if we sign replacements, unless they are of the same standard as the departed, our performances will not be good enough to keep the support happy. I’m not talking about results, we can all accept a bad result but not a bad performance.
There is a solution but it carries a risk. The solution is to sell developed players who have attracted interest but have signalled their intent to leave in the January window.
The risk is they will not be replaced or replaced by players not as developed as they were) and that puts the SPFL title and progression in the CL (assuming we are in it after Xmas) at risk.
However with no real competition in Scotland the risk of losing the title is low and we are not going to win the CL so why not sell and replace in January so we are ready by summmer to qualify for the CL with a team that have been playing together as a team from the January?
I would also get rid of the long summer break for players by allowing time off during the Jan to May period depending on fixtures and injuries so that fitness is not lost but kept at a level nearer to match fitness.
In the rush to have players signed we are overlooking how long it takes for signings to become first names on the team sheet, indeed if they fail to do so in their first game they get written off.
Would the support buy into that approach of doing our business in January to avoid becoming a yo yo club like Ajax are?
I will be interested to get comments based on the straight information supplied with regard to Ajax.
Paul67 et al
Cannot for the life of me figure out where all this expectation came from last night. Offhand I can only recall two occasions, against Kokkola (9-0) and against Sudova (8-1) where I was not worried about the away result. No doubt a few others over the course. I wasn’t confident we would win, I put money on a 1-1 draw, and felt that, if we play well we would get a decent result. Define decent. Well a result that gives us a good chance of progressing to the Champions League proper. 2-0 gives us a chance.
Celtic Mac
if the 1st game had been at CP we would have been looking for at least 2-0 so for me nothing changes,get the 2 and start again….
Anyone suspect Mr Finboggasson may be waiting to see if we get through to the CL proper before he joins? Just a thought.
If we don’t get through, we’ll probably need to sign his cheaper cousin of lesser ability ….simply boggin son.
Auldheid – thanks for doing the work on Ajax I was going to do tonight. :)
Snake Plissken
The last time I felt like you do now, was in 1986. Boarded the Renfrew ferry to Love St. thinking Hearts would win the league today. Ma mates and I were going out of duty. Next thing, the Whitecrook bhoys arrived and the rest of the weekend became a party. We won the league again, was the song they sang going through Yoker before the game. KTF
Many thanks to everyone who replied to my post.
Mike in Toronto: Forgot to say Brother will be downtown. He is staying at a hotel on Queen Street. He will not, however, have access to a car.
Your kind help is much appreciated.
Watch The Motors.
overexcited csc
Well, as the hangover from last night wears off a wee bit, I think we will win next week and qualify because….
super motivated players,
a packed house,
a hostile crowd (us)
the travelling the away team will have to do,
they are not a very good team,
put all this together and my money is on us to qualify,
if we don’t then we are a lot worse than i thought – and I’m no Happy Clapper
Saschensring Karagandy Looked The Team More Likely To Score After The Opener….
For Most Of The Match….
Particularly In The Second Half….
So Don’t Under-rate Them….
They Were Not Even Playing On Their Home Pitch…
Why Wasn’t Samaras Substituted….
When He Had To Leave The Pitch For Treatment After Going Over On The Ankle?…
Risking Exacerbating The Injury,Whilst Performing Below Par…..
Interesting To See If He Is Fully Fit For Wednesday….
Suppose We’ll Be Told It Was Always The Plan To Play Derk On The Left Wing….
For The Return Leg..