Out of the Champions League qualifiers at the hands of a team with a smaller budget than ours, for the second season in succession. Where did it all go wrong? Two shortcomings stand out: team planning and tactical strategy.
I’ll take the latter first. We had 60% possession last night, a remarkable figure for an away European game which was lost. We dominated possession, didn’t score a goal and conceded twice (for the fourth time in five games).
Let me take you back a few years to a Dominik Diamond TV interview with Martin O’Neill, then Leicester City manager, in 1999. O’Neill laid plain his tactical philosophy, “My teams have big guys who know how to defend, they have players who can throw dangerous balls into the box, and players who can get on the end of those balls and put them in the net”.
A year later, when Martin came to Celtic, it was like going to school as we watched the observance of these very rudimentary rules transform our club. His defenders could defend, he had wide players who could throw dangerous balls into the box, and strikers who knew where the goal was. Martin’s teams never dominated possession against a European peer, never mind a team who beat them so comfortably.
It doesn’t need to be explained that there was no team in the world who could score three times from corner kicks against the Celtic team of a decade or so back. Today, team planning has insufficiently focussed on a few fundamentals of the game: know how to defend, know how to translate possession into chances, and have a handful of players in the team who know where the goal is. This is the fittest, fastest, Celtic team I have ever seen, but we looked like busy fools last night.
Ronny Deila’s post-match comments about the team being scared was an instant reaction to the defeat, but it’s worth digging into what prompted this perception. There were actually many occasions when Celtic players showed for a pass, the Uefa possession and completed pass stats conform this, but what we never did was boss the middle of the park.
In yesterday’s blog I asked Celtic to own the park as I have had a worry about this aspect for a while. This is different from covering a lot of ground (we do that), or being able to make a pass (we do that too). We have Scott Brown (runner) and Nir Bitton (passer) in central midfield. I like both but we need extra bite in this area. Celtic’s most effective period over the last decade was when we had Wanyama and Brown central-mid. The role Wanyama fulfilled has been sacrificed for the player in the hole behind the lone striker.
Players of Wanyama’s calibre are not common, and we shouldn’t go 4-3-3 if all we have is a Kayal to fill the additional central midfield space, but Brown and Bitton are not enough in central midfield in Europe. It’s also clear that selection for the four advanced positions (the 3-1) has been so fluid since the start of the season we’re clearly not cohesive in that area of the field either.
For me, if it’s Brown and Bitton, and I think it should be, we need another Brown-Wanyama influencer. Think back to our last Champions League group to consider the prospect of playing a European game without Scott Brown. At the very least we need cover for him, but in Europe we need two in his position. Go 4-3-3.
So much for tactical strategy, what about team planning? For the third August since parting company with Gary Hooper we are hawking around for a striker. Gary’s not a panacea, so I’ll ignore him as a prospect for now, but while Leigh Griffiths has performed beyond the call of duty, we are, again, out of the Champions League without having any idea who our primary striker will be this season.
We are in a loop of mistakes, and frankly, the most likely next action is that we respond by recruiting an identikit of the many strikers who have passed through Parkhead gates in recent years. We know enough about this problem to be aware that it’s our primary challenge, yet we have been unable to overcome it.
In my State of the Club blog at the start of the season I cautioned that we’d swapped Gordon Strachan’s soft spot for recruiting from Hibs, for a desire to see stars at Dundee United. Ciftci, Mackay-Stevens and Armstrong have been our primary recruits for advanced positions in 2015. Only one won a place in the starting line-up last night, leaving us relying on players who struggled to get in the team a year (or longer) ago.
Ronny Deila may well be able to polish Dundee United players into top performers at Celtic, but we didn’t recruit the finished article. We should have known this, and should have been aware that our August cup finals would have made calls on bit-part players from recent seasons.
We will find the occasional Champions League player in Scotland, but you can’t raid a mid-table SPFL team and expect to leap to the very top table in the game. This team planning strategy always looked vulnerable and it’s proven to be.
On the money side, you know my views. Over any business period you pay what comes in, no more and no less. We’re losing to team who spend less than us, not more, and on this occasion a team who picked up a player we discarded.
On just as important matters………
The golfers among you have three days to buy a raffle ticket – for £1 only – to win a round of golf at the fantastic Aberdour Golf Course for four people! Check it out here on ebay. Money raised (by Taggsybhoy) will go to the Foundation. This important work, always needs to be done, win, lose or draw.
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Ronny should have used a word like nervous rather than afraid.
However, if I somehow got a job that paid 700k a year or whatever, I wouldn’t be too precious about being criticised in public.
As we all know, people in lowly paid jobs like nurses or cleaners have to put up with a lot worse
Eddieinkirkmichael
Getting off on a Celtic defeat …utter crap
Deila shouldn’t be doing his apprenticeship at CFC ….
One thing on the article – we may have completed and shown for plenty of passes but most of them were across the back 4.
More importantly for me we didn’t get the basics right. We didn’t pass quickly enough and we tried to force things in forward areas that were never on.
Can the fans be wrong for voting SH POTY ?
….PFayr supports WeeOscar on 26th August 2015 7:54 pm:
Get for who mate?
LiviBhoy on 26th August 2015 7:40 pm
I’m old School, two up front for me but I fear with non-qualification our options have drastically reduced on we can entice.
TinyTim on 26th August 2015 7:56 pm
I agree, he would make an excellent Coach or Reserve Team Manager with a Club with a lot of cash.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Easter 1916,
http://youtu.be/Hm_MO4dpyyI
Clogher
Auldheid on 26th August 2015 2:58 pm
The current format is slowly but surely killing the game (and clubs like Celtic) across Europe. It behoves UEFA and ECA to look at what we now have and come up with something that levels out the risks clubs decide to take to sit at the big table.
*excellent idea, but lets not forget who was instrumental in the current format…….the greatest administrator the game has known, the same one that left 2 of his previous clubs destitute and helped ruin our own game.
WHAT IS THE STARS on 26TH AUGUST 2015 8:28 PM
Macjay
==========================================================
Ronny won 2 out of three without “bringing on the Hearts and Hibs and Rangers”
Our minimum requirement must be qualification for the C.L.group stages.
I find it impossible to accept the “management of decline.”
Howls of derision? Keep telling it.
Spoke to a Malmo fan in work today. He felt the teams were relatively evenly matched but that they had one thing we don’t have – a genuine international class striker (Rosenberg).
I couldn’t disagree.
The reason we don’t and won’t buy experience is that it would mean looking at guys on the wrong side of 26/27. Selling them on at 29/30, would not make a profit, more likely a loss.
Instead we buy younger guys like Scepovic and Boerrigter for around 1.5 million and when they flop, find some mug to take them for around half of that………………………oh, …wait…………
Philbhoy on 26th August 2015 5:37 pm
God bless you and your family, we can only imagine your pain.
You and yours will be in my prayers at the Schoenstatt shrine over the weekend.
!!Bada Bing!! on 26th August 2015 8:21 pm
Funny you post that, had a conversation with my Cousin this morning that Stefan comes across as believing he is better Player than he is. Not been his greatest Fan and still cannot believe he got POTY.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
I know it,s often the case that players return to their former clubs and play out their skins to prove a point,a la Berget over the two legs against Malmo.
However,last season at home against Maribor he put in exactly the same shift but was 80% less effective.
My worry is that ,while admittedly we have signed some abstract failures as forwards,our system does not allow our flair players to perform to their maximum.
Jamesie looked like he would have been much more effective in the other team last night.
I get that feeling with Scepovic too although not quite so much.
Last night 8/11ths of our team was lethargic.Going forward like a supertanker leaving it,s moorings.It would be good to think that we will not see that again this season
I see a bit of talk about the Malmo player Rosenberg.
Had the referee applied the rules he would have given him at least 5 yellow cards.
Some player he is
Barnsley 2 Everton 0 ,Kaiser Stones et al,Aiden hooked at HT…..Everton score as i was checking in play price 7/1….
The striker question should be looked at.
Is our personnel talented and their service poor?
Is our system not designed to create many chances?
Apart from Lee Griffiths do we have non scoring forwards?
Has Scepovic been given a fair crack?
Is it to early to judge Ciftci?
Stokes?
Do we need another striker?
Or a different playing system to create more chances for guys we have?
I think we need a rethink of our midfield system and personnel to fully answer a lot of above questions.
• THE EXILED TIM on 26th August 2015 3:41 pm
TinyTim
I would also add in that they haven’t challenged the sfa in any way, nor have they done anything about the cheating that eminates from the refereeing dept.
*is the coin heiderer still involved with UEFA, we really don’t get a break in Europe with them either.
Someone analysed our qualification attempts over a number of season earlier today. Only season 2012-13 has lead to a successful campaign over that period. That coincides with the Wanyama season. On a rare contribution last week I mentioned the Wanyama element, and the fact that we do not play a proper defensive midfield player. Paul67 has also picked up this theme today. The open system we play is suicidal in Europe and the lack of game sense from the likes of Johansen in the midfield does not help. We can get off with this in Scotland – as John Collins has stated – however, we cannot compete on this basis in Europe.
Is Saturday the last game of Cifci’s suspension?
Does anyone know how much Malmo splashed on Rosenberg & what is his annual neto ?
God help the poor wee players that cant accept criticism public or not, the one thing RD has in his favour is his honest assessment after abject games, he’s taken the blame and rightly so, KC, as evidenced on his TV performances, is a stirrer, his nose is out of joint as he doesn’t play too often and can’t adapt to a different role as shown last night.
Our approach to ECL qualification is thus, in order to get the right players to improve the squad, we need to be lucky in order to qualify, that’s how it pans out. Surely CEO’s role is to provide the manager with the best tools wee can afford not just giving him tools.
From the top down needs revising and now, not when the tribute act appear.
Following up Starry Plough’s comment, I was at the Monaco -Valencia game last night and there were banners reading “UEFA=Mafia”. Don’t know exactly why. Valencia were good, but Monaco gave it a good go. Both would blow us away just now.
Dallas-agree
Lennybhoy-he looks a different player,the LG penalty incident seemed very out of character.Are Norwich not interested in him?HH
WHAT IS THE STARS on 26TH AUGUST 2015 8:56 PM
I see a bit of talk about the Malmo player Rosenberg.
Agree. He got away with repeated fouling including a couple of dangerous elbows. Got his yellow in the 93rd minute. If he’d got it much earlier he would have been a lot less ‘robust’ and less effective.
– See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/where-did-it-all-go-wrong/comment-page-8/#comment-2663869
In any profession, let alone foôtball….improvement is achieved by assessment of those key attributes, strengths and weaknesses. Many on here identify certain players as being scapegoats.
However, I would like to offer a fair minded assessment of each Celtic f.c member. As the sum of all parts, is greater than the part of individuals.
C.Gordon : as a shot stopper , is second to none. Superb agility for a keeper, 6ft 3 in height, and 32/33 yrs of age. His reactions are first class. However, an obvious weakness in his armoury, is an inability to commend 6 yard box at corners. Maybe I’m old school, but at each of the Malmo goals across the 2 ties, I’m thinking, our keeper has got to commend 6yrd box. Judge flight of ball, and then attack the ball, clearing out all those that stand in ur way…. However, C.Gordon is a : MUST KEEP.
S.Jancko : got to put a degree of perspective on things when evaluating a player of this age and experience. I think this guy definately has good raw attributes and potential. At times last night I feel he looked too obvious and hesitant in his actions. Too deliberate when squaring up to his opponent. in time I would hope he grows in confidence, and begins to use his pace to good effect to expose left mids and left fullbacks….. Again, though, for me Jancko is a : KEEPER
D.Boyata : again I will try to achieve perspective. He has had indifferent start to Celtic career. Good and bad moments. Although 23/24 yrs old, in relative terms he has equivalent top level 1st team experience as a 20 yr old. He needs games, and will no doubt develop with exposure to playing week in week out. with Virgil away, my preference would be for Celtic to secure an experienced, physical, commanding figure to play beside Boyata. As without this, I fear he may toil…. That said, no choice but to regard him as : KEEPER
Van Dijk : no need to elaborate here. VanDijk is away.
Mulgrew : Charlie was exposed last night, and made to look like a donkey. At times can do a good enough job of achieving that status himself, however I believe when fully match fit, Mulgrew has both experience and a role to play within our squad. Not a regular starter in any one position, but cover for brown + Bitton as sitting midfielder, and/or cover at left back or centre half. Worth KEEPING about the squad
Izzy : I like the guy, and he has served us well. Without doubt does Celtic justice within Scottish Premiership. But almost certainly not the answer in Europe. Lacks defence quality, and often clears the ball rashly, with no real calculation in the ball forward. Crossing and final ball a lot to be desired. The quest has surely got to be to secure a Lustig type full back for the left hand side. Expendable. Izzy, I fear your time is up.
Lustig : what can I say, guy is jinxed. Has had cruel luck with injury. But without debate, when fit, he is the identi-kit full back we require. Steady defensively, calm in possession. Makes minimal mistakes… A must KEEP
Brown : so often missed when not in starting 11, when I make assessment on our captain I like to try and judge over the bigger picture, over the greater number of games. On last nights performance, I reckon he’d be first to acknowledge his game fell way below the level required. That said, with perspective he has consistently brought more to the table than the majority of other squad members. He is our captain, and is : KEEPER
Bitton : again viewing bigger picture, Bitton has been good far more often than been bad. Didn’t play as well as expected against Malmo in both ties. However he remains the only midfielder we have that can put foot on the ball and play with composure. And pick a pass. A definite : KEEPER
Johansen : full of energy , which is great if used properly. However that’s where it both starts and ends for me unfortunately regarding Johansen. If he was an Epl player and subjected to sky sports or b.t sports Opta stats that we see used when assessing players. His Opta stats would frighten the life out you. Successful in about 1 in every 6 attempts at a pass. Of late I also call in to question his attitude. Seems to think he is a billy bigbawz. So as no surprise, cash in on him…. If we get 2.5-3.5 million,.. Take it as good business.
Armstrong : intelligent player, reasonably hard working, capable of pitching in with goals. That’s the good points. Negatively, I don’t see him as a natural wide left. Would prefer to see him take on Johansens role, in the middle of attacking 3. All things considered. A KEEPER
GMS : in short, he epitomises what wingers have been for decades… Inconsistent. Has got good skill, and a good honest work ethic about him. However needs to ensure end product. And improve his link play with main striker. I’ve also noticed that off the ball, I.e defensively he always seems to be 10/15 yards away from opponent. Almost as if his defensive awareness needs to be worked on. However a : KEEPER
Forrest : James is over his injuries , I believe and hope. Was our best player against Malmo , both times. Still not at full peak. Can sometimes be predictable when taking someone on. And still needs to improve final ball, end product. But a must : KEEP
Commons : at 32/33, he isn’t going to get any faster, quicker or sharper. I still see a contribution from him. Not in every game, but as and when necessary. More recently I would be inclined to start Commons instead of Johansen. A direct swap. Let him get match sharp, and he will be important in our Europa league quest, and also in ensuring a Scottish Premiership triumph.
Griffiths : I like the wee guy. He has an infectious appetite for the game. Will score goals a plenty in Scotland, and capable of contributing in Europe. But ultimately, doesn’t have the complete game to lead line effectively, as witnessed last night. I know he got isolated in large spells and suffered from rubbish service. However in away games in Europe we need an out ball. If we clear long and high, we need a centre forward who can unsettle the opponents centre halfs. Leigh doesn’t have the height, strength or link up capabilities for European away games. That said, a must :KEEP
I feel others like ROGIC, is worth keeping and developing. Play him in games versus Motherwell and thistle etc at home, where he can get game time.
However to close this squad analysis off, I see the likes of Ambrose, Scepovic, Boeriggter, McGregor, as all being expendable…. In fact we should actively be trying to punt this lot.
And apologies if I’ve missed anyone out.
Lambert for manager
there I’ve said it
Good for him
Good for us
Keeping McGregor while loaning out Henderson and Fisher is beyond baffling.
Thanks paul67
For the platform
I bought into Ronnies vision & I liked the idea of it being implemented at all levels of the football club. However his vision has shown to be extremely one dimensional & more worryingly his judgement of a player is now in question. One of the first things he did was put Mcgregor on a long term contract with much improved wages. This was a costly mistake but only just in the door it was forgiven. He has a blind spot for Johansen, so much so this may have stunted Hendersons development and his reluctance to play Griffiths even this season is another example. Berget showed more than enough over the two legs to suggest he could have been an asset for us if utilised properly. Who’s to say if Scepovic or even Pukki before him may have done likewise. Most recently last night he benched two international defenders, one of which has played almost every game under his tenure. Playing Mulgrew over Izzy was suicide but more questionable was the timing of doing so. Tried and trusted at LB for more than a year, played week in week out, yet omitted from our biggest game of the season. Personally I have great faith in Izzy’s ability but Ronny obviously wasn’t convinced after seeing him play 50 + games? If he didn’t fancy the wee man then he should have come to this conclusion way before last night.
I like Ronny and I believe he is an asset but is he good enough at this stage in his career to be our manager? The speculation was he was supposed to be a number two but ended up with the top job. I think he should be given the Europa League campaign but if things don’t improve, then perhaps the initial thought he’d make a good number two was the correct one.
I see that BATE Borisov are on track to qualify for the CL (again). Their squad is valued at 12.46 million; Celtic is valued at ~33 million. Their manager is 40 years old. Only one of their players is valued at over 1 million. Lots of experienced players in their team tho”.
Teams like this show what can be achieved within a budget. They also illustrate the magnitude of our failure. Does anyone at the club study teams like this to see what they do?
Earlier someone pointed out the Stein era and how quickly success was achieved (’65 to ’67). It did not happen by accident, Jock went to the top clubs and studied what they did. Now a days, we should concentrate on the BATE’s, Malmos of the game and look at what they do. To me this seems so obvious that if no one in the club has thought of this, it is a stagnant organisation.
Rebus
!!Bada Bing!! on 26th August 2015 9:00 pm
Not heard of Norwich’s interest in Leigh, only what I have seen out there.
Keep the Faith!
Hail Hail!
Just checking is lawwell still there. Has he got away with it again
Yup looks like it. Silly happy clappers
Have we improved since last year? If we have it’s only slightly.
I’ve read some posters saying that they’ve enjoyed watching Celtic under Ronny’s tenure, I’m afraid to say that much of our football has been poor in my opinion.
Don’t get wrong I’m delighted that we won a double last season and there was the excitement of the Inter Milan tie in February. But let’s be honest, and SoT told us beforehand, that was a poor, poor Inter side.
I posted during the close season that Ronny’s real test would come in Europe, the league title certainly should, be a given. I wasn’t looking for miracles just indication that there had been improvement.
The Qarabag tie gave me false hope. We got through comfortably enough and it was pleasing to see us keep a clean sheet in both legs of the tie. But that doesn’t take into consideration their abject scoring record in European competition.
Many posters have suggested that Ronny doesn’t have a plan B. In Europe I don’t think he has a suitable plan A. We play the same tactics and formation in Europe that wins us games in domestic football. It’s becoming evident that this isn’t working.
The problem though is that if we replace Ronny, it’s only going to be with another coach who’ll immediately be hamstrung by the financial constraints under which we operate.
Deliberate policy of not commenting in the last 24hours .
Sore, but yet so predictable.
Managers, players , coaches performances all picked apart.
Meanwhile Desmond is in Barbados.
Peter parks the car in the heated driveway.
Theses guys are doing all right.
PS.
The bar is set so low that people are slavering over James Forrest performances.
No goals, no assists.
I suppose he is fitter now. He can run himself into trouble faster.
Lennybhoy-no mate,Norwich interested in Johansen?
fan-a-tic on 26th August 2015 8:57 pm
Whoever scouted Scepovic,must know he can’t play as a lone striker(if at all…)
HAMILTONTIM on 26TH AUGUST 2015 9:12 PM
I agree with almost everything you say.
One proviso………….Our European failure is responsible for at least 25 million of that financial constraint.
To what extent must Ronny accept blame for that failure?
He accepts the blame.
As he should.