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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Just for the record, here is what Ronny said about the Celtic players last night.
“We have played well in many, many games this season, but we looked scared and uncomfortable on the ball and very stressed and that’s my responsibility. – See more at: http://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/blame-me-deila/#sthash.C9iFdorG.dpuf
He did not say the Celtic players were scared.
I have read on here and in other places that he apparently said that, and in fact I believe that the misquote was what was put to players by the redoubtable mob from the Scottish Fifth Estate. The online BBC quote is typical
“Manager Ronny Deila said his players looked “scared and frightened” during the 2-0 defeat in Sweden.”
Now we have the same media helping to stir it up by claiming a disconnect between the manager and the players.
Our players WERE uncomfortable on the ball last night, we looked stressed and yes at times some players seem to hide. Our players were scared on the ball, scared to make a mistake perhaps. Our players didn’t step up and they know it. Whether they failed to stick to a game plan or the game plan wasn’t adequate is immaterial in this context. Too many players lost their individual battles and sometimes even seemed to be dozing. From their throw in at their own 18 yard line, the Malmo thrower threw the ball to one of their midfielders striding out of defence with no Celtic player near him then or as he moved forward. Our midfield had been taken out of the game from a set piece. It ended with them getting a shot in.
As for the Ronny misquote etc we are being played by the media who are exploiting our emotions after the loss of Champions League football.
Kris Commons was asked about being scared and ashamed with those comments being attributed to his manager and captain. What was he supposed to say to a maliciously worded misquote designed to provoke him and denigrate Celtic further?
He denied being scared and said he wasn’t ashamed, but did say “I’m bitterly disappointed and angry.”
So there we have it – a non story churned up by churnalists to destabilise Celtic even further.
Ronny said it was his responsibility for how the players appeared scared and uncomfortable on the ball.
Scott Brown said he was ashamed.
Kris Commons said he was bitterly disappointed and angry.
All pretty reasonable in the circumstances but no story unless you churn it up.
HH
New members admitted to the 2015-16 Europa League club tonight are
Brugge
Lazio
Partizan Belgrade
Sporting Lisbon
Apoel Nicosia
who will all join the easy street teams like Liverpool who are there for finishing sixth in the EPL.
Aye but
Does anyone know a handsome hun
I don’t interrupt the financially illiterate posters, as a rule, this is a blog where every opinion is welcome. I’m bored with it today, so show me what you fans bring to the party?
PL’s gratuitous bonus last year was compensation for him not taking up the ordinary shares options he’d earned five years earlier. Nothing to do with transfer activity
My questions to the regulars who castigate him is, what price was his option set and what was the trading buy price on the day his option expired?
Obviously, none of you will require Googleopolis.
Jungle Jim Hot Smoked on 26th August 2015 9:31 pm I am beginning to think Paul should have two CQN Blogs. One for those who enjoy being Celtic supporters and one for those who do not.
*naw one of them for the diggers who are never here when we win but when we don’t they quickly surface to being disrespectful to our CEO.
Having a rough day for football reasons but I’ve just seen the photo of Tricoloured Ribbon and feel a bit silly for my earlier upset.
Take care, Danny and get well soon.
Last night is not a surprise. Lawwells mismanagement and downsizing is the main root cause.
Rewarding the bonus thief for champions league failure for selling a prized asset sums up the mess we are in as a club. Only one person in the entire Celtic family will benefit from the CL …Mr Bonus , Director of Football.
The crowds will drift towards 20k as we head towards winter. Pay at the gate will be the norm.
Why should fans invest when the Board have left the maanger without a striker since we sold Hooper and replaced by cheap dross.
Winning the Mickey Mouse SPL league is irrelevant now. The downsizing by Lawwell will make the Europa League a challenge next year.
One man is responsible for downsizing our club and he is encouraged to do this to achieve his bonus.
As long as Lawwell is at Celtic the steady decline will continue. I don’t expect CQN lead articles to call out Lawwell when there is the Sevco situation to analyse. This ostrich like behaviour does not face reality.
The CEO of Celtic has downsized the club to a level that it will never appear in the CL again.
Lawwell must be sacked……although the damage he has done is irreparable in a way.
I expect less than 30k on Saturday and would suggest we close the top tier until further notice.
First post for ages. Caught the second half here in Sliema last night. We are where we are.
More importantly best wishes to TCR for a speedy and total recovery.
And b.t.w. it’s currently 28 degrees outside. Just past midnight.
Need a cold beer.
Goodnight guys.
I have been a supporter of Ronny since day 1, I thought he was exactly what we needed.
Hell of a job he had, and has, to transform our playing style and improve the players’ fitness and lifestyley stuff in a very short time, with the Scottish media waiting to pounce and chew him – and us – us up every day. And, let’s face it, very demanding fans.
What did WGS say – “at Celtic you’re always 2 defeats away from a crisis”.
But that’s the way it is. I think Ronny has done well for us so far, very well.
Last night, however, was a nightmare.
Tactically out-thought, a back 4 that had never played together, no spirit on the park, except for Craig and Griff, no ability to change a set-up that was obviously not working.
Broonie played as if he had been told he was a marked man for winding up and a sending off – so he didn’t play. So no leadership, no confidence. Lambs to the slaughter.
By Malmo, FFS.
abject.
I don’t want to get rid of Ronny. But I am not sure what John Collins brings to the coaching team other than being a Ronny mini-me. Too similar.
I would see him replaced by an older and wiser head with the nous to see where changes should be made, and the baws to say so to Ronny.
I would also tweak the slavish devotion to youth. I love Ronny’s belief in youngsters but last night proved that it has to be tempered.
A streetwise, hard, big leader of a centre back and something similar up front last night and we would still be in the draw.
We need youth for sure, but we are crying out for a couple of older heads.
Ronny had exactly that at Stromsgodset – youth surrounding a couple of gnarled old pros – so obviously he’s not agin the idea.
So that means it’s the buying-selling policy of the club that has to change.
So be it.
Sorry for bringing all this to the blog just when people are coming out of the gloom but I couldn’t post till tonight because for me last night was the worst since Neuchatel Xamax.
God willing we’ll get a good draw on Thursday and dish out a hammering at the weekend.
Then things won’t feel so bad.
VESPACIDE on 26TH AUGUST 2015 10:47 PM
Ronny called it like he saw it, he’s not playing the politics game, thats for presstitutes and Commons to hide in.
Hail Hail.
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Hahahahaha!!!. Delia is total crap-bag and you could smell the panic in the eyes as his latest Euro disaster unfolded in front of him. His remarks about the players being scared were a desperate attempt to deflect attention from his own inadequacies as a manager. The players weren’t the only one filling their breeks during the match last night.
I have just seen TCR’s injuries, which puts things properly into perspective.
Horrifying. Get well soon.
Still trying to gain some perspective of what went completely wrong last night! My conclusion – If Celtic (The Board) had any ambition to get this team into the Champions League proper you would think they would strategize on Youth , Potential and Experience mix. We got it completely wrong. This team has no experience , few leaders and lacks downright arrogance at this level.
Why is this the case – Did the board provide enough money to get this – i think yes (and of course more would be welcome). We wasted it on potential! Pukki , Scepovic , GMS etc…..
Simply put – RD got the mix completely wrong and has to take the hit for that!
I’m interested to see how we respond as a team , board and support.
Oh FFS the southern hemisphere mona lisas are back.
PS once again we are on the wrong end of a filthy referee / linesman decision – its happening so much now that it should be considered a PATTERN. Surely sufficient info for our board to challenge WTF is going on!
Get well soon TCR.
STEBHOY @ 11.19
Did we ever get a reply from the last time we asked the SFA?
What happened to the ‘pay at the gate’ money?
Ronny was caught in the headlights last night
Lawwell has remarkably found the Norwegian Tony Mowbray
Dearest was staring him in the face and there was nothing coming from him.
He should have asked our illustrious Director of Football, Mr Bonus what to do.
He would probably have suggested taking VIrgil off to wrap him in cotton wool for his impending sale.
VIrgil gone and that donkey Charlie Mulgrew to be centre Half will be the DOF plan
Ronny nice guy but 3 failures in CL qualification”……please no more Ronny roars for Mickey Mouse league games
“and would suggest we close the top tier until further notice”
Does this mean I would get relocated?
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
I suppose he is fitter now. He can run himself into trouble faster
☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆;:*:;☆
Back to the bar I guess. Goodnight to the real supporters.
Having calmed down ( slightly) after last night’s debacle, my considered thoughts are that the manager needs help.
I haven’t been a fan since early doors, he is a decent motivator, but tactically naive, and repeatedly makes same mistakes.
Except Inter, almost every big game we have lost or drawn, has involved us taking the lead, only to blow it.
Sacking him now, would make little difference.
My suggestion is that over the next 2/3 months, we should look very seriously at bringing in a Director of Football wth responsibility for the overall football strategy of our club, and ensuring the right folks are in situ to deliver.
We need to look at style of play, youth development, player recruitment and player sales, and right now there is no one IMHO with the skill and resource to do all above, and ‘manage the board’.
It strikes me that right now RD is a bit of a rabbit in the headlights.
I suspect day to day, PL whilst not handing over wads of cash, is relatively supportive, but ultimately he isn’t a football man.
Beneath him, RD has JC and JFK, and whilst both were good players for us in the day, neither has any degree of gravitas as a coach.
Getting in a DoF would provide RD with a mentor / boss who could constructively challenge and develop RD, whilst also ensuring he has two transfer windows to advance us for next year.
Thoughts?
Before yesterdays game on CQN posters were all happily doing turbot charged fish puns.
LATCHFORD on 26TH AUGUST 2015 11:38 PM
Ronny nice guy but 3 failures in CL qualification”……please no more Ronny roars for Mickey Mouse league games
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For me, this is the bottom line. Do I trust him with a fourth attempt? Like hell I do. The gap between us and the rest of scottish football is so vast that we could sack the management team, get the players to form a workers collective, pick the team at random each week and still canter the league. The test for Celtic managers will always be Europe and RD’s record is abysmal. Better managers have been sacked for less.
Typical missive from our illustrious CQN benefactor Paul67 on post CL elimination at the hands of a similar crap team with even less cash than Celtic have.
14 paragraphs of pedantic dross followed by the perfunctory board lackey protection of the good old Scottish calvinesque “aye ye canny live beyond yer means” drivel followed by the obligatory charity push for cash that our wonderful board are however immune from.
GIRFUYeez (to quote a few hopefuls on here last night).
excath
” the Manager done his homework and had VVD obstructed as he was our main defender for corners etc.”
They copied that from Milan who used their arms ( and still got away with it ).
Where did it all go wrong?
Approximately when the donut was told emphatically that Celtic in the EPL was a definite no circa 2004
Paul,you mention Martin O’Neil in your blog.Martin never won an away game in his first tilt at CL football in the groups.We were gubbed 3-0 by Porto,2-0 by Rosenberg,and 3-2 by Milan.How much money was spent on that team.A policy,that if continued would have left us bankrupt.We cannot generate enough money to sustain the investment required to be reasonably sure about CL qualification.Too many on here are acting like spoiled brats,with no idea of the disastrous results we have suffered in the 80s,90s.Even WGS got a 5-0 hammering from some nonentities.Some unheard of Swiss mob took 5 off us as well.The Lions went out in the first round in 1968.
Last nights result was nothing new.Lenny lost to Braga,Utrecht,Sion,so what,all seems to be forgotten.
The way things stand,we are a Europa League team.Not in bad company there either.How many favourites went out in the qualifiers?.Dont think you will get any of their fans,saying they will boycott the Europa.What we have now is a shower of Prima Donnas,with delusions of grandeur,not helped sometimes by you and others.As much as I hate them,look at the Hun support over the city.Taken in by bullsh!t from the SMSM.Our support are letting the same media get inside their heads.While the Huns beat,Alloa,Ayr,Airdrie,Peterhead,there being billed as superstars,while we,who fell at the last hurdle of the CL,are billed by them as failures.
FFS,lets get behind the team,and realise our shortcomings,try and remedy them,and stop acting like spoiled kids.The SMSM are after RD,and we are helping them all along the way.Not me.We are still building as best we can.A good run in the Europa,and domination of Scotland will do me fine.
Latchford,why dont you get back under your stone.Hardly heard from you in yonks,then on like a flash,when we get beat.A pure trumpet.
If anyone was in any doubt what we are up against,apart from the likes of Latchford,read Smiths column today in the Scotsman.
Far too many on here filling their boots for them.
Disgraceful.Please,if you really hate Lawell,the board,etc,stay to fek away from Celtic Park.Sick and tired of listening to your constant whingeing.
Margaret McGill,
Well said.
Paul67 will analyse Celtic from top to bottom, Sevco and The SFA for the slightest reason.
However as you say our illustrious CEO is a taboo subject.
It’s perfectably understandable as Lawwell is
– not selecting the Norwegian Tony Mowbray
– he is not selling our best players on a regular basis and replacing with dross
– he is not collecting a bonus as a reward for CL failure
– he is not praying for a Sevco return and pretending they are the same club
– he did not select John Collins to sit on the bench to boost his tan
– he did not force out Hooper and Ledley when both would have stayed
– He has not cost Celtic £50 M of revenue by CL shambles in 12 months
I fully expect an article on why the kit man laid out the strips in the wrong order before Lawwells failures are dissected.
It is sad really that the man running the shambles can never be discussed by Paul67. It shiws one man is bigger than the club for Paul67.
Not for me”…..Lawwell must be sacked.
Turkeybhoy,
Smith is a good Celtic man and no doubt speaks the truth.
The truth hurts “……you should face reality.
Our CEO is destroying the club while taking his bonus for failure.
Ostrich like behaviour allows Lawwell to continue his self rewarding downsizing.
Why should we accept that ?
turkeybhoy
Liked that post.
Except the Swiss team were actually Slovakian – but you just knew I had to pick a nit :o)
The media in Scotland are lazy and are happy making up a story even when there is a real one to tell.
New Normal CSC
I used to love reading Hun Media,to feel their pain.I would think the story is now reversed as every @sshole who has ever worn the Hoops.is on here slaughtering the manager,the team,the board,thinking they know every fekin answer to every fekin question.We got beat.We have been beat before,we will get beat again.That wee formula does not work for you,tough.
Two 5 goal defeats.RWE on 27th August 2015 12:39 am,
I know.The Swiss team were Neuchatel Xmax,the other team was Artmedia.Two 5 goal defeats.
Words to finish with tonight. Ronny and all Celtic fans..
“No one can hurt you without your consent.”
http://tonyshuddle.com/
No One Walks Alone
“Ronny nice guy but 3 failures in CL qualification”
Honey Patter? csc
latchford on 27th August 2015 12:38 am,
Were have you been when we were winning?.Only ever come on to bitch.No time for fans like you.
I was thinking Artmedia at 5-0 away – still see WGS’s face looking like he’d been mugged.
Think the Neuchatel was 5-1
When things go wrong – scapegoats better get up a tree and hide.
TRC have a good night and a better day tomorrow.
HH