Five at the back is an orthodox defensive shape, it’s not a headcount of defenders, which is the crux of where we went wrong last night: we chose the wrong system.
Consider the space between (debutant) Gamboa and Lustig at the first goal. No one was sure who should have been picking up Messi (reveal: it was Bitton, who didn’t track the run). There was uncertainty – presumably because we tried a new defensive system out at the Camp Nou.
Another consequence of five at the back is that your fullbacks don’t get midfield cover. Instead, Sinclair and Roberts were asked to work 40 yards out. This plan came at the cost of protecting Gamboa and Tierney.
The overwhelming tactical memory I have of our win against Barca four years ago was Neil Lennon doubling up in the fullback area.
Then we had two central defenders with Wanyama (a defensive mid, which Bitton is not) in front. Our two full backs were partnered with a wide midfield player. Diagrammatically that was four at the back, but whenever Barcelona were in possession (80% of the time), seven players were protecting the Celtic penalty area.
The abiding defensive memory from that night it the thicket of legs confronting Messi every time he got the ball. There was no space for him to pass and move into. Last night, he had more space inside the box to run into that he’ll see all season. It was simply the wrong system.
During the game I was pretty annoyed at Bitton, who I blamed for the first three goals, but he’s a deep-lying playmaker, not a defensive mid, and looked clueless in the position. Although even I know you need to track Messi’s forward runs, and my 11-yr-old knew they were about to score the third the minute we conceded a free kick 23 yards out in front of goal. Reveal: barging players 23 yards out is a mistake that gets you spoken to when playing 2004s football.
We had numbers but not a coherent defensive strategy. The lessons from The Beating of Barca in 2012 were lost. Four years ago we twice played them with these back fours:
Lustig, Wilson, Ambrose, Izaguirre
Lustig, Wilson, Ambrose, Matthews (out of position)
None of Wilson, Ambrose, Izaguirre or Matthews (at left back) would get in this Celtic team. They were all pretty standard-grade defenders, but with protection on the wings and in front, it worked.
After we lost the third concentration levels dipped, tired legs after Saturday would have been energised legs if we were still in touch. I’d also tell Scott Brown not to worry too much about giving the ball away. We’re not good enough to plan to regularly retain possession at the Camp Nou.
We’re a ‘two pass then lob it into the box or win a foul’ team at this level. Accept this and concentrate on what’s deliverable – “We are Celtic, try running through this thicket of legs”.
Scotts Brown and Sinclair played well. Moussa will beat himself up about the penalty but it was inconsequential. Gamboa and de Vries looked lost, as all Camp Nou opposition debutants (there can’t be many) and exposed keepers do.
It may have been the biggest loss in Europe but it doesn’t even come close to being our worst performance. It’s not even our worst performance in Europe of the season, so we’ll get over it quickly.
You and I both remember seven goal victories being overturned a week later. This is football. The leap required to deliver a tighter defensive system is not the magnitude it may appear.
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Weeminger
Here’s an idea…a bit off the wall, however.
Maybe if the suits didnt take so much money out of the club in bonuses, we might be able to afford a few quality players.
Or maybe if the PLC didnt fritter away millions on a succession of duds….you know, show a bit of judgement, and learn from their mistakes….we might be in a better position.
No need for lists, im sure you will know the ‘duds’ i refer to, loads to choose from.
If i was running Celtic….I wouldnt have made such a mess of it:)
But….Peter knows best eh.
HH
Snake Plissken on 15th September 2016 11:20 am
Best post in weeks. Keane is a blowhard bully: He was as a player and a manager. He didn’t have anything constructive to say at all and didn’t have the insight to realise he was, in effect, doing the equivalent of criticising Bolton (recent EPL, now League 1) for getting pumped by Man City in the FA Cup!
FAC the Act
KTF
Auldheid
It is Catch 22, and Milo’s running the syndicate.
Just gonna roll this grenade in and back away…
Anyone got an opinion on Davie Hay’s comments about the Green Brigade today???
See ya….
NatKnow on 15th September 2016 11:48 am
I think BR is savvy enough to know that he will have to adapt in this job; otherwise he will soon realise that his stock will fall when his European record is considered. Qualifying every year and getting last 16 with a team from Scotland will see his stock rise!
As for the pay cut, I would consider it for Celtic! ;>)
FAC the Act
KTF
WEEMINGER
I think our first priority is a defensive midfielder.
In recent memory,we have had two who were outstanding in that role. Neil Lennon and Paul Lambert.
Wanyama would be there too,but wasn’t here long enough to judge him playing there for us.
Thing is,neither Lambert nor Lennon started their careers there. Each was converted to the role at a quite mature stage of their career,early/mid 20s.
It’s perfectly possible that the answer to our ‘hole-in-the-middle’ is with us already,waiting to have that potential recognised and the requisite coaching made.
Snake Plissken
well said.
Dangerous game. TV fans are even more notoriously fickle than regular fans! I remember when Moyes was managing Man Utd Richard Scudamore bemoaning the drop in EPL viewers worldwide because Man Utd were performing poorly!
Also lots of interviews on Sky Sports news last season with Thai football fans in Leicester jerseys, who admitted they had previously been fans of Man Utd, Chelsea and so on!
The one positive is that the rate of inflation in the EPL is unsustainable. The latest issue is that the Spanish think they have found a way to earn more than them with the setup of a CL rival.
Where does it end?!
HH
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 11:51 AM
What’s the total removed by the suits in bonuses since we were last in the CL 3 years ago? To save you looking, I’ll tell you – it’s around £1.5M
Clearly that would have made all the difference.
Weeminger
What about the millions squandered on duds…Derk for example?
Id also dispute your bonus figures….how much has PL alone had in bonuses over the last ten years?
Anyway…..at CL level, its not only players that get found out.
HH
ernie lynch on 15th September 2016 11:49 am
Roy Keane is never going to be someone to accept that Celtic are ‘too wee, too stupid, too poor’ to play on the European stage.
He achieved what he did in the game more through ruthless determination and total dedication than any latent talent and he wants Celtic teams to so the same.
What he doesn’t seem to appreciate though is just how bad things have been allowed to get after years of downsizing.
…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….
Roy Talks the Truth. He Talks the Truth.
He worked his balls off to be the best Midfielder in Europe – and he was.
Leigh needs to keep on doing what he is doing, Kieran has to get Fitter/Stronger.
Brendan will already know who has to go.
Chavez on 15th September 2016 11:46 am
Traditionalist88 – but the Iniesta goal was easily preventable. Either Sinclair goes with him and he can’t get a shot in, or one of the 5 or 6 Celtic players in the box has the peripheral vision to spot the danger and move out to mark him. It was schoolboy stuff tbh. Of course Barça are a great side but doing the defensive basics would have meant there was no rout on Tuesday.
====
Totally agree, however it was no tap in. Just saying it was spectacular!
I mean Larssons chip in the 6-2 game, I’m sure the huns would say they should have won the first ball, Konterman should never be nutmegged, but that doesn;t take away from the superb technique involved!
HH
BOBBY MURDOCH’S CURLED-UP WINKLEPICKERS on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 11:56 AM
My point being throwing money (which we don’t yet have) at the team right now, probably wouldn’t have avoided Tuesday’s result, and I’m far happier BR assesses the team in this year’s competition before seeing what we need to do better next year.
This year’s draw was exceptionally bad for us. I doubt it will be that tough again (assuming we get there – which we should be better prepared for too).
WEEMINGER
Those bonuses were achieved by putting Plc interests before football interests.
Hence the reduction in crowd numbers and in quality on the pitch. The latter of which BR has to resolve before properly putting his own mark on the team.
Davidopoulos on 15th September 2016 11:53 am
Just gonna roll this grenade in and back away…
Anyone got an opinion on Davie Hay’s comments about the Green Brigade today???
See ya….
________________________________
Yeah, I have; the Evening Times could’ve paid TD67 far less to get the same opinion.
The fact that he linked the doll display so tenuously to the GB was pretty shameful IMHO. The GB have never claimed to speak for the whole Celtic support and are very clear that they only speak for themselves. If people want to criticise they should do it from and vantage point of knowledge; he didn’t and it showed.
FAC the Act
KTF
new article posted.
ernie lynch
If you believe that I think Celtic are too wee, too poor or too stupid to play in Europe you are wildly mistaken or simply looking to be at the wind up.
Celtic are neither too wee nor too stupid to play in Europe, they qualify every season through their league position as all teams have the ability to do by fair means. They are too poor in this competition because it’s a bottom up system rather than top down. It’s heavily stacked in favour of teams from 4-5 leagues. That is the long and the short of it.
UEFA are deeming teams like Celtic to be too wee to be in their competition other than to make up the numbers and have nice displays inside their stadia.
That is becoming more obvious by the year as they look to solidify the positions of teams from England, Germany, Spain, Italy and possibly France.
It’s rather open and brazen.
Roy Keane doesn’t appear to know this or understand this.
I am standing up for teams from all small or rather unfancied and non-glamourous nations. This situation does not pertain to Celtic alone.
Call it downsizing in our case if you wish but when a system is set up to exclude rather than include teams the direction of travel is utterly depressing.
Teams from nations larger than Scotland are being squeezed out as well because of qualification and seeding.
I would quite like football to be a sport again.
TD67, apologies for so shamelessly citing you in my criticism of Davie Hay; I suppose you can take some consolation in that I have compared you to one of the hardest and most talented midfielders ever to don the Hoops!
FAC the Act
KTF
Another bizarre feature of life way down south is the number of heading north migrants from sub Sahel Africa whose one item of upper body wear is a PSG / Chelsea / Arsenal / Bayern Munich top. . .Strong memories of walking past a bookies in Catania last spring – big group of young men from Sudan / Chad / and Burundi rapturously watching an Arsenal game .. Skint , homeless , uncertain future but joyfully watching the fitba.
VFR800A8
in shameless grovelling double-handed apology(!)
SNAKE – Great post, only surprise is that it needs to be said as some still don’t appear to get it.
THE GREEN MAN – Does Snake’s post not help you to understand that whatever you think of PL he’s not the main reason we struggle to invest? Whatever the suits take in bonuses won’t be any different to others who do the same job at other clubs, ie – the going rate. Do you really think him handing back a bonus of, say, £1M would help us compete with EPL clubs for players when they know at the start of the season they’ll ‘earn’ £100M even if they finish last? I agree that we’ve made a few mistakes in the transfer market in the past few years, but you have to look at the reality of the market we’re in before criticising. We need to qualify for the CL groups 3 years in a row to match the income Burnley or Middlesbrough will receive this season alone even if they’re relegated. Considering the CL is rigged in a way that makes qualification so difficult and hence far from a banker then I really don’t know what more you expect. So, yes, the scouting system needs to improve, but to blame PL and the board for taking wages they’re due seems to be barking up the wrong tree imo. Do you honestly think if they all move aside and a new board comes in with lower wage demands that we’ll suddenly be able to compete financially with more muscle? I think you’re dreaming mate – which, of course, you’re entitled to do!
HH
THE GREEN MAN SAYS SACK THE BOARD on 15TH SEPTEMBER 2016 12:03 PM
You see the the beauty of a transparent company like Celtic PLC is that when you ask me waht PL’s total bonus has been for the last 10 years I can go and find out from the published accounts. To whit:
2006 – £67,528
2007 – £128,998
2008 – £257,950
2009 – £200,000
2010 – £152,288
2011 – £200,000
2012 – £399,000
2013 – £398,500
2014 – £400,500
2015 – £417,787
Total – £2,622,551
Now, I’m not going to argue the rights and wrongs of his remuneration package but I will say that I doubt that it made a huge impact on the quality of the squad.
ERNIE LYNCH – Due to change in circumstances I don’t have as much time to lurk as I did previously, however I notice that you’re still convinced we’re ‘downsizing’ the club at every opportunity. I would argue that what you’re misinterpreting is the ‘upsizing’ a lot of small teams (and big ones) are able to do due to crazy tv deals (EPL) and the manipulation of the qualifying system for the CL. Have the likes of Ajax, Anderlecht and Bucharest all been ‘downsizing’ in recent years, or are they suffering like us due to the pathetic way our game is being run from the top?
Founding father Green would be spinning in his grave if he was deid. Here’s a wee picture of him signing the declaration of Sports Direct……..:_)
https://s21.postimg.org/tiktt89if/00000ds.jpg