‘For the greater good’ is a tough pill to swallow…
We got there in the end; points gained again for the second time in only three rounds of matches and we go into Wednesday evenings’ home Glasgow derby with a golden opportunity to go ahead in the SPL for the first time in a long time.
Hard to watch doesn’t do it justice, this afternoon’s match at Celtic Park against the strangely 7th placed Dundee Utd couldn’t have been further from how my rather optimistic imagination had foreseen events unfolding. I had visions of a GG brace, Jota with flurry after flurry and Hatate buzzing all over the park spraying passes and scoring from 40 yards with aplomb, however alas it was not to be.
The rhythm was not quite there and the passes were somewhat lethargic and predictable with too many players who were performing slightly below par and in a rather edgy manner.
Most importantly however, we won what was and became, an absolutely crucial match thanks to an unlikely turnaround in events in Dingwall followed by Celtic dragging themselves over the line in a tension filled encounter in the wind tunnel of Celtic Park.
This afternoon’s team selection caused us problems from the start and to give Ange Postecoglou some credit he did try to rectify the situation reasonably quickly, however in my opinion the damage had already been done.
Our most successful approach to games is to persistently attack and high press from the beginning, whilst overloading, in order to get early goals or near misses and in turn, unsettle and gain a foothold, one which should carry us through the rest of the match. This did not happen.
We missed the mobility and balance of Taylor and Juranovic and although they operate in the inverted full back role, they also offer the overlap or underlap when the situation presents itself. If both were in from the beginning, I think the team would have had a familiar feel to it and would have made the job somewhat easier for new boys O’Riley and Hatate to carry on from where they left off in midweek, and Dundee Utd would have been stretched and breached sooner, allowing a more comfortable time later in the match to then allow gametime to players that needed it.
Ange Postecoglou is the captain of the ship and has quite simply made the call to prioritise man management and future fixture management over game management, and thanks to sheer persistence and a moment of composure from Abada, it could turn out to be the correct call.
Now if required Scales, Ralston and Forrest will be that little bit sharper if they need to be called upon come Wednesday evening, and although their confidence might now be weaning slightly, you might say that’s for ‘the greater good’.
All the best to the Bhoys for Wednesday and Hail Hail.
Graeme (not ‘Souness’ and certainly not ‘Sharp’)
First game at Celtic Park..
What a place!🍀
Support was incredible today. We got there in the end!💚 @CelticFC pic.twitter.com/FuxVwxq7C5— Matt O'Riley (@mattoriley8) January 29, 2022
Celtic park today remembering those that where murdered on Bloody Sunday. 👏👏👏 pic.twitter.com/e9jlAzjooM
— Brian Kelly (@BrianKelly1967) January 29, 2022
