“I think with these games being so hard and very even, and meaning so much for both clubs, anything extra that fans can give us is very, very important, so I would say if you’re here in Glasgow, come along and support us and get us flying like you always do, and if you’re not here in the country but supporting from home, we will for sure feel you as well,” Fran Alonso told The Celtic Star Editor at his Media Conference on Friday afternoon ahead of this afternoon’s latest showdown with theRangers. And the manager hailed their unwavering support and committed to doing their best to give them an evening to be proud of.
“I’m delighted we can have our support – everyone always has great things to say about our fight and our mentality, so we hope we can put on a performance that will make them proud, ideally with a lot of people in the stadium,” Fran continued, watch his full media conference below.
Three teams remain undefeated in the SWPL1 this season. All three of those sides – theRangers, Glasgow City and Celtic – are separated by just two points. As such today’s Glasgow Derby at the Penny Cars Stadium may well see a first defeat of the season for one of those three sides, and based on the form in previous Derby encounters Fran Alonso and his Celtic side will be smelling blood.
A win today would allow the Celts to leapfrog theRangers, move into second place, and knock theRangers off their perch. Although a helpful victory from Hibs at home to Glasgow City could well ensure the Hoops sit top of the pile. That is a big ask for Hibs perhaps, but as the best of the rest outside the top three it is far from impossible.
With that game kicking off at 1pm and the Derby at 4.10pm, come kick off the Celts will know exactly just what is at stake when it comes to the possibility of topping the table. However even without that carrot dangling today’s game is massive nonetheless.
A week ago, Celtic inflicted a Scottish Women’s Premier League Cup quarter final defeat on Malky Thomson’s theRangers side in their own backyard. It has in some quarters been made out to be a close encounter, but in truth the Celts had their card marked. The Hoops won courtesy of a solitary Charlie Wellings goal but were desperately unlucky not to add a couple more and have the scoreline reflect their tactical dominance.
Celtic have of course had a green and whitewash from last season to cling onto in last weekend’s fixture, but previously it was back to the walls stuff where Celtic stifled their rivals and played for the smash and grab on the breakaway or from well worked set pieces. Last weekend was different.
Celtic brought a real control to the centre of the park; they did not sit off and simply close central areas and force their opponents wide as they had done in previous encounters. Instead, they pressed high and fast, and in Olivia Chance and Mengyu Shen in midfield there was a mix of grit and grace that imposed Celtic’s own game on the opposition. It is likely to have been something theRangers didn’t expect, this time however, particularly with a manager feeling the pressure, they are likely to be ready.
Our opponents were strangely cautious last weekend, they didn’t press the Celtic Back three particularly and seemed content to believe they would control midfield as they had in previous occasions. That backfired.
This week our rivals will have pored over their analysis and they’ll be aware of where they went wrong. theRangers may well feel then that an aggressive press will reap rewards, yet it may be their undoing. Celtic made more chances on the counter attack as theRangers came out their shell following the concession of that Charlie Wellings goal, and should our opponents make the decision to proceed on the front foot, Celtic have the players to take advantage. They may even have found the back three to soak up those attacks too.
Chloe Logan had a defensive three in front of her that had the height, strength and athleticism of Caitlin Hayes and Cheyenne Shorts, either side of captain Kelly Clark who brought the organisation and leadership. That defence coped with almost everything thrown at it last week and there was enough to suggest a repeat selection could well cope with a more aggressive press this time around.
Further ahead, the decision to play Jodie Bartle as a left wing-back was a head scratcher, though it should be pointed out she did put in a great shift. However, the half-time decision to move Bartle to the right on her natural foot and bring Tegan Bowie off the bench to operate on the left gave Celtic a mix of aggression on the right and the footballing equivalent of the road runner on Celtic ‘s left. That has to be the plan today.
In the middle Shen and Chance are a blossoming partnership and it needs to be unleashed again today. Meanwhile in attack it’s a case of Charlie Wellings – who else? – as striker, and she simply has to be flanked by the excellent Clarissa Larisey and the massively improving Jacynta.
theRangers struggled particularly in the second half to cope with Jacynta in particular and if the Celtic attacker is now adding consistency to her undoubted talent, she cannot have any other position other than a staring slot today.
All that said it is nigh on impossible to second guess a Fran Alonso side, so I may have wasted my own time, and yours, predicting this one.
One thing that is not hard to predict is whether there will be a stream to watch the Celts in action. Unlike the midweek blackout for the win over Hearts, this game is available through a variety of options. You have BBC Alba, the BBC sports Website and if you have a season ticket the Pass to Paradise is available for this one. See HERE.
Alternatively, why not back Fran and the team in person with tickets available to buy online. With the game kicking off at 4.10 pm, there is plenty of time to make a Super Sunday of the men’s game at midday followed by the Glasgow Derby.
Tickets are Priced at just £4 for U16s and £8 for adults, superb value for fans looking to back Fran Alonso and the team at the Penny Cars Stadium in Airdrie. Purchase here: https://embed.futureticketing.ie/c/airdrieonians/
As with any Glasgow Derby this afternoon’s game is huge, but a win for the Hoops could give them a big advantage over their rivals in the title race and heap more pressure on an under fire theRangers team, something historically they’ve not exactly handled well!
This Celtic team has built something of a psychological advantage over our rivals, let’s hope that advantage extends to a victory for the Hoops today. Good luck to Fran Alonso and his Celtic team. Pile on the agony ghirls and put on the style!
Niall J
