Celtic’s late show win against Dundee United should have been Celtic’s fifth domestic game of the season. In normal circumstances the cobwebs of hibernation are cast aside, we fully stretch out and the rustiness in the play is left behind. Thanks to the stop start nature of the season and a less than extensive pre-season there remains a stiffness in Celtic’s play.
With Ferencvaros to come on Wednesday night and Motherwell a week today, we then have another interruption – often unwelcome at the best of times – the dreaded international break. Celtic meanwhile are struggling to reach a trot never mind a canter…
PSG V BAYERN MUNICH CHAMPIONS LEAGUE FINAL PREVIEW
Before considering all of the implications from yesterday’s vital 1-0 win at Tannadice, we’ve got something a little different today. We’ve teamed up with our internet buddies at Caught Offside to bring you a Champions League Final preview. The Caught Offside chaps reckon that favourite Bayern will shade it this evening but we’re not so sure. Have a read below then come back to read about more important matters, Celtic’s win yesterday!
READ THIS…PSG V BAYERN MUNICH…A career-defining game for Neymar, but Gnabry & Lewandowski to edge it for Bayern? Champions League final preview…
…NOW BACK TO CELTIC BUSINESS!
There was genuine relief rather than celebration when Albian Ajeti came off the bench and turned a game that looked headed for a draw into a welcome three points. Up to then Celtic had huffed and puffed.
Whilst perhaps not as painful a watch as the visit to Rugby Park it wasn’t exactly a game of high skill levels. Siegrist in the United goal will get the plaudits yesterday and from Celtic’s 23 shots on goal many were high wide and hopeful. From the nine that reached the target Celtic found a United keeper in good form but he rarely had to reach spectacular levels to keep Celtic at bay.
Celtic won yesterday and it was better than the away draw with Kilmarnock, but the truth be told the difference was marginal.
From January to the close of play of last season Celtic and Neil Lennon found a way to play that turned around a pedestrian December 2019 that had culminated in the defeat to ‘the’ Rangers at Celtic Park on 29th. The Dubai experiment saw Celtic return invigorated. From the turn of the year to the point the league was called Celtic dropped two points.
Now? It looks a pained, frustrated and constrained Celtic team. Saturday evening was equivalent of December 2019 being revisited.
There were cracks papered over in the opening win against Hamilton. On the ball we did well, off it Hamilton caused us problems.
Then came Killie at Rugby Park. Plastic pitch? No excuse. You can check the stats for yourself, outside of the Tony Macaroni Celtic win as much on Plastic as we do on grass. In fact, we do better.
Yesterday was turgid, bereft of ideas, creativity and guile. A recently promoted side minus their talismanic striker stifled Celtic. The worrying thing was we seemed to lack the imagination required to get behind the lines of a deep lying United game plan and when we did cross the ball went across the goal with no-one gambling on taking advantage.
The kiss on the head from Lennon to Kennedy at the final whistle said it all. Kennedy made the change, Lenny was happy. Papering over the cracks. His post-match comments of being ‘delighted’ were a little over the top.
When the line-up was announced and Forrest was dropped, Lubo98 of this parish had the team sussed. Sadly, he was right where I hoped he’d got it wrong. We were not only sticking to the same formation we were now returning to square pegs in round holes. A £5million striker benched and a defensive midfielder who has chased shadows since the season started remained in situ.
Lennon struggles to find a formation to suit his coaching team and personnel yet he needs please no-one other than himself. It’s perhaps time he trusted his judgment the same way that made him decide predominately on a 3-5-2 domestically and play the 4-2-3-1 in Europe or games where stifling of the opposition is required.
It is clear no manager goes through three months undefeated and thinks through an extended lockdown that he’ll revert to the failings of the previous year. This is not only becoming tiresome it’s an accident waiting to happen.
This season is too big for repeating errors from the past and giving oxygen to rivals without the class of player we can call upon. When it comes to a squad of players superior to the only real opposition, then the job is to find a way to fit those talents to a system that suits.
From January to March Celtic did just that. For now, Celtic are one left sided central defender from a squad of players that allows fluid motion between a 3-5-2 in domestic football and a system that we’ve evidenced no Scottish side can cope with, and 4-2-3-1 that keeps us tight and counter attacking in Europe. For now, we are set up not lose, yet inviting the spectre of just that upon us.
Celtic have the personnel to attack, we are only limited in defence, so let’s do just that. Play two strikers in Ajeti and Edouard, take Moi Elyounoussi off the wing and play him behind the two strikers in the position Rogic is sadly no longer trusted to do.
It’s time to play McGregor where Brown to date has been afforded a shot on past glories and allow Christie and Ntcham to play side by side in central midfield.
While at the back be concerned that reinforcements have been frustratingly delayed by all means, but Elhamed can play left side of a three-man central defence in the interim. Either Jullien or Bitton can play in the centre and negate their defensive indiscipline and Ajer can operate on the right side of a back three and stop making the lad a scapegoat as a left sided central defender when his left foot is for balance alone.
Lennon has grounds for complaint, he will feel he has lost players and has had little in the way of return. He can say Boli has stifled his plans by way of match postponements and he can wish for sympathy to be bestowed. This is not a season for trial and error where the trials were exhausted the previous winter and evidenced enough obvious errors to warrant a successful change.
It’s a time to find a way to put the opposition to the sword and where we lack for numbers in defence, we have a multitude of options in attack that can simply play Scottish sides off the park. For now, we fall between two stools and though is there is reason for the caution the time has come to throw it to the wind.
Dundee United could and possibly should have been two points dropped, that we escaped the confines of self-imposed tactical constraints by winning with a late goal should not be grounds for considering a repeat performance.
It may well be that rustiness and a stop start nature has caused Celtic to remain a little behind schedule and as a result off the pace yet it’s clear the formation and the choice of players is also playing its part. Time and games will correct one of those problems. It’s time for the manager address the other.
Niall J
ALSO ON THE CELTIC STAR TODAY…
Walfrid & The Bould Bhoys – It could only be Celtic. Our first competitive game is played | The Celtic Star https://t.co/HJlMgqXczD
— The Celtic Star Editor – INVINCIBLE (@CelticStarMag) August 23, 2020
“The difference between West Ham and here is that I feel the trust from the gaffer,” Albian Ajeti | The Celtic Star https://t.co/jDjCOCIwlN
— The Celtic Star Editor – INVINCIBLE (@CelticStarMag) August 23, 2020
Video – “It was a good game, it was feisty, it was mentally challenging for the players,” Neil Lennon… https://t.co/nTOE8FDRJH
— The Celtic Star Editor – INVINCIBLE (@CelticStarMag) August 23, 2020
David Potter – Three aspects of Celtic’s play frustrated me beyond measure | The Celtic Star https://t.co/R1R1RSMBRO
— The Celtic Star Editor – INVINCIBLE (@CelticStarMag) August 22, 2020
