In a must win game the half time stats made for bizarre reading. 9 shots on goal, 5 on target, 4 corner kicks and two goals. While the opposition read 4 shots and one on target. Ask any pre-game odds compiler or Celtic fan how they thought those stats would land and they’d have picked the opposite to where we hoped and the bookies predicted.
It goes all the crazier when you consider the opposition had to beg steal and borrow every fit and healthy body from their squad, change their formation to suit the available personnel and were one goalkeeper injury from playing rush keeper or asking for a lend of Stevie Woods to play in goal.
Yet by half time Celtic were 2-0 down, initially due to an inability to defend a front post set piece- quelle surprise – then again, the simple sluggishness in attempting to match a runner saw Bitton tread on treacle while tracking his man and McGregor, culpable for the first goal, was sold a dummy and ended up resembling one for the second.
By full-time? Well, we’d showed some fight on the front foot at least but that’s been evident all season, it’s out of possession and being culpable to the counter attack that cost us yet again.
The switch to match the Sparta formation was common sense if a little late arriving, but the assumption was our better players would wear down the opposition when going head-to-head. It nearly came good.
Rogic made space superbly, linking with substitute Griffiths and grabbed Celtic a lifeline. Then the story of too many European nights was replayed in inglorious technicolour. Over commit when we have little choice left, and get mugged on the counter attack. It’s almost like opposition tactical analysis points out our deficiencies. Sub Elhamed with the brain freeze, Duffy lost at sea and McGregor, though not quite as culpable as the first two goals, tracked back like he was out for a post-match warm down.
By the time Dockal supplied the genuine moment of class, with his back past cross for the headed fourth goal, Celtic were looking as disjointed as we’ve seen this team since Deila attempted his own infamous tactical approach to European football, and that’s a serious worry.
Cluj, Copenhagen and Ferecnvaros have now added Sparta Prague’s second team to an ignominious list of Celtic Park conquerors. The acceptance at Celtic that we’d become a Europa League club shows if you aim for the stars and you miss, at least you know what the sky looked like. If you miss the sky you fall face down. That’s where Celtic reached tonight. Ground Zero. And then their face pushed into the dirt.
I’m sure many will revert to the fact that it’s all about Ten- in-a-row, that nothing else matters. But tonight, was symptomatic of a gradual reduction in acceptable standards at Celtic when it comes to European progression, now replaced by accelerating regression.
No excuse for that. Think it's the first time we've lost 3 in a row at home since the 89/90 season – we lost to Dunfermline, Rangers & Motherwell around the new year.
Then we were a club in crisis, winning 2 of 18 league games.
Now, we have good players badly underperforming.
— Moravcik67 (@Moravcik67_) November 5, 2020
You can’t switch it on and off, you can’t choose which games you pick and choose to perform in. All games lead to form, form leads to confidence, confidence to momentum and momentum breeds winning runs. And we know where that goes. Yet there’s obvious consequences when it goes the other way.
READ THIS…Celtic 1 Sparta Prague 4 – “A devastatingly bad performance,” David Potter
There will of course be further calls for the manager’s head and whilst he bears responsibility of course, you have to ask at 8pm this evening were we not all confident? Was the team and formation not what most of us would have chosen? Consistency in selection where we’ve been unable to do just that so often this season.
So, what went wrong? Why so disjointed? Why were individuals playing by themselves and why out of possession can teams break our lines, with at times one single pass, and a hunger for a second ball? Is that a manager issue or does that responsibility come down to the professional pride and standards from the players, a willingness to do the hard work that allows you the building blocks to go on the front foot?
It could well be this was a case of two steps forward and one step back, that there will remain a progression from this team that has slowly built up since the AC Milan second half performance, and that first half at Hampden on Sunday. I guess we’ll find out on Sunday at Fir Park. And we’ll have too.
In recent years we’ve dropped from a Champions league team to an acceptance we were a Europa league side, now to the point where we’re also rans in the consolation cup. We need to hope and believe that the reduction in standards doesn’t drop to levels of inconsistency that costs further dropped points in the league race.
Callum McGregor called it Disjointed. Neil Lennon lackadaisical and lazy, while Chris Sutton called the performance gutless. Meanwhile Moi Elyounoussi picked up Leigh Griffiths phone and completed his Just Eat order.
Standards are slipping at Celtic. This has to be addressed, and soon.
Niall J
