A very competent display by Celtic this afternoon with some of the football absolutely superb, and only Mr Kelly in the Motherwell goal (plus a little hard luck, like when Rogic hit the post in the second half) prevented a total massacre. As it was, “massacre” wasn’t all that far off it.
Ange made a few changes from the triumphant team of Wednesday night, but you could hardly say that they weakened the team and we even had Kris Boyd telling us how good Celtic were! Tom Rogic was a welcome returnee, but I felt that in the first half Liel Abada was marginally better. Georgios Giakoumakis? We do so much want him to score, but the ball didn’t break for him today. Perhaps his day will come.
The defence and the midfield you cannot really criticise because did not have too much to do at all, but what they did, they did splendidly. Callum McGregor, the masked crusader, has come back to full fitness but was rightly substituted once the match was won. He must be preserved for Pittodrie. Greg Taylor has had a few critics of late but was superb today, and talking about people who have had critics and come up trumps, what about Carl Starfelt?
We have already mentioned Mr Boyd and his reluctant, albeit emphatic, agreement that Celtic were good, and I couldn’t honestly say that Mr Beaton was all that bad either apart from a somewhat draconian yellow card for Giakoumakis for something that was probably a foul but no more than that. Andy Walker had not a bad day either.
So not a hugely difficult game today. Aberdeen on Wednesday night might be more difficult, because they are wounded and need to persuade their fans that they are worth supporting. And of course, there is Scott Brown…
We are already the possessors of the Scottish League Cup. There are another three tournaments. Winning them all is not beyond us. Believe! We shall not be moved!
David Potter
