“They’re gonna have to be more clinical in those areas against (the)Rangers,” Michael Stewart…
Celtic got the job done yesterday on what could have been a potential banana skin affair at the Tony Macaroni Arena. Between the really poor artificial surface and the Livingston boot boys, we could have found ourselves in that all too familiar position which has stalked us this season when playing against some of the Scottish Premiership’s poorer teams.
Despite this though, we overcame another tough away venue en-route the league’s post-split fixtures and the climax to what has been an underwhelming season in all honesty. There’s no denying that we have been a different animal though when we have our full complement of players to pick from, whether to start or come off of the substitutes bench and impact a game. Yesterday laid bare that fact when Reo Hatate controlled the midfield creatively and sat just in front of the impervious Cameron Carter-Vickers in defence.
With Callum McGregor to return for Ibrox next Sunday too, it’s looking more and more like the Celtic of old and the one we have been accustomed to winning over the course for over a decade now. Nicolas Kühn has come into the side recently in the absence of Yang Hyun-jun and helped provide the ammunition for the likes of Kyogo Furuhashi up top in the danger zone which has really clicked well. The German won Man of the Match on Sunday in West Lothian and was arguably the brightest spark which augurs well for next week’s Govan showdown.
🗣️ “We’re in a good place… it’s about maintaining that.”
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Nicolas Kühn react to Celtic’s victory at Livingston ahead of next week’s derby with Rangers. Watch more analysis and reaction live on @SkyFootball 📺 pic.twitter.com/W83o6lmGsm
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) March 31, 2024
He was a menace for Livi once again, with his rise to prominence coming a few weeks back when we faced David Martindale’s side at home in the Scottish Cup. That day, he destroyed their full-back, Cristian Montano, and laid down a marker for what would be expected and placed on his shoulders moving forward in this tightest of title races, and his own Celtic career more generally. It is, after all, the job of a Celtic winger to entertain, but to perhaps more essentially, get goals and assists.
Michael Stewart gave his analysis on Celtic’s wingers in the aftermath of that 3-0 victory over Livingston and reckons that despite the good result, they will have to be more clinical and resourceful when we roll up to face Phillipe Clement and his team next weekend. “It’s a huge game and the positives for them is that they’ve had two of their main players coming back in and doing well,” he said via Football Scotland. “Cameron Carter-Vickers is just such a calming influence at the back and Reo Hatate comes in, he’s been out for such a long period of time and yet he’s come back in and been a really good performer there.
“For them it’s real positives their big players are coming back. Their one concern would be that, this afternoon, getting into some really good areas in the wide bits of the park in particular, but the final ball wasn’t there. They’re gonna have to be more clinical in those areas against theRangers. If they get into those positions they’re gonna have to be more clinical than that.”
Paul Gillespie
Totally different game especially in the manner we would expect the game to play out?
Believe our wide men in Maeda and kuhn will have a massive impact upon on success against the scum imo?
Will the scum FB feel comfortable pushing high up the pitch against the pace Maeda and kuhn possess?
Also Maeda and kuhn are well capable of tracking back and doing there defensive duties Also, in offering less supply for the scum attacker’s imo?
Admittedly we would like Maeda and kuhn to be better with the ball than they were in the 1st half yesterday, but that’s no real surprise after an international break either?
Overall I think both of our wide men will win there individual battles, which in turn should allow ourselves more opportunities to score, then what the scum can or will create imo?
We also have far better midfield players, so should control that area of the pitch also imo?
We get our counter attacking game working properly then I believe we will cut the scum to pieces, especially if we are more clinical in front of goal than we usually tend to be this season imo?