As Celtic kicked off today at 3pm against Dundee at Parkhead, they knew that 3 points were a necessity after our rivals from the other side of Glasgow had earlier dropped points against the city neighbours of this afternoon’s opposition, Dundee United. The Tangerines had managed to secure a 1-1 draw against theRangers meaning Celtic were handed a glorious chance to build a 3 point gap in what is shaping up to be an incredibly close title race.
Celtic started out as expected by dominating possession although we were struggling to eek out clear goalscoring opportunities. The focus was more on how we could break our opponents down rather than worrying about what they were offering in attack but out of nowhere Ange Postecoglou’s men found themselves a goal down. Unsurprisingly the goal yet again from a set piece, something that has been our achilles heel all season.
Celtic continued to press forward as nerves started to fray within the confines of the home crowd in Celtic Park but thankfully we weren’t behind for too long. The man who brought us level is a player a lot of Celtic fans are still unconvinced by, Greek striker Giorgos Giakoumakis. Last season’s Eredivisie top scorer was on hand yet again a few minutes later to put Celtic in the lead and yet again reaffirm his importance to this current Celtic team.
As we entered half time it felt like Dundee’s resolve had been well and truly broken and it would be a matter of how many more goals we could conjure up in the second half, but Celtic being Celtic they were never going to let us have a relaxing afternoon. They let Dundee back into the game once more, and surprise surprise the equaliser came from a set piece. Again. This time it was from a free kick but let’s be honest here, this is becoming a huge problem.
Thankfully as time ticked away and we seemed destined to throw away points cheaply after having been gifted a huge opportunity to build a lead in the title race, there was to be one final twist to the tale. Giakoumakis once again pounced, landing himself the match ball and delivering Celtic three absolutely vital points in the process. As Celtic fans rejoiced, I can only imagine how the many Bears watching the drama unfold felt as the ball rippled the net!
So job done and three points secured. That’s the most important part. But let’s not kid ourselves. Celtic’s criminal defending from set pieces nearly ruined us today. Not for the first time this season may I add. This has become a serious problem that needs to be rectified immediately. It’s all well and good playing exciting, attacking, expansive football but when you are getting undone by one of the most basic plays in football it’s all pointless.
Sometimes I feel like a broken record going on about set pieces but it’s infuriating. Are there any other fans in football who get that sense of fear and dread as much as we do when we concede a corner or a free kick in and around our box? It’s unnatural. When we concede these set pieces I genuinely feel like it’s almost as if we have just conceded a penalty, it’s like the opposition have a 50/50 chance of scoring.
This has been something that has plagued us for many years. John Kennedy in the time before that horrendous injury ruined his career, was a no nonsense centre back who made easy work out of defending set pieces. He has been a Celtic coach for many many years now and during that time we have been consistently atrocious at defending in these situations. Under Rodgers. Under Lennon. Now under Ange. If Kennedy isn’t capable of sorting this problem, maybe we need to find a defensive coach who can. I’m not saying Kennedy is a bad coach by the way or that it’s all his fault, just that maybe we need to bring in someone extra who can sort this problem out.
I also want to express my delight at Giorgos Giakoumakis getting a hat-trick today. Many Celtic fans had wrote the big Greek striker off prematurely. I personally know people who have compared him to the likes of Amido Balde, Mo Bangura and Stefan Scepovic. I have always rated him during his time in the hoops. Yes he had a slow start but he had no pre-season under his belt when he arrived on deadline day from Dutch side VVV-Venlo. He struggled in the early part of the season due to this and as a result picked up niggly injuries.
Since the turn of the year however I think he’s been a hugely important figure in this team. Not only has he come up with important goals but each time I watch him it’s clear he always gives 100%. He is possibly one of the only Celtic attackers capable of holding the ball up, and does it well. He chases and harries everything while off the ball. He’s never one to shy away. Yes he may spurn the odd goalscoring chance we feel that he should tuck away but the important thing is he gets in those positions. Today will give him a huge confidence boost and I hope we will see him continue to progress.
Despite my gripes regarding our defending at set pieces it’s been a fantastic day for Celtic fans as we build on our lead in the title race. On to Norway now to see if we can show Bodø/Glimt we won’t go down without a fight.
Conall McGinty
A long-awaited victory at Paradise. We are still in first place and there can be no greater joy! Moving forward toward new success. Special thanks and greetings to the star🌟 of today's match, Giakoumakis. Hail Hail! 🍀🍀 #CelticFC💚 #CELDUN #cinchPrem #COYBIG pic.twitter.com/RCzNiycPqG
— Ilir Meta (@ilirmetazyrtar) February 20, 2022
Great victory. However, need to seriously question why we hardly ever score from any of our own corners or set pieces. Who coaches the team on this essential part of the game? Put a player on the opposition keeper and work on attacking set areas with team mates blocking off the opponents. We are not aggressive enough at corners and need to remedy this.
We’re too small, my friend, simple as that. We need Jullien back & get Starfelt as far away as possible & we’ll be getting there.
So….how do they rectify the situation with the players available ? The problem is that the defence is too wee….including the centre backs. The whole team is too wee tbh……as we seen on Thursday night.