The morning after the night before – Celtic’s title hopes are hanging by a thread

Celtic’s SWPL1 defeat to Glasgow City last night leaves the Hoops chances of adding the League title to the League Cup won in December hanging by a thread.

A 2-0 defeat to the side two points ahead of them prior to the game now leaves Fran Alonso’s team five points behind in the chase for the second Champions League qualifying slot and seven points behind league leaders theRangers who also have a game in hand.

In recent weeks Celtic had been in excellent form scoring 25 goals and conceding one in league and cup encounters since their return from the winter break. As such hopes were high that Celtic could again defeat the same opponents against whom they lifted the league cup and one who had made a stuttering post winter return to action culminating in last weekend’s 3-1 loss to theRangers – sadly it wasn’t to be.

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images – Photo Colin Poultney PSI

Celtic can point to a referee who inexplicably failed to send off City’s Niamh Farrelly for a straight legged assault on Chloe Craig’s thigh, and although that decision certainly had an impact on the game, by then Celtic were already a goal down and struggling to find any fluency.

Fran Alonso had gone with an understandably experienced team last night, meaning the impressive but inexperienced Maria Olafsdottir-Gros who has been in excellent form this season dropped to the bench, Chloe Craig then switched to young Icelander’s normal position and Jodie Bartle came in to play the left sided wing back role.

It was an understandable decision given the lack of experience in Celtic’s young squad and Fran Alonso perhaps felt the talent, depth and experience in the Glasgow City side was a step to far for Celtic’s young players, but if that’s the case it tells a strory for Fran Alonso and his backing in the transfer market, as Bartle, as right footed as they come could perform her defensive duties as well as you’d expect, however any threat as an attacking option was limited by a weakness on the left foot and it showed in poor deliveries into the area.

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images – Photo Colin Poultney PSI

In the middle of the park Celtic had craft and creativity in Liv Chance and Sarah Harkes, but with Tyler Toland also dropping out of the game, once again you’d assume due to a lack of experience, defensive protection in that area was limited as both Chance and Harkes, good footballers as they are, don’t offer much protection to a back three and lack the bite needed in a central midfield battle, and that left Celtic’s midfield looking tidy on the ball but all too predictable.

Though it must be pointed out as welcome as the return of Charlie Wellings was to the starting line-up, it soon became apparent Celtic’s top striker was some way off full fitness and as such the mobility was limited and Harkes and Chance struggled to pick up a striker where movement coming short and going long was limited, and therefore read in a timely manner by Glasgow City, who were comfortable closing off passing lanes in central areas and happy allow Celtic to pass wide, knowing the deliveries and mobility of Celtic’s wing backs were a risk worth exposing themselves to. It was a gameplan that worked.

IMAGO / Pro Sports Images – Photo Colin Poultney PSI

City eventually scored a second goal and Fran Alonso rang the changes, and they underlined the lack of experience and depth available to the manager, as firstly Bartle and Clark were replaced by Maria Olafsdottir Gros and Tegan Bowie, with Harkes, Wellings and Jacynta then making way for Tyler Toland, Shen Mengyu and Izzy Atkinson moments later. The subsitutes were lively but ultimately made no impact on the game.

Fran Alonso does a fantastic job with very limited resources at Celtic. He’s a tactically astute manager, makes good in game decisions and seems to be a manager who has the confidence of his players and improves youngsters. If Celtic as a club intend for the manager to hang around long enough to see the fruits of his labour with young players, he needs to be given help.

Young players only improve with the right balance of experienced performers around them and Celtic have lacked that in recent times. Natalie Ross remains a long-standing absentee through injury and Lisa Robertson was allowed to leave on loan to Birmingham and her battling qualities and leadership have been missed in the big games in particular.

Celtic’s youngsters may shine in games against part-time opponents but it is clear Alonso doesn’t feel they are developed enough to be trusted fully in the big matches against City and theRangers and they tend to drop out.

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In a three-team league Fran Alonso has the youngest, least experienced and smallest squad of all the top sides, yet the manager punches above his weight in that regard.

The addition of experienced performers would help, although Alonso possibly didn’t help his own case when proclaiming prior to the winter break that he was happy with the players at his disposal, his decision to bench young talents against big teams shows that may have been a disingenuous statement, particularly having lost experienced striking options in Kathleen McGovern and younger attacking prospects in Rachel Donaldson and London Pollard who have left the club and exposed Celtic to having to play a half-fit Charle Wellings last night with no real option as a back-up.

Over the course of the season the inexperience of youth and lack of options in key areas will show, and Celtic lying in third place behind two clubs with very experienced squads tells a story. Celtic may have a long-term plan to develop young players but in the short-term games need to be won and titles competed for and a lack of experienced options is leaving the Celtic manager hamstrung at a club where demands are just as high as theRangers or Glasgow City, or at least they should be.

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Celtic need to back the manager in this regard, otherwise the time may come where Fran Alonso considers the damage a lack of investment in his squad will have on his own reputation. If Celtic are to compete, the least the manager deserves is experienced options through the spine of his team, particularly in central midfield and an alternative to Charlie Wellings. An experienced left wing back would also be welcomed to avoid having to shoehorn the likes of Jodie Bartle into a position not suited to her strengths.

Fran Alonso and this Celtic side have done their bit. A League Cup is in the bag after a decade long wait for silverware, the club qualified for the Champions league and took last year’s title race to the wire. The foundations are there and it wouldn’t take much investment in three or four experienced players to help bring the youngsters along and at the same time compete with their two main rivals.

At this moment in time Celtic are simply too short of wily professionals in key positions. That showed last night and the manager’s team selection underlined it. It’s about time Celtic as a club took this team seriously, backed their manager and invested fully in a team and squad capable of long-term success but who need some short-term assistance.

Niall J

About Author

As a Bellshill Bhoy I was taken to my first Celtic game in the summer of 1987. It was Billy McNeill’s return to Celtic Park as manager and Celtic lost 5-1 to Arsenal . I thought I was a jinx, I think my Grandfather might have thought the same. It was the finest gift anyone ever gave me when he walked me through Parkhead's gates.

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