match thread (image) [FT] Celtic 3 - 0 Rangers

[weebluedevil 1,239]

1 hour ago, Graham said:

To be fair we were 6 points clear at the top of the league and thats with a manager whose heart was not in it for a few months while the Aston Villa job was on his mind. I've heard that was on the cards for a long time before it happened, you only need to look at the speed with which it did happen once the rumours were made public. 

 

Gio played the wrong midfield if we were going to adopt the sitting in approach. We surely needed Davis and maybe Lundstram if we planned to defend (assuming Jack wasnt fit enough to play the 90 mins) playing defensive football with a midfield of Aribo, Arfield and Kamara was just plain wrong. 

 

I still feel there is enough in that squad to win the title. Celtic arent as good as we made them look by sitting off them. They struggled past Dundee Utd at home only a w eek ago.

 

I also really hope Jack is back for the season, he and Ramsay could be the heart of a terrific midfield for us. We'll soon have Morelos back and with Balogun back at Centre back instead of Bassey and Helander on the way we are good enough to win this league provided Gio learns from his mistakes. 

 

I wonder if part of the problem with Gio is that he never brought in a Scottish assistant. Somebody like McCann or KT could have given him more up to date knowledge of Scottish football and the Rangers squads strenghts and weaknesses for that matter.

Even if GVB picked the right midfield and defensive options, we would still have been pulled apart without the mentality that he should have instilled in the players. They gave them too much space and time and that's the aspect that worries me most. 

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,327]

I thought it was a bold strategy by them to sign a team of wee lads like 5"8 Japanese, Croatian left backs, Kilmarnock left backs and Israeli wingers. Turned out their wee guys bullied ours and just about every other team in Scotland over the past few months. Maybe Scottish football is changing and the days of Scott McKennas, Darren Dodds etc are long gone.

[der Berliner 3,743]

2 hours ago, compo said:

Will be interesting to see who the coach picks for the  next game 

That is the main question. He chopped underperformers at Feyenoord before, and we have a lot of those. Or let`s say people who play in a comfort zone and with the same style all the time.

 

It will be important to see who is fit too. I`d instantly make that MF a partnership of Ramsey and Jack, Aribo an AM anchor role behind at least two strikers, and two wingers. Since our defense leaks goals at an alarming rate, make that a Balogun - Goldson* - Bassey trio, with Jack cleaning up. Sent Sakala on the left wing, Zukowski to the right, Roofe and Itten (dunno when Morelos comes back) up top. We need players who stop playing the ball inbetween out box and the half-way line, players willing and capable to attack, and players willing to shoot.

[DMAA 3,658]

No man of the match thread? (I know)

Edited February 4, 2022 by DMAA

[Bill 13,717]

3 hours ago, weebluedevil said:

Even if GVB picked the right midfield and defensive options, we would still have been pulled apart without the mentality that he should have instilled in the players.

Yes I agree. This is at the heart of everything. Too many of last season’s squad have sunk deep into their comfort zone and decided to stay there. GvB will know this - he’s been through it himself and knows what’s missing. The question is whether he can find a way to re-energise the players. I just don’t see him shouting and intimidating but I do think he will simply drop certain players, explain why and leave it to them to decide if they want a future here. I suspect we might have seen the last of at least one first team regular.

[Frankie 8,562]

20 minutes ago, DMAA said:

No man of the match thread? (I know)

Now posted...

 

BTW, I'm sure we hit the post as well as the bar in the 2nd half (Sakala I think from a cross-cum-shot) but can't remember the strange Sky coverage replaying it.

 

Did this happen or was my beer too strong?

[Rousseau 10,602]

I don't understand this preoccupation with the same old platitudes; hunger, desire, 'pashun'.

 

That's not why we lost the game. It plays its part, but we would have still lost with those aspects at full-power. 

 

Celtic's rotations out wide completely stumped us. The use of inverted fullbacks was just like Pep. Tactically, we couldn't work it out. 

 

Our players were dragged all over the place. 

[compo 7,030]

4 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I don't understand this preoccupation with the same old platitudes; hunger, desire, 'pashun'.

 

That's not why we lost the game. It plays its part, but we would have still lost with those aspects at full-power. 

 

Celtic's rotations out wide completely stumped us. The use of inverted fullbacks was just like Pep. Tactically, we couldn't work it out. 

 

Our players were dragged all over the place. 

Its simple Celtic won because they were the more superior team in every  department  players manager the lot .

[DMAA 3,658]

12 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

Celtic's rotations out wide completely stumped us. The use of inverted fullbacks was just like Pep. Tactically, we couldn't work it out. 

 

Our players were dragged all over the place. 

100%. They were very well coached, and we hadn’t done our homework.
 

There’s individual responsibility in there too, experienced players being drawn to the ball like moths to a flame. 

[Sutton_blows_goats 5,327]

13 minutes ago, Rousseau said:

I don't understand this preoccupation with the same old platitudes; hunger, desire, 'pashun'.

 

That's not why we lost the game. It plays its part, but we would have still lost with those aspects at full-power. 

 

Celtic's rotations out wide completely stumped us. The use of inverted fullbacks was just like Pep. Tactically, we couldn't work it out. 

 

Our players were dragged all over the place. 

I think you cant have one without the other. Application is the prerequisite to any tactical victory. I don't the believe our players applied themselves as much as they could have. Of course the Tactical side also had a big impact but it did so because the Celtic side had players that applied themselves better.