Zach Hemming had little or nothing to do in the first-half. Celtic had two enforced changes from the team that started against Rangers. Liam Scales has picked up an injury. I’m not particularly worried. He’s been on a downward slide. Nawrocki gets his chance and did OKish. I am worried about Maeda. We saw his value at Ibrox. It’s not so much the work he does with the ball, but his closing down, in that sense he is irreplaceable.
Yang got the nod. He took the wrong choice with a chance in under sixty seconds. He could have shot, but chopped back. His form has been up and down as it was here. The same could be said for Kuhn. He’d a disastrous start to his Celtic career and then had a few assists. I’d have preferred Forrest at Ibrox and Forrest now, which tells you everything you need to know of what I think of our wingers. But Kuhn made a few tentative passes and you wonder if he should have shot instead.
Most of our goal-scoring opportunities came from the right wing. After giving away the penalty that wasn’t a penalty last week, Alistair Johnson had a man-of-the-match performance with a hand in our two goals.
Reo Hatate from the edge of the box and an attempted nutmeg inside the box were one of the few other first-half chances. O’Riley a sidefooted shot but didn’t look like scoring.
But it was Hatate’s genius that opened the scoring. A pass from Johnston and inside the crowded box, the Japanese international pinged it into the top corner to open the scoring and the floodgates of relief in the 53rd minute.
Much has been made of there being lots of rain over Dundee. No conspiracy. Just Scottish weather and bad groundkeeping. The assumption being, Dundee wanted to avoid defeat by employing a rain maker. Someone explain that to me. All our games are must-win now. We take it for granted that is going to happen. But I get nervous, pre-match. We’ve seen what happened this season and it’s not been good enough.
We’ve had high winds over Paradise making it harder to judge passes. A twelfth man. With Saint Mirren and all other teams coming to sit in, including Rangers, we know what to expect. Long throws were their primary weapon. In the main we dealt well, with them. Carter-Vickers brings composure to our defence and allows us to pass from the back. But corners present the same challenge. But Saint Mirren’s first, and only corner, didn’t come until the 89th minute and we were 3—0 up.
Kyogo’s goal, fifteen minutes into the second-half, settled the game. Again it was Johnstone with the assist. A delightful ball over the top took out Gogic. Kyogo from almost inside the six-yard box headed home.
Celtic upped a gear. Greg Taylor, strangely reluctant to shoot, with Hemming saving awkwardly with his knees locked together. Yang getting into a muddle in front of goal, again. Hatate’s effort swinging past the post.
Obviously a quiz question in later years, both teams made six substations. We weren’t really sure how that worked. Something about a head knock.
Adam Idah got a late goal in the 89th minute. Luis Palma should have scored but fluffed it. His rebounded shot hit by Paula Bernardo. The ball looped into the air and easily knocked over the line by the Norwich loanee. Every point counts. Every goal counts as we know from the recent past. We weren’t as ruthless as we could have been, but after a wind-strewn first-half, most everyone would have settled for a three goal, full-time lead. Let’s hope it doesn’t snow on Hampden next Saturday.
It was no great surprise that Rangers fell from the height of mediocrity to their first defeat at Parkhead. The surprise for me is it’s taken this long. Of course, I’m biased. It took several seasons until after he’d left Rangers and had retired from football to admit Brian Laudrup was a good player. Rangers huffed and puffed and did little until the last ten minutes of injury time to raise the blood pressure. But I still didn’t think they would equalise.
There were two wonderful goals. Of course, all goals against Rangers are wonderful. Paulo Bernardo’s strike through a packed penalty box and into the net had me sitting on the moon for a while.
Kyogo has been off-form and not scoring. But he’s always a blizzard of activity. Always moving, closing down. Trying to get in behind. His take on the turn proved pivotal. Outside the box, he took a touch to create space and put it in the top corner. Two minutes into the second-half and Celtic had a two-goal lead.
Balogan’s red card when he wrestled Daizen Maeda to the ground was the work of Kyogo closing him down and feeding his speedy teammate. The form Maeda has been in, he’d probably have stumbled or fell over his feet. Celtic should have comfortably seen the game out from then on in. Added more goals.
Maik Nawrocki came on after thirty-five minutes with Stephen Walsh going off injured. He did OK and seems a good enough passer of the ball. I’m not sure why he’s fallen so far and so fast down the pecking order. He gave away the free-kick outside the box which led to the Rangers goal. James Tavernier’s strike was another top corner effort.
Celtic won the match by having better players. Cyriel Dessers’ chance for an equaliser, before half time, came from a dreadful pass by Alistair Johnson back towards Stephen Welsh, who mis-controlled it. Dessers took so long to shoot it allowed the Celtic defence to get back and for Joe Hart to amble out, clutching his Zimmer frame, and collect the ball. We’ve got Kyogo. They’ve got Dessers.
Good players in these matches look as if they’ve got time to pass. Chris Sutton advised Todd Cantwell to watch Callum McGregor DVD’s. He bossed the midfield in the same way that Kyogo always seems to score against Rangers. Matt O’Reilly got a bloody nose. But our prized asset was a level above the Lundstrums and Sterlings.
Paulo Bernardo only usually plays in our most difficult European fixtures were we get routinely start well, concede and get turned over. He got booked for over-celebrating his first goal. The referee didn’t book me for over-celebrating because he recognised I was too drunk to care. The referee could have been sent off Bernardo for a late tackle and a second yellow card. In other words, he carried a bit of luck. He’s seen off Odin Holm and David Turnbull for the starting spot in midfield. It’s now looking conceivable he might see off Reo Hatate, the best midfielder in Scottish football last year, for his place in the Celtic team. That’s encouraging.
Alistair Johnston could also have been sent off. He caught Abdallah Sima with a swinging arm. He’d already had a yellow, and he too was lucky. But the most talked about decision of the match also involved the Canadian. With hindsight, we know Rangers players were already offside. Johnston didn’t know that and he made several errors. He tried to shepherd the ball out. He didn’t. He tried to hold off Sima. He couldn’t. And he handled the ball. Stupid is as stupid does. He got away with one and so did we just before half-time. I think Johnston is average. I’d be looking for better, and I don’t mean Tony Ralston.
Joe Hart had a good game, but I’d be shopping for a replacement now.
Greg Taylor was decent. It’s no great secret that all teams in league hump the ball up to the left wing and try and get up the park. Win free kicks and corners and score that way, because they’re not going to see much of the ball. I’d like a new left back.
Daizen Maeda hasn’t played a good game since his return from injury. Dare I say it? We’ve a million wingers but Luis Palma is the only one that looks better than average. Even then it’s not a given. Bring back Paolo Di Canio.
We do need another centre-forward regardless of the Asian Cup. It’ll be an interesting transfer window. We’re supposed to be linked with Scott McKenna. Decently average. I’d hope for much better than another squad player. Top of the league and your no. I think we’ll stay there. But not win the Scottish. Too inconsistent. Too fragile defensively.
Back to league business. Reo Hatate’s opening goal was a boy’s own effort after twenty-two minutes. A nutmeg on Watson in midfield. A shimmy to take him to the edge of the box. A curler into the corner. Loan Kilmarnock keeper, Will Dennis, had no chance, but helped keep the score down. The Japanese playmaker had a poor start to the season. But this was just goal of the season stuff. His passing range was back to its best as he won man of the match and could have had a hat trick, coming closest with a second-half dart into the six-yard box. And we expected him to finish. We really did suck in our breath and wait.
Kyogo could have had a hat trick too. An offside ‘goal’ flagged in under ten minutes. Maeda could have a hat trick. The two Japanese internationals trying to outdo each other in the box like Keystone cops.
Greg Taylor and Anthony Johnson could have hit three. I’m joking about the full backs, but they had most shots on goals in the early stages of the game.
No excuses about plastic pitches, but swampland might have been a problem in past seasons. Our team’s selection today more predicable. The return of Carter-Vickers. The inclusion of Luis Palma. The late goal on Wednesday night was a gut punch, perhaps more than Palma’s disallowed ‘goal’.
He got our second goal today in a home match that Celtic are expected to dominate and usually do with around 75% possession. He was lucky. The ball played back from Hatate looked offside.
McInnnes’s teams, like other Scottish teams, aim to hit our fragile backline on the break. The rise to the first team of Liam Scales has been impressive. He’s kept the jersey. With Lagerbielke as competition that’s perhaps not of epic magnitude, but it still needs him to win his headers and pass from the back. As Chris Sutton mentioned (and the rest of us already know) we lose too many goals from corners and free kicks (as in the first goal in Rotterdam and midweek shows again with perhaps too much clarity) while offering little from corners other than more short corners. Scales got on a few balls whipped into the box.
But then Greg Taylor goes and spoils a good theory by scoring from a Maeda flick on to make the game safe ten minutes after Kilmarnock had scored on the 82nd minute.
Greg Taylor was looking for a foul on the edge of the Kilmarnock box, but the referee played on. We were short at the back. Watson scored from a cut back. Unbelievable as it seemed Kilmarnock were back in the game.
Less than five minutes after scoring, Kilmarnock should have equalised. A ball to the back post (no surprise). Three big Kilmarnock players queueing up. The ball goes sailing over Joe Hart’s bar. McInnnes’s game plan in micro.
James Forrest missed a great chance, once and then again. Maeda had another pop. Oh, who came on for Kyogo, got excited and tried to pass to himself. Work in progress. Yeh, we know, Oh, Oh, Oh!
Vassell, the Kilmarnock striker, missed a sitter at the back post at the death, which would have made it 3—2.
Celtic denied an earlier first-half penalty by VAR. Kyogo and Hatate both wanting to take it. Neither have been great penalty takers. It’s probably time to pass penalty taking duties to Luis Palma. He’s not got much pace. Doesn’t seem to have a trick that gets him past his opponent. In other words, he’s not Jota. But he does know how to keep the ball. More importantly, he’s a goal scorer. His effort was denied midweek. Given an offside goal by VAR today. On another day we could have hit nine or ten. On another day we could have been held to a draw with McInnes spouting the usual stuff we heard a million times before. Celtic deserved to win. We did win. Our defence isn’t very good. That’s the weakest part of our team. We proved that again today. But we’re ten points clear of Rangers. We hope St Mirren stay in touch at the top and win tomorrow.
All the usual gung-ho things about Europe are being spouted, but realistically as fourth seeds in the group, we’ll finish fourth. Our only consolation has been Rangers’ implosion. Top of the league and we’ll stay that way coming to the break for international football. Stay that way until the end of the season. I’d like to think so. If we can get out defence sorted we’d be an impressive side in Scotland and hope to win the double. That’s all we can ask for now. Brendan Rodgers celebrates 700 games a manager. Pretty bog-standard today. He won’t be complaining.
Alexandro Bernabei we know,is great going forward, but can’t defend. His only other competitive goal was against Ross County, where he scored a screamer. He scored a break-away goal here. Coming from the right-back slot on the half-way line, he tried to play in Kyogo, but caught the ball wrong with the outside of his boot and it went towards the corner flag. He chased it down. The defender played it back to the keeper. He fluffed it and Bernabei had a tap in.
Maybe that’s an omen. I always like omens when we win. Maybe he will get better at defending, but I doubt he’ll displace Taylor. And if Tierney ever was to make his way back (I very much doubt it) Bernabei is dust. I’ve also like the looks of Vata and Ben Summers. The latter came on after ninety minutes with young right-back McPherson getting a face wound. Pre-season, and the younger players tend to get some game time. There’s talk of O’Riley and Abada leaving. We don’t need it, but if the money was right, I’d take it. Other players will come in. Holm made a second-half appearance. Tidy enough, but difficult to say how good he is. I’d love to see Hatate on a long-term deal like his compatriots. He’s getting more of the ball under Rodgers and we look more dangerous.
Celtic play their last game of the Japanese (Asian) tour next Saturday against Wolves in Dublin. That’s Irish for you.
A different team for each half. Celtic were generally better and created more chances in the first-half. Gamba Osaka, Kyogo’s stomping ground, better in the second. Maeda continued with his fine pre-season form. Having an early offside goal disallowed when he was clearly onside. Similarly, Suzuki scoring for Osaka just before half-time, with both Celtic full-backs playing him on, but it too being chopped off for offside.
Osaka hit the inside of the post in the second half and Siegrist making a double save and somehow keeping the ball out of the net. Then again, his first save was poor. I know he’s been injured but I’m not convinced by Siegrist. Losing six goals in a midweek match isn’t good. But pre-season doesn’t count. I take the position with Joe Hart, I took with Siegrist. We need an upgrade, how badly, I’m not sure.
The new look Celtic look very much like the old Celtic. The new manager looks and sounds like the old manager. Ange—well, I’m no longer interested in what he says or does. Celtic being a stepping-stone sticks in the craw. We know most players follow that path. Maik Nawrocki, for example, is not here for the love of any kind of green we know, unless you’re as rich as my partner, Mary (and she’s a Hun). But most of us agree, its defence we need more bodies. Better players. Rangers, for example, have lots of players over six-feet in their team. They’ve added to that number.
My usual rant involves saying I never rated Carl Starfelt. But I’ll give him pass marks today and last season. Greg Taylor proved me wrong. Yet the thought of Kieran Tierney returning hasn’t got me whooping with joy. He’s Celtic through and through. Better than what we’ve got. But his massive salary would bring a different kind of pressure, not just on him, but other players, like Kyogo, demanding parity. If we’re going to bring any player back make it Virgil.
Maeda with his midweek hat-trick, and two efforts today, stole the show. Rodgers hints that he’s going to play him through the middle. I don’t know if it’s a worry, but Kyogo has been playing deeper behind Oh. Out top scorer is best when playing on the shoulder of the last defender. With few touches in a game, that’s where he got so many of his goals. Wait and see.
These games, and a new manager, give other players a new mindset and a new start. David Turnbull, for example, has threatened to be the next big thing, but fallen short. He’d a good 45 minutes, a turn and shot, which was saved by the keeper (he was offside). Return of the old. James Forrest returns to the starting line-up in his testimonial season. He was back to his best in the first-half. Let’s hope he stays fit. But again, we’ve a million wingers coming in. For Haksabanovic, you feel it’s either stick or twist for him and the club this season. His second-half performance showed promise, but also petulance. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad.
Iwata at right back. That’s interesting and shows his versatility, but I’m not sure he’ll nail down a starting position in midfield. Liam Scales is back, for how long, I’m not so sure. Scales came in and played in the centre of defence with Lawal for the second half. The young Irish man played in that position for Shamrock Rovers. Not sure he’ll stay.
What constitutes a good season for Rodgers? Usually, it’s the treble. He needs to win the league. Simple. Probably with one of the two cups. Preferably both, but we allow for a blip here. One of those terrible refereeing decisions or a sub-par performance and losing two goals from corners. As long as it’s not Rangers, we’re OKish with that. Some kind of run and luck in Europe would be good. Winning the Champions League. Wait and see.
Whatever Kris Boyd says I usually think the opposite. But here we are agreeing on something. Whoever wins at Hampden on Sunday will win the Scottish Cup. For Celtic it’s the treble. And for Rangers, well, I’ll leave that to Kris Boyd.
Martin O’Neil got in the act. Standards in Scottish football have dropped, he said. The team he took to Seville would beat the current Celtic team. One thing he picked up on is this Celtic team is smaller. Carter-Vickers may be described as a tank, but Bobo was literally head and shoulders above him. Bobo, of course, couldn’t play football. Any ball below the knee was hoiked up the park with a pair of size 15 flippers, pronto. Midfield giants Lennon, Lambert, Thompson and Petrov could all play football, but rarely passed the ball backwards to Bobo. Most balls were played up the line or in behind. The Motherwell forward, Kevin van Veen, in the recent Motherwell draw at Parkhead, held off Greg Taylor and went on to score. It was a poor goal to lose. But imagine John Hartson up there. Greg Taylor would still be running around him until this Sunday trying to get the ball. Nobody was better than Chris Sutton at holding off players. Every shy up the line was onto his chest and back into play. Kyogo is good, he’s coming up for 30 goals in a season. I’d say that’s a minimum a Celtic centre-forward should expect. Even Scott McDonald managed that. Larsson regularly hit 50 or more. He’d just about everything, including an ability to hang in the air for ten minutes, no other Scottish player with the exception of Eric Black had that uncanny ability. I think we know the Seville forward line would absolutely murder a backline that includes Starfelt who is a poor man’s Joos Valgaeren. But blessed Martin O’Neil concedes this Celtic team is a joy to watch. And if you look at the statistics, the players that take the most touches tend to be Carter-Vickers and Starfelt. They need to defend corners and free kicks in the way the Seville team did, but they are also expected to play the beautiful game from the back.
We know who is going to play in defence. Hart, Johnson, Carter-Vickers, Taylor.
Midfield is harder to guess. Callum McGregor is an automatic first pick. Reo Hatate, is the ace in the pack, one of the best midfielders in Britain. Far better than the Alan Thompson of Seville fame. But Hatate been injured. And for all his ability, he’s had some poorish games against Rangers and Alan Thompson always played great against Rangers. I don’t think Hatate will start, but hope he does.
Aaron Mooy too was exceptional before his injury. He came back into the team that beat Rangers at Parkhead, but looked off the pace. He was the worst man on the park. I don’t think he’ll start either.
Matt O’Riley has had a mixed season. He scored two great goals against Kilmarnock, but the rise of Hatate and Mooy meant he spent much of his time coming off the bench. Odds on to start this match. I hope it’s the flamboyant O’Riley that emerges and not a player that too frequently disappears against our Glasgow rivals.
Tomoki Iwata came on for Mooy in the last Old Firm game and steadied the team. He hasn’t the flare of Hatate or Mooy, more a defensive midfielder, but the former Japanese player of the year is a great passer and, with our injuries, I think he’ll start.
We know Kyogo will start. His record against Rangers is one reason we keep winning. Daizen Maeda is our bullet train for closing down, and he scores goals too. He’ll start.
That leaves the right wing up for grabs. James Forrest is injured. So what, you might be thinking. Liel Abada has also been injured. We’ve all heard the stories linking him with clubs such as Ajax. That’s not our concern now. The only thing that matters is winning on Sunday. Abada has a good scoring record against Rangers, but I think he’ll be on the bench. Often he contributes more coming on as a substitute.
Jota would start if he was fit. He’s our most gifted winger that does the old fashioned bit of taking full backs on and dribbling.
Sead Haksabanovic started against Motherwell. We lacked width and penetration because neither of our wide men could take on the massed ranks of defenders. The Montenegrin has come off the bench and sparkled with some great goals and cameos. But on Saturday he was poor. His first few dinked passes failed to reach a team mate. Rudi Vata done more with the ball in his short time on the park. When it gets frenetic, Haksabanovic finds time and space. He’ll find more of that at Hampden. Here’s hoping he scores one of his wonder goals.
My ideal team includes obviously Hatate and Jota. And a fit-again Mooy. But I suspect none of this trio will start. Most pundits expect a high-scoring game. I think Celtic will win, 1—0. Kyogo to score. What’s your prediction?
As usual I was drunk by halftime, blootered by fulltime. We debated who would start, before I fell off the chair. Hatate would go back into midfield where he is more effective. Of course, he was lauded as a great right back—he’s a great player—but he just can’t defend. A bit like Josip Juranovic when he came on at left back after 21 minutes. Greg Taylor had started well. He usually does. I used to slate him, the same way I did Starfelt and Forrest. The latter was a surprise starter. Any more performances like this and it will be a surprise he gets a start.
Alistair Johnson slotted in at right back and looked assured. But then when he looked up to pick a pass, he’d Forrest in front of him and brought the ball back. More punters backed Celtic to win than the fat Columbian to lose some weight. Morelos played a great pass to Daizen Maeda. The Japanese forward zipped through the Rangers’ backline and scored like a World Cup hero. A goal up inside five minutes.
For much of the first half Celtic played football. Rangers reverted to long-ball, kick and rush tactics that had worked in the past. With Starfelt in the Celtic team, they’ve always got a chance. Most of the goals we lose come from free-kicks and corners. Rangers in the first-half, despite being unable to play three concurrent passes had three chances.
Joe Hart was culpable. He dithered on the ball. The fat man blocked his clearance with the ball coming off the post before being scrambled away. Then the fat Columbian had benefited from poor marking, Starfelt and then Juranovic found wanting, as he headed two great chances over the bar from just outside the six-yard box. The fat Columbian also found time to heckle Greg Taylor before he went off injured. Perhaps he was just saying, I hope Postecoglou brings on Juranovic, who had a shocker, and not Bernabei. The little Argentinian has actually played at left back. He’s very impressive going forward, but has that usual Celtic foible of being unable to defend.
Half-time, we were one up. Just after half-time, it was 1—1. Juranovic was found wanting. The ball was shuttled to the left and Ryan Kent bent it into the top corner in the way Jota used to.
The Rangers penalty followed a few minutes later. Starfelt dived in on Fashion Sakala. Pundit, and paid Celtic hater, Kris Boyd, said he wasn’t sure if it was a penalty. Sakala seemed to be standing on Starfelt’s trailing leg. He had pulled out of the tackle. James Tavenier dispatched the penalty like a player that gets practice taking them every match day.
The Celtic non-penalty. Call it soft. Call it what you like. 99% of pundits called it as a penalty including Kris Boyd. The VAR referee had a look. Match referee, decided not to have a look at Connor Goldson’s handball in the box.
Postecoglou made his usual changes to the team. Forrest coming off for Liel Abada was a no-brainer. As always, Maeda could be pleased with his work rate. He’d went past Tavenier a few times in the first half. One ball in particular was just crying to get stuck away, but with no takers as Celtic’s first-half dominance wasn’t converted into goals. Jota added guile.
Giakoumakis for O’Riley gave us a big front man. O’Riley is a class player, but he went missing for large chunks of this game. Not good enough.
Hatate for Mooy, was one good player, replacing another. Mooy’s two goals and man-of- the match performance against Hibs was not enough to get him a start. Mooy and Jota helped create the equaliser.
Mooy found Giakoumakis inside the Rangers’ box. His flick coming off Scott Wright. Kyogo, who was largely anonymous, popped up to score the equaliser in 87 minutes. That sobered up the Ibrox horde. We remain nine points clear with eighteen games to play.
Pass marks for Carter-Vickers, Johnson, McGregor, Hatate and Maeda.
Found wanting, Hart, O’Reily and Kyogo (despite his goal, which kind of excuses him).
Shockers, Starfelt, Juranovic, Forrest.
A kick in the balls for Bernabei. Here’s hoping Kobyashi comes into the team and Startfelt drops out. Jenz not even on the bench. The beauty of a loan deal is it’s a try before you buy. I don’t think we’ll be buying him. Sead Haksabanvonic is a class player that missed out on the derby. He’ll come back into the team, sooner, rather than later.
Kyogo’s super strike inside ten minutes did little to change the home team’s game-plan (and that of the other teams in the Scottish League, including Rangers), which was to defend deep and hope to win something from corners, free-kicks and long throws into the box from Livingston full-back Devlin. Celtic with on average eighty-five percent possession limited Livingston’s chances to one Shinnie shot on goal, which was easily saved by Joe Hart.
A year ago, Georgios Giakoumakis brought the world to a halt (or at least that’s what it felt like) when he missed an injury-time penalty that would have given us three points. We were chasing Rangers in the League. And even that early in the season it felt like league over.
The Greek striker also missed an 83rd minute penalty today, which was given after substitute Jota’s cross was given as hand ball after a VAR intervention. It wasn’t as clear cut as the non-penalty not given by VAR in Tynecastle last week. But it was a chance for Giakoumakis to add to his goal-a-game status after he came on to replace Kyogo. He hit the outside of the post. But it was a game in which it didn’t affect the result or league position.
It’s difficult to imagine saying goal-a-game Greg Taylor, but in the 53rd minute he was at it again. His shot from outside a crowded box went through goalkeeper Hamiliton’s legs. The keeper should have done better. But it was equally difficult to imagine Taylor doing better. His performances this season have had me eating my words. He’s first pick on merit. And make the memory of Bolingoli seem like a distant nightmare.
Jota’s injury meant he’s missed the last five games. He returned to score an 83rd minute goal that better reflected Celtic’s superiority. Substitute David Turnbull, also back from injury, put it on the plate for him.
Livingston have bullied us in the past (remember Lyndon Dykes against Julien, I wonder what happened to the Scottish international?) But without the ball the success of back-to-front football never looked like happening today. We remain four points clear of that other Glasgow team and will go into the transition with the World Cup looming at top of the league. I can’t see us getting eighty-five-percent possession when we play Real Madrid on Wednesday. They picked us apart at Parkhead under the lights. I was at the game in 1980 when we beat them 2—0 at Parkhead. Johnny Doyle, the diminutive Celtic die-hard, scoring two goals, in a game in which we were totally outplayed, with Laurie Cunnigham, in particular, standing out. I’ll take a two nil win on Wednesday and a similar win against Dundee United next week before our Australian tour. Georgios Giakoumakis should also be taken off the list on penalty takers.
This was a twelve can game. Four cans before half-time. Six in the second-half (when my can counting gets muddled). Ange Posecoglou makes changes to the team that started against Motherwell. He usually does. He calls it having a squad. During an interview when a reporter asked him about his best team, he replied, ‘maybe, you’ll let me know’.
His best team for today includes Ralston, Bernabei, Maeda, Forrest and Giakoumakis. All of them have a case for being in our starting eleven. They have to prove their point on the park.
And it was Forrest yet again who scored the first goal in 14 minutes. The ball popped up in front of him after a Ralston cross from the bye-line was whipped up into the air by a defender and took out ex-Celtic keeper Craig Gordon.
Celtic had dominated possession and continued to do so. Hearts fed on scraps and loose balls. Ironically, a minute before Forrest had put us ahead, Robert Snodgrass rode a challenge and came in at the near post and toe poked it, but Hart came out to make a save. He’d also to make a save from an early Barry McKay shot.
Postecoglou said he wasn’t a fan of VAR. The Hearts fans certainly were after they were awarded a penalty just before half-time. Carter-Vickers was late in the tackle on Devlin. Referee Walsh allowed the game to go on, before calling it back. There was just enough time for another few renditions of the Billy Boys, before Shankland scored from the spot.
What is VAR is for?Anthony Ralston had also scored a goal from ball into the box which would have made it 2—0, midway through the first-half, which was chopped off for some infringement, who or what wasn’t clear, but the game went on.
In VAR added time of the first-half, Celtic should have had a penalty. Postecoglou, who isn’t given to be overly dramatic couldn’t believe it. Forrest put a ball into the box and Smith clearly handled. No penalty.
At the start of the second half, Hearts took the lead. Lawrence Shankland scored his second goal of the game, but his only goal not from the penalty spot. Bernabei failed to stop Ginnelli from putting a cross into the six-yard box. The Argentine defender struggled at Tynecastle to do the basics and defend. I thought Ginnelli got the better of him. He was replaced by Greg Taylor, who went on to score the winner. And I never thought I’d be saying that.
Carter-Vickers held his hand up for offside. Shankland got in front of him to bundle the ball home. VAR showed he was onside.
Five minutes later Mooy missed a sitter. Played in by Hatate. Open goal. But he put it wide of the post.
In a crazy five-minute spell, we scored another two goals to take the lead and gave away another penalty.
Giakoumakis hadn’t been in the game, but he’s a goal-a-game man, and he always scores against Hearts. One chance, one goal, like all good strikers he got away from his marker at a corner and powered a header into the net.
Level and then ahead, two minutes later. Mooy’s shot from the edge of the box was parried by Craig Gordon. Poor goalkeeping. Maeda was first to react. Bundling it into the net.
Celtic ahead for two minutes and then Hearts leveller. Like Carter-Vickers, Jenz was late and caught Devlin in the box. Penalty.
Joe Hart saved Shankland’s penalty, but like Maeda’s goal, Ginnelli followed up to score. VAR showed he’d encroached. Penalty retake and Shankland sent Hart the wrong way to level the game at 3—3 with twenty minutes of normal time remaining.
Postecoglou made the changes that won us the game. Maeda, Bernabei and Forrest substituted, Abada, Giakoumakis and Taylor come on.
Abada’s shot it deflected into the path of an onward rushing Taylor in the six-yard box. He makes it 4—3 with 76 minutes gone.
There was time for a Abada goal to be ruled offside by the referee and VAR on injury time, but it was close. Hearts almost snatched a draw. Their fans chanted VAR before half-time as if it was an onfield player. I think overall it will help Celtic get more decisions. Today an obvious penalty was overlooked and what I thought was a good goal also chopped off. That old saying, it’s only as good as those watching and analysing. But there are no longer any hiding places. Chris Sutton’s prophecy that VAR is run by amateurs proved true. But transparency favours the attacking rather than defending teams. And we are by far the most attacking team in Scotland.
At home, Scotland started as favourites and there was talk of topping the group. But Ireland had a good record here. They created most of the chances in the first half and went in at the break a goal ahead.
Scotland were outmuscled and outfought in Dublin. And the Irish were at it again. Tony Parrot had the ball in the net, but it was chopped off for offside. He also outjumped Tierney and forced a save from Craig Gordon, but he was penalised for a foul. Tierney was to go off shortly afterwards after going down in the opposition box. The Arsenal full back was replaced by his Celtic replacement, Greg Taylor. But like many of his colleagues he played too many of his passes sideways and backwards making it easy for Ireland to fall back and counter.
Scotland lost a goal in fifteen minutes, also giving the Irish defence something to hang onto. A simple corner (as in Dublin) which wasn’t defended. Lyndon Dykes did his job, winning the cross ball and heading it out. But Jayson Mulumby got in front of McGregor to win the second header. John Egan was the first to react. Spinning to put his shot in past Gordon.
Steve Clarke’s men were outclassed by Ukraine at Hampden in their World Cup Play-off tie. They came back to make them think again and did a job on them, scored three and conceding none. The equalising goal in fifty minutes was made and finished by Jack Hendry. He played a ball wide to Taylor at the edge of the box. He nudged it on to Christie. The Bournemouth player flung it into the box. Hendry got up and headed into the corner of the goals.
Scotland were on top. McGregor got caught short on a number of occasions. He gave the ball away and Matt Doherty curled an effort wide. But Ireland’s best chance of the second-half came minutes later. McGregor lost the ball at the edge of the opposition box after a Scotland corner. Obefemi’s pace took him away from Christie, who tried to wipe him out (a certain red card had he connected) but he played in Tony Parrot. He ran in on goal, but his shot was poor and Gordon got down, parrying it away for a corner.
Anthony Ralston and Ryan Fraser come on for Aaron Hickey, who was injured and Stuart Armstrong. That gave Scotland a lift.
Ireland made a triple substitution. It was end to end. McGregor chested down the ball at the edge of the Ireland box. His shot came off a defender and went for a corner. The ball came in and Browne flung up an arm to get in front of McTominay. Scotland players shouted for hand ball. The referee gave it and checked on VAR. Christie coolly slotted it away in the eighty-second minute.
Kenny McLean and Che Adams replaced Ryan Christie and Lyndon Dykes and it was Scotland that had something to hang onto. The Bournemouth player with an assist and goal wins my man of the match. Small margins. If he’d connected with Obefemi he wouldn’t have been on the park.
Ireland tried to pressure the Scottish back line. But it was Ryan Fraser who had perhaps the best chance after McGinn had sprung the midfield and fed him with a one on one. His shot went past the post. Jack Henry got booked after the final whistle. But he wasn’t bothered. Neither were we. Rode our luck.
As the song goes, Celtic, Celtic, that’s the team for me. I’ve no great interest in what other teams do or who they play or sign—apart from Rangers.
Even if it’s tiddlywinks, I want Rangers to lose. They’d won the league by 25 points, and stopped us winning the ten. One of the highlights of the season was watching Ryan Kent miss a sitter in the closing minutes and Aaron Ramsey missing that penalty. I joked that my pal’s dad had died, but at least he’d lived long enough to see that. It was a season when Rangers’ fans felt they did well reaching a European final and winning the Scottish Cup.
But when they were giving out awards it was Ange Postecoglou picking them up. Hard to believe, we were chasing Eddie Howe as our new manager and it just seemed a matter of getting the deal over the line. He walked away, citing concerns about having concerns. Ange Postecolgou came in. I’d never heard of him. Most of us agreed he’d need time to rebuild. He didn’t cite concerns about not having his own backroom staff. He was willing to work with the dross that was there. We’d give him time. I was even uttering strange things like he’d have at least a season, or maybe two, in which he wouldn’t be expected to do much, and spluttering into my pint that Rangers were still shite. I was hoping somehow we’d turn it around. In our pre-season games there was little evidence that would be the case. In the qualifiers for Europe, and in Europe, generally, we were out of our depth against mediocre teams (like us).
We lost to Hearts at Tynecastle, Kyogo came on as a sub, played wide, but did nothing of note in the few minutes on the pitch (shades of Henrik Larrson coming on as a winger against Hibs). We were chasing Rangers in the league. It was a race I didn’t expect to win. But the equivalent of muscles-memory of the mind sets in. Odsonne Edouard left for Crystal Palace. I was glad about that. Ryan Christie to Bournemouth. Kristoffer Ayer went to Brentford, where he’d be reduced to talking a good game. He was fine when he didn’t have to defend.
Now here we are again. I’m far more optimistic. We’ve signed seven new players, which include mainstays, Jota and Carter-Vickers. The Portuguese winger dazzled last season and this pre-season. Carter-Vickers in pre-season hasn’t looked great. He got bullied for the second goal against Legia Warsaw, for example, losing a bread-and-butter header I’d expect any centre-half to win and getting turned far too easily. That’s nit-picking. He too has been a success. But you’re only as good as your last game is a truism.
Joe Hart has been a great signing. He’s made vital saves. He’s our number 1, keeper. But we know he’s going to lose stupid goals, when he’s trying to play sweeper-keeper. It’s just a matter of how many and against whom. Teemu Pukki almost caught him out in the friendly match against Norwich. The ex-Celt is not the quickest, and not the best, as we all know. Hart might beat him in a footrace, but I’d rather not find out during a match. Joe Hart, vice-captain, Certain starter.
Benjamin Siegrist, of what I remember him, was decent for Dundee United. He’ll push for the number-one spot. Uncertain starter.
Greg Taylor started against Norwich. I wasn’t a fan of the former Kilmarnock full back. But over last season I’ve come to appreciate him. He wasn’t Kieran Tierney. Emilio Izaguirre when he first came into the team was also a revelation. Taylor is not at that level. And now he has serious competition. *Certain starter when season begins.
Josip Juranović will not be going over to play on the left as he did at Ibrox because Ange doesn’t trust the likes of Liam Scales, for example, to do a job. The Croatian has established himself as our first-pick right back. Certain starter.
Scottish international, Anthony Ralston—and I never thought I’d say that without laughing—is backup. But he too will be pushing for a starting spot. Uncertain starter.
Argentinian, Alexandro Bernabei, I think looks to have more attacking flair than Greg Taylor. *Certain starter as season progresses.
Celtic supposedly paid around £6 million to Tottenham for Cameron Carter-Vickers. A snip based on last season’s performances (and not this pre-season). Certain starter, under Ange.
I heard Carl Starfelt was injured while on international duty with Sweden. He’d miss the start of the season. I wasn’t bothered. Like Ajer, Starfelt is decent when he doesn’t have to defend. He’s too easily bullied by muscular forwards. Most of the goals we lost last season came from free kicks and corners. The most common argument I’ve heard is we’d the best defensive record in the league. We also won the league. Therefore Starfelt must be better than mediocre. He isn’t. But he’s good enough for now. But Ange trusts him. Certain starter.
Christopher Jullien is still at Celtic. For how much longer? He picked up the captain’s armband in the pre-season friendlies. But he’s an uncertain starter. If any club fancies him, he’s free to go.
Back-up to Carter-Vickers and Starfelt has been, until now, under-twenty-one Scotland captain, Stephen Welsh. He’s no better than Starfelt, and often worse. Uncertain starter.
Moritz Jenz from Lorient is we hope better than Starfelt and will leapfrog Stephen Welsh into the team. Loan deals like Jota and Carter-Vickers gives us a chance to try before we buy. Uncertain starter, for now, but his time will come. And if he’s good enough, we’ll keep him. Win-win. Uncertain starter, for now.
Callum McGregor, the Celtic captain, and Scottish Player of the Year plays most games. Simple. Never stops. Certain starter.
Reo Hatate came into the team and started with a bang. Goals against Rangers are often a great way to introduce yourself to adoring fans. He didn’t disappoint. But the end of the season he was disappointing. He was never rubbish, but didn’t shine. Pre-season he’s looked at back to the level he was when we hammered Rangers 3—0, and that old joke, they were lucky to get the nil. This was the pivotal moment in the season, when we leapfrogged them in the league. We did it in Celtic style. Hatate was the man. Certain starter.
Matt O’Riley played in that number-ten role when Tom Rogic didn’t. Usually, they switched like doppelgangers, with one getting sixty minutes, the other thirty minutes, or thereabout. A terrific acquisition. He has added goals to his game. Certain starter.
David Turnbull played every game for Celtic under Ange, until he got that injury, just before the League Cup final, which Kyogo won for us. Turnbull has had a good pre-season, scoring two goals. Sharp and strong. Goal scorer. Ready to step in and stake a place. Uncertain starter, for now.
Daizen Maeda starts most games under Ange. He’s played at centre-forward, most recently when Kyogo was taken off against Legia Warsaw and Giorgos Giakoumakis wasn’t available for selection. But Ange prefers to play him on the wing. Usually it’s the left wing. His pace troubles defences, but his closing down work is also a stand out. He scores goals. Certain starter.
Jota has a problem when Maeda starts on the left, because he’s pushed to the right wing. Maeda is all pace. Jota is an old-fashioned winger. He ties defenders in knots and scores for fun. It was a long and protracted deal with Benfica, with shades of the Eddie Howe haunting us. Bargain buy at £6 million. Certain starter, on right or left wing.
Kyogo Furuhashi hit the ground running. Apart from his injury, he’s not stopped running since. His speed of thought and movement would give any defence problems. The first and best of the Japanese internationals to arrive. Certain starter.
Giorgos Giakoumakis was the opposite of Kyogo. He hit the ground not running. Then he took the ball off Juranovic (I think it was against Aberdeen) in the last minute and missed a penalty which cost us two points. Without actually being Albian Ajeti (or Pukki), he’d all the makings of a dud. But he scored twenty league goals. When Kyogo was out, we didn’t miss him. The Greek international did the business. Uncertain starter, for now.
Under Neil Lennon’s tutelage James Forrest could do no wrong. He was brought through the ranks. Made his debut in season 2009-10. He was hitting twenty goals a season and has more Celtic medals than anyone at the club and has now signed a new contract. It’s hard to believe he’s not fifty-five. But for the first time in his Celtic career he’s not an automatic pick. Jota is ahead of him. Arguably, Liel Abada is also ahead of him. Uncertain starter.
Liel Abada scored a stack of goals and assists. Let’s for a minute consider the way he sneaked in behind the Rangers’ backline and scored at Paradise. Even now, it brings a smile. He’s ahead of Forrest, but not Jotta or Maeda. He will get game time, most often as a substitute. Uncertain starter.
Aaron Mooy plays for Australia. Ange knows him and brought him in. Whether he is to replace Tom Rogic or to sit in as a defensive midfielder for Callum McGregor is unclear. Maybe a bit of both? I’ve not seen him play. Uncertain starter.
Yosuke Ideguchi (Guchi) the Japanese internationalist picked up an injury early in his Celtic career. He’s not been able to find a spot in the congested Celtic midfield. A very decent showing in our pre-season friendlies. Uncertain starter.
James McCarthy was said to have struggled in training when he arrived. Might be lies. He has struggled to get into the Celtic team. Not sure he adds much. But that might change, as it did with Giakoumakis. He’s been brought on very late in pre-season games, usually to replace McGregor. Uncertain starter.
Mikey Johnston, remember him? Tricky winger, could go outside, could go inside? Scored goals? Had that wow factor? Looked rotten in pre-season matches. He’s still got an outside chance, but he’s fading fast.
Scott Bain. Backup keeper, for the backup keeper. Ball boy. Uncertain starter.
We’ve got enough to win the league. Games against Rangers will decide the title. They bullied us in two games last year, both of which we lost, one, admittedly, in extra-time. We can’t let that happen again. The real beauty of winning the title is no qualifiers for the Champions League. £40 million in the bank. We’ll play some fantastic teams. We’ll take some terrible doings, but it’s not that I don’t care, the glory is being there and we’ll get better. We won’t win the Champions League and we won’t win the treble. But I’ve been wrong before. I didn’t imagine winning the league this time, last season. Eddie Who?
odonnellgrunting 