Obviously we wouldnāt have Loovens as our main centre back - I think heāll be for the off - but I would expect the other 10 players that started today to be at Celtic next season (unless we receive a massive bid for Hooper from an EPL club).
Could Forrest play in the Commons āfreeā role? Weāll also have Kayal back to play in the centre of midfield if required.
3 at the back was shelved by a lot of teams a good few years back because teams going with 1 upfront killed it pretty much. It meant you had a 3 v 1 match up at the back but you were outnumbered elsewhere, especially in midfield.
The good thing about Celtic doing it now is that the wide centre backs, Wanyama and Mulgrew, are tactically flexible and can play in several different positions so they can step forward into midfield or wide to cover the wing backs as required.[font=verdana] [/font]
So, even if we are facing a team with 1 upfront (like the huns today), one or the other of them can help in another area at any given moment and weāll still have a 2 v 1 at the back. Itās not like theyāre pure stoppers of the Varga, Balde, Valgaeren mould so we can be fairly adaptable and fluent.
Iāve always been a big supporter of a back 3, Serie A has brought about the rebirth on it and its very much in vogue again. EPL fanboys will probably hail Martinez as its creator though. :rolleyes:
I think weāve got the players and flexibility for it all right and I feel as if it would come in very useful against some continental sides who play quite narrowly, my worry for it would be. In a domestic front you could also meddle about with the mentality of the wide players, Forrest and Samaras could provide alternatives here if needed, although against a better class opponent it is a risky strategy. Itās good to see Neil trying new out new formations and tactical adjustments out. To be successful I feel the side centre backs need mobility, this was what brought its end under OāNeill injuries slowed Valgaeraan and Mjallby down and they got exposed with much more regularity.
We were also linked with Burnleyās āĀ£3m ratedā striker Jay Rodriguez yesterday. A pretty uninspiring link, havenāt seen much of the lad but Iād be very much against us spending that kind of money on a player with such a modest record.
As you say itās not just that the non-central centre backs can play different positions but theyāre both comfortable bringing the ball out of defence and make up extra numbers in midfield when we need to keep the ball there. The aptitude of Izzy and Matthews in playing the wing back role helps too, so I think weāll be seeing more of it. Wonder if weāll try Lustig as right sided centre back as opposed to a wing back.
NEIL LENNON last night admitted he may have to flog one of his title-winning heroes to fund Celticās bid to crack the Champions League.
The manager is already gearing up for next term and talks are planned with chief executive Peter Lawwell before the end of this week over budgets for next season.
But Lennon believes one of his stars may have to be sold to provide the funds to progress.
He reckons the days of a marquee signing are over but heās got an eye on several unearthed gems, the likes of which he found in the past in Beram Kayal and Emilio Izaguirre.
But having funded a spending spree two years ago with the Ā£10million sale of Aiden McGeady to Spartak Moscow, Lennon accepts it could happen again.
He said: āIām not keen on selling but needs must at times.
āIf we can maybe sell one player and trim the squad, that will bring in more revenue and cut the wage bill which might leave it open for two or three to come in. We have done that the past couple of years and it has worked quite well.ā
Lennon has plenty of potential candidates for a fundraiser with James Forrest, Gary Hooper, right, Victor Wanyama, Ki Sung-Yueng and Kayal capable of attracting big fees.
The boss added: āThatās a credit to the players. Itās down to the hard work of the recruitment team who bring these players to us before we make the final decision but Iām delighted with the saleable value we have in these players.
āItās what a club such as Celtic have to do. We have to look elsewhere and be imaginative but it will get harder. Once you develop thatreputation, clubs might ask more and it will get tougher every year.But we are in the market for two or three players and hopefully weāre not be far away from getting them.
āWeāve got our eye on a few and we will be having a few meetings this week to try to narrow it down to two options for each position.ā
Lennon is prepared for off-season manoeuvring with fringe players also heading out the door. He added: āThere will be significant pruning.
āYou only go so far with young players if you really want to make inroads in Europe so weāll look to enhance the squad quality-wise and experience-wise.
āI donāt know if weāre in the marquee market any more and, looking at the squad, I donāt think we need to be because they are all blossoming quite nicely.
āIf you bring that one superstar in, it might upset the balance.
āIām happy with the players we have bought. What I am looking for now is maybe two or three Keanes, in terms of quality and experience, who can bring them on.ā
What do you make of these comments lads? Lennon definitely seems to throw up the possibility of one of our big players moving on. The thing that worries me is that we have already turn over a profit this year despite an oversized squad and no CL squad so I donāt see why we would need to sell a big player to bring in three or new guys, surely trimming the squad should account for that? He also hints that weāll be looking for experienced players, I think we could definitely do with a proven performer in defence - I wonder if there is any chance of getting Dunne in the summer or is he out of wage structure. Again I will reiterate what is needed.
Two strikers
Two wide options
Central defender (maybe two)
Back up for left back
Possibly a central midfielder if Ki or someone else leaves.
Weāve also been linked with Nottingham Forest winger Garath McCleary, donāt know much about the lad but apparently he scored 4 goals in one game against Leeds this season. Maybe Laz could fill us in on him, heās available on a free and at 24 heās quite young and fits in with our signing policy.
I think thereās certainly a bit of weight being placed on experience based on what heās saying there and thatās no bad thing.
The money situation is hard to call when itās this abstract now but I imagine there would be significant signing on fees if you were to get any sort of experienced quality international so that might be where the revenue is needed. Thereās a big difference anyway between cashing in on Hooper, Wanyama or Forrest (who always start) versus cashing in on Ki who is a good player on his day and has lots of ability and potential but isnāt integral to the current team or vital to its future. So wouldnāt mind getting decent money for him that was spent elsewhere but would have a problem with cashing in on one of the others just to bring in mediocre players.
Could be an interesting summer ahead, thankfully we finally seem to have a youth set up to be optimistic as well so reducing the squad size should see them receive more chances. I like the look of McCleary in that video, very direct and carries a big goal threat, comfortable off either foot and on a free I think he would be an excellent acquisition.
Hereās a short compilation of Jay Rodriguez, looks decent enough too but itās the Ā£3m price I have reservations about.
Looks like Big Daryl Murphy will be returning to us next season as Paul Jewell has claimed while he would like to keep him Ipswich canāt afford him, surely we could just give him to them and get him off the wage bill.
CELTIC are keeping close tabs on Ā£2.5million Rosenborg midfield star Markus Henriksen.
The Norwegian international is gaining mass interest across Europe and Parkhead scouts have been among those eyeing his progress.
Henriksen, left, who turns 20 in the summer, has become one of the hottest talents in Scandinavia and is ready for a move away from his homeland.
Rosenborg are ready to sell with the midfielder unwilling to extend his contract and with the club having accepted a Ā£2.5m bid from Belgians Bruges in January.
But although Henriksen rejected that switch, the kid is waiting for the right offer in the summer to start a new career abroad.
Rosenborg will accept the same fee and the playerās agent, Andreas Ekker, said: āWe know Celtic is one of the clubs who have been to watch the games lately.
āThere have been many clubs from many countries watching Rosenborg matches and we know Markus is one of the players being looked at. Heās very talented and coveted by many.
āIn January, circumstances were not quite right for Markus to move abroad but this will be different in the summer. At the moment, Markus is concentrating on Rosenborg and the national team and then we will see.
āIf the right club comes along and the situation is right for the club and player weāll see what can be done in the next window.ā
Ekker has confirmed that moving to the SPL wouldnāt be a problem for Henriksen despite his decision to turn his back on the Juliper League five months ago.
He said: āThere are lot of factors to consider when players decide whether to pursue an opportunity.
āCeltic are a giant of Scottish football and a very big club in Europe.
āMost European players would be honoured to be associated with them, so the same will go for Markus.ā
I think that lad scored in a game recently that we were supposed to have a scout watching him in so probably some truth to the link alright in that heās probably on our long-list anyway.
