Scott Wright’s part in the goal is underrated.
https://twitter.com/celticfc/status/1794473517821415910?s=46&t=0sQkcb7z4szDmx1-2Xlm0w
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I hadn’t realised just how straightforward the pass was to control. A real nothing player.
Would you sign Bernardo & Idah?
We were at the cup final this time 7 years ago at the end of Rodgers’ first season in his previous spell. How the years fly by.
I would. I think Idah and Kyogo are a very good strike pairing, though not the type of pairing that plays together. But they allow us to change style within games and Rodgers seems to really rate Idah and sees more improvement in him. Think he has him doing more basic stuff well and I think when he came he probably concentrated more on the flashy touches. But that goal today was all about doing the pure striker stuff that I think he’s being coached on.
I’m fairly sure we’ll lose O’Riley. I don’t see Bernardo as his replacement in a Palma for Jota type arrangement. But I think he played a good bit this season and had a really good spell around January. He’s not the complete player but had a good cameo today and I think he’s good enough to play a rotation role and be dependable when needed.
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That and the fact that Bernardo skinned Rrrrrraaaasssskkkkaaaannnn(as pronounced by Scottish commentators) who then has the most pathetic attempt at bringing him down is sweet as well.
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Think yer man Raskin was gassed at that stage. It was a bit disappointing that Celtic let them impose themselves on the second half. They go direct, which their right, & Celtic stood up to it okay at the back but the midfield & attack dropped off the pace. You had Hatate & Kyogo giving it away, O’Riley off colour & limited lads like Raskin & Diomande biting in & winning second balls. They weren’t creating chances but they were getting the ball wide & into the box.
I thought it was notable Rodgers only trusted Idah, Bernardo & Kuhn off the bench. Kuhn wasn’t a factor yet again - he looks meek & ineffective. But the other two combined for the goal. Even though McGregor, O’Riley & Maeda weren’t at their best either, I guess they’re talismanic/leader types so Rodgers was keeping them on, even though any could have been replaced too if we had better squad depth.
I agree with @Rocko that Idah initially wasn’t great when he came on. I remember looking at the clock at 75 minutes & thinking “he’s been on 15 minutes & hasn’t really been involved other than being caught offside.” Bernardo’s energy was important though. He’s not really a silky player but he has something & he’s only 22 or so. Hatate was way off it & we needed to match their workrate in midfield at that stage so Bernardo made a difference & there’s talent there to be developed. I’d sign him permanently if possible too.
Idah then came up big with the winner. He was excellent then in the 10 minutes’ additional time. He took the ball in, protected it & won a series of throws & corners on both sides of the pitch to wind the clock down. Again, he’s young & can improve with games & coaching so don’t think Celtic should baulk at £5mn/£6mn for these lads. The football world has changed, there’s cash in the club, a huge CL windfall to come & they need to invest it now.
I think the portent of extra time influenced the changes too. Iwata has been coming on before Bernardo recently but he was never going to replace McGregor if we had extra time on the horizon.
Then there was the possibility of Iwata for Hatate but even if McGregor went a bit further forward I think that would have been too defensive. We had already gone too deep in midfield (and too passive) as you said so the Bernardo change worked well because he carried the ball and got forward and pressed their deep lying midfielders which shifted the balance back.
But it wasn’t a great bench outside Bernardo and Idah alright. Kuhn wasn’t effective, though I was surprised they didn’t Yilmaz forward against either him or Forrest.
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Should this not be in the rubby phrases thread?
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Great clip of the Celtic End as Idah scores:
https://twitter.com/scottishcup/status/1795028291180453969?s=46&t=0sQkcb7z4szDmx1-2Xlm0w
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CCV 
I believe the correct terminology is ‘limbs’
Great clip.
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