Champions League 2024/2025

They played there permanently for about 12 years. The move wasn’t a success and they decided to build their own ground.

1 Like

European royalty manning the top 2 spots early doors.

1 Like

LOL

@Bandage has The Barndarrig Baresi moniker been around for long?

I don’t really know, pal. I’ve noticed it more lately but don’t know when it originated.

Liverpool had controlled most games up to the Chelsea fixture. It was a pragmatic move by Slot that in one way is a good contrast to Klopp who just stuck to his all out pressing game … which undid him last year.
But it also handed the initiative to Chelsea who i thought were meh really given how much ball they were allowed have.

1 Like

Yeah Chelsea are still looking for the right combination of front players. Liverpool don’t need to dominate to hurt teams, as you say, Slot has recognised there’s more than one way to skin a cat. I don’t see Liverpool conceding much when they sit in against teams.

What did Ken Early say?

Said Slot’s style of football is nowhere near as exciting as Klopp’s was. Was quite scathing of how dull the Liverpool v Chelsea game was.

Slot’s style seems to suit them now given their ages. The band is going to break up in the summer. They’re well placed for a big season.

He’s been given no money and has to slowly introduce his style … He’s making them harder to beat while he beds in. But they’ve reverted to a lot of hoofing v good teams. It’s more Houlier than Klopp at times

I think for this year, they’ve Konate and Van Dijk back there, the best goalkeeper, the best set-piece guy and a killer up front. They know how to win, there is no one better set up to smash and grab. What could catch them is being creative enough against the smaller teams.

I wonder is Slot looking at it and saying these guys don’t have the energy to do it like they used to. At least he isn’t doing the tippy tappy Dutch 433 bollox that Koeman and ETH partake in. You need Xavis and Ridris and Iniesta for that.

It might have been exciting for the neutrals alright.

It’s about winning.

Slot has Liverpool playing a lovely brand of technical football which is sustainable over a course of a season. He’s even beginning to get tune out of Nunez.

Almost every player has improved under him. Can he convince van dijk and Salah to sign a new deal? Klopp couldn’t. Trent seems like he’s out the door.

1 Like

Klopp won the lot to be fair. I can see where you’re coming from with the more controlled brand of football. Definitely not a more attacking style like you were suggesting though. We shall see if Slot can replicate and better Klopp’s success. The improvement in Gravenberch is encouraging but they had a nice run of fixtures early on.

1 Like

It is more attacking. It’s far more sophisticated in almost very aspect of the game. It’s less
entertaining for people because Liverpool aren’t coughing up goals.

Since the league win Klopps record was indifferent. Two seasons spent chasing top four with some of the best players in the world in the team.

What Slot has done is most impressive so far. He’s improving so many of the players and has been rotating the squad as well.

There is a real chance of a league title this season.

Celtic v RB Leipzig tonight at 8pm.

I think Celtic will be unchanged from the weekend, with Taylor & especially Scales unlucky to miss out.

Leipzig have zero (0) points after a tough early schedule - Atletico Madrid, Juventus, Liverpool - so they’re really in need of a result or qualifying begins to look impossible. They’re second in Bundesliga but lost to Dortmund 2-1 at the weekend to fall 3 points behind Bayern Munich. Xavi Simons is injured but they’ll have Sesko & Openda upfront.

I reckon Rodgers values Trusty’s recovery pace & physicality & Carter-Vickers proved his fitness against Aberdeen & did well. Taylor, other than the Dortmund shellacking, has been fine this season but that game highlighted his top level deficiencies. Valle has been a little rash at times but he’s been coming onto a game & has the pace that Taylor lacks & he’s very comfortable on the ball, even if his decision making can be erratic. I hope he goes with Valle.

Hindsight is 1888 & some of us were guilty of misguided optimism ahead of the Dortmund game. But, as mentioned pre Atalanta, Rodgers’ set up was too aggressive & gung ho. Celtic were more restrained & compact in the last game so hopefully we don’t get another hammering off a German side having won domestically 6-0 in the preceding game.

The xG in Bergamo was probably about 2.14-0.23 but you need a few things to get a result against a higher ranked & more talented side in Europe:

  • concentrated & committed display :white_check_mark:
  • keeper to play well :white_check_mark:
  • some luck :white_check_mark:

Celtic will need similar tonight but I hope they’re better on the ball. There was some panic & carelessness on the ball the last time, a mix of the pressure of holding out defensively & then trying to do something themselves & almost looking for the killer ball too often. They’ll need to get that balance between having a sound & cohesive defensive shape, being able to retain possession when they get it & carrying an offensive threat.

I think Celtic can hurt them out wide through Maeda & Kuhn as I read that Red Bull give you the wings. Celtic have scored some blistering breakaway goals this season in Europe & domestically & they’ve real pace in the front 3. If Leipzig overcommit hopefully Celtic can exploit that. I just hope Hatate & Engels can combine their football ability with a strong workrate & they stay close to McGregor. I’ll know early on if we’re fucked like Dortmund, as that would manifest itself in McGregor getting dragged out of the middle & the other two being caught upfield & out of position.

A draw would be a good result for Celtic but they don’t have a good record against German opposition. They beat this crowd in 2018 in the Europa League at home under Rodgers but lost 0-2 to them under Postecoglou in 2022. It was a typical Ange display of breakneck attacking football, missed chances, running out of steam, not using the bench quickly enough & then conceding late on.

I’m encouraged by the home CL displays under Rodgers since his return - Lazio, Atletico Madrid, Feyenoord & Slovan Bratislava were all positive displays. I actually think this is a pretty good Celtic side (more misguided optimism?) but they haven’t had a signature European win against top opposition in quite a while. Let’s hope that comes tonight. TFK has @thedancingbaby at Celtic Park tonight.

4 Likes

Taylor gets the nod ahead of Valle, otherwise as expected.

https://twitter.com/celticfc/status/1853871151656968513?s=46&t=0sQkcb7z4szDmx1-2Xlm0w

Dinamo Zagreb will be up to 7 points from 4 games after conceding 9 (nine) away to Bayern Munich on matchday 1.

Would Celtic fans take a draw here?

Let’s go bhoys.