I wonder will this thread get as heated as the Match Day 3 one? ;D
Very professional job from Celtic today despite not playing that well. Big Jan and Tommy G were not in the squad which to all intents and purposes means they’re both out for Wednesday night. I thought it was a wise move to leave King Kenny on the bench as we’ll need him to lead the line with the trademark incredible workrate of his and the cameo off the bench today will ensure he’s fit and fresh.
That’s 9 wins in a row now so confidence should remain high though Benfica have an excellent record at home in Europe. Porto beat them 3-2 last night with a very late goal so hopefully that will have rocked them a little. It’ll be extremely tough but with the way things are going I am very hopeful.
Today’s ratings:
Boruc - 5: Was disappointed he let the goal in under his body. Also came out for the corner at the end and didn’t get there. Strikes me that he sometimes lacks concentration in the bread and butter league games and doesn’t apply himself as well as he does in Europe and against the huns and the diet huns.
Telfer - 8 (MOTM) : The renaissance continues. Solid in the tackle, cut out danger with the minimum of fuss, got forward in support of Naka and even played some quality crossfield passes. Has been a revelation of late.
Caldwell - 6: Started well I thought but had a bit of a shocker for the last 20 mins of the first half. Was caught out by Naismith for his effort that hit the bar and was unsure on a couple of other occasions. Was much better in the second half despite being upset that his mistimed tackle on Fernandez caused what looks like a serious injury. (Fair play to Fernandez on Setanta saying he knows the type of player Caldwell is and that he’s positive it was a total accident. He said it was just one of those unfortunate things that happen in football and he said Caldwell came to see him at half time to check if he was alright. I know Caldwell came in hard but Fernandez just toe ended the ball away from him and it was just pure bad luck that Caldwell caught him as his leg planted in the ground. I was a bit dismayed by Scott Booth and Craig Burley almost intimating that Caldwell intentionally set out to ‘do’ him. He’s never had this element in his game at all and has no history of being nasty or malicious).
McManus - 6: Not his best game either. Was adequate without ever being really commanding. Allowed Nish to run off him for the goal and gave away a lot of free kicks in the air. Still don’t think that either Caldwell or himself have done anything alarming to merit being dropped but needs to maintain the standard he has set so far this season with Balde coming back to fitness.
Naylor - 7: Another solid defensive shift today. Got around on the cover a couple of times and snuffed out any potential danger on his flank. Not as prominent going forward as in previous games but continue to be impressed with this guy.
Nakamura - 7: At the heart of Celtic’s best passing football. Is a joy to watch at times but like many others today it was not vintage Naka. Dispossed (illegally imo) in the build-up to their goal and was caught in possession a few other times too but a quality free kick to equalise and a few other sublime bits of class.
Lennon - 7: Not as dominant as he has been of late but upped it considerably in the second half. Led from the front in what was quite a battle in the midfield trenches. Suffered somewhat from having Pearson playing beside him but gradually wore down the Kilmarnock midfield pairing. Won’t be happy with his defending for their goal though.
Pearson - 6: Probably best suited to coming off the bench when the game has been stretched with his direct running style as he lacks the tactical nous and range of passing to play in the centre. Can see why Strachan wanted to rest Sno before Wednesday though with the youngster having played a lot of games lately. Still a valuable squad player imo but would consider offers for him in January. Fluffed a very good chance in the first half.
Maloney - 7: You can tell he’s still searching for his full match fitness and sharpness but that said he lit up the game on several occasions with flashes of skill. Excellent work for the winner and having played 5 or 6 games over the past 6 weeks I believe he’s almost ready to return to the peaks of last season. The move up front in the second half allowed him more freedom to express himself and he could be an option up there on Wednesday night.
Jarosik - 5: Again, I was seriously underwhelmed by this guy. He had 2 nice pieces of play where he put Pearson in after rolling the centre back and played a nice blind pass which ended up with Magic having a strike on goal. On the whole he just appears to lack urgency, desire and is far too loose and careless in possession. It was no surprise to see him called ashore at half time.
Zurawski - 5: Overall I have been disappointed with Magic this season and was again today. The inability of Celtic to get their passing game going with Pearson playing in the middle and Jarosik’s off key performance didn’t make it easy for him to get into the game but he had little worthwhile to show for his 65 minutes on the pitch.
Subs:
McGeady - 7: Was visibly getting back into his stride the longer he was on the pitch. Was good in the build up for the winner and showed some good flashes of skill. Did enough to suggest he’s over his injury setback and merits a start on Wednesday imo.
Miller - 7: Excellent cameo from Gerd Miller. His movement for the goal was class as it was throughout his 25 mins on the park. Nice to see him getting his rewards now after his initial barren spell.
Sno: Not on long enough. Won a few important tackles though.
Strachan - 8: Agreed with his decision to rest Sno and Miller with Benfica in mind. His substitutions were spot on and positively affected the game and continues to prove he possesses the ability to change things during the game. Thoroughly impressed with him this season.
As for the team on Wednesday, I think you leave yourself a bit open away from home with 2 attacking wide players in a 4-4-2. Having played 4-4-1-1 at Old Trafford I would be in favour of Strachan doing similar again. Miller obviously gets the nod up front after his heroics 2 weeks ago and I would play Maloney off him as he’s clever enough to drop into good positions and can drop into midfield when required. He can also interchange with Aiden and Naka when they come infield and I’d be confident that the pace, movement and passing ability of these bhoys will hurt Benfica on the break. The back 4 stays together and Sno comes back in beside Lenny to add solidity to the midfield:
Boruc
Telfer, Caldwell, McManus, Naylor
Nakamura, Lennon ©, Sno, McGeady
Maloney
Miller
I am thoroughly looking forward to this game.