Itās a reluctance to play two up front that has me not starting him. That and the fact that heās unlikely to be match fit. Our midfield is porous at the moment and for that reason I think we need Hartley holding with Donati and Brown also offering protection if thatās possible. Bringing in Jan means weād have 2 up front and our strongest midfield then is
McGeady Brown Hartley Naka
or something like that. I think thatās short on numbers with McGeady and Naka as the widemen so Iāve said Donati needs to play there too. And then looking at what was effective against Milan I think you have to consider Jarosik for his aerial ability. Obviously Jan can win the ball in the air too but heās not as mobile as Jarosik. Iād see Jan playing at some stage, and this is the first game Iād ever consider him not starting in since heās joined but I think Iād start him on the bench.
I think one upfront is the call too, like against Milan, to bring solidity to midfield. In addition, Jan hasnāt played in a month so 20 minutes from the bench should be the maximum he can manage. Yesterday I was edging towards a midfield four of Naka, Brown, Hartley and Jarosik with McGeady playing behind Skippy. It was probably a reaction to Donatiās horrow show at Ibrox but then I got thinking that he was one of the few positives in Donetsk and tonightās game shouldnāt be anything like Saturday where he was getting hacked off the park. In that sense it might be best to use Aiden as an impact sub like the job he did in Moscow. Getting more optimistic as the day progresses and expecting a big reaction from Saturday.
I think one upfront is the call too, like against Milan, to bring solidity to midfield. In addition, Jan hasnāt played in a month so 20 minutes from the bench should be the maximum he can manage. Yesterday I was edging towards a midfield four of Naka, Brown, Hartley and Jarosik with McGeady playing behind Skippy. It was probably a reaction to Donatiās horrow show at Ibrox but then I got thinking that he was one of the few positives in Donetsk and tonightās game shouldnāt be anything like Saturday where he was getting hacked off the park. In that sense it might be best to use Aiden as an impact sub like the job he did in Moscow. Getting more optimistic as the day progresses and expecting a big reaction from Saturday.
I would go for a midfield of Hartley Donati Brown and Nakamura with McGeady playing behind McDonald. McGeady was excellent playing off front man in Milan last year and I canāt recall him playing in that position since. His playing off the front man would enable Brown in particular to play a little deeper where he knows the onus isnāt always on him to bomb forward and support McDonald. Donati is lucky to get in my team but I think his ability to help us keep possession means he should be included (having said that I disagree with your assessment of his performance in Donetsk where I thought he pulled out of challenges and had no fighting qualities). Incidentally if Strachan has everyone fit I think the midfield he will pick will be my one.
Hard to believe McDonald could be dropped. I can understand Nakamura not playing as he has been very poor of late but McDonald has been far far supperior to Killen so far this season.
Agreed with that. I donāt even think Killen is particularly suited to playing alone up top because he hasnāt seemed fit enough. Maybe thereās a bit of both about McDonald and heās not fully fit.
Heartbreaking stuff made all the more demoralising by that fool Lou Macari in the commentary box.
Defended excellently for the most part but struggled to live with Cardozo on a few occassions. Paid the price for playing for nil all but thatās no criticism - did the right thing. Macari was waffling on about Kennedy and McManus trying to be too clever and doing the wrong thing. That goal was created by a smashing ball and a good run, touch and finish.
Thought Kennedy was magnificent all night in fact. He cleaned up in the air and covered very well behind and even brought the ball forward well on a couple of occasions. McManus wasnāt bad either but he looked a touch vulnerable to the high ball and those two Cardozo headers came from McManus not picking him up.
Other than that we didnāt do too much wrong. Aiden was outstanding, Brown and Hartley were excellent.
Shakhtar losing 4-1 is a good result at the end of it. If we beat them at home by 2-0 or better then weāre level on points and it comes down to us home to Benfica and away to Milan versus Donetsk home to both Benfica and Milan. The openness of the group means Milan need to go there and get a result. Itās by no means a brilliant state of affairs but I never agreed with the notion that letting Shakhtar run away with it would be preferred. Not going to happen no matter how poor Milanās form was.
Gutted by that. The players left nothing out on the pitch whatsoever and put in an incredible effort. Itās just that sometimes things simply donāt go your way in football. We defended excellently as a unit despite the chances they created (as any team is going to create at home at this level).
I thought McManus and Kennedy were fantastic. Equally I thought the midfield trio of Brown, McGeady and Hartley were superb. Brown has an incredible engine and his drive from midfield was a joy to watch at times. Aiden had a smashing battle with Leo, who was constantly looking to bomb on himself, but in the end he was forced back by Aidenās skill and trickery with one particularly excellent run and shot in the second half.
Their goal, though taken beautifully by Cardoza, was a killer. I remarked to cesc4 after about 75 minutes that Hartley was visibly flagging after being sensational in the defensive midfield position up to then in covering runs, breaking up play and generally bossing things. He hasnāt played in about 3 weeks due to his hamstring strain and I noticed space beginning to appear as the game progressed where previously he would have been present.
And the goal came from one of their players receiving the ball in space about 30 yards out and dinking a lovely ball over the top for Cardoza to bring down and slot away. It was the one time Kennedy switched off and we were punished for it.
If there was one thing I would have done differently it would have been to bring on McDonald for Killen about 10 minutes earlier as that might have given us a bit of extra attacking impetus. But as I said I canāt fault the players at all - they were smashing and this group is very much alive for us still.
A special mention for the outstanding Artur Boruc, the Holy Goalie who hates the Huns. Some fantastic saves during the game and then shook hands with the Benfica players at the end before bowing before and acclaiming the hordes of Celtic support. The manās a Celtic legend.
Agreed with 98% of that Bandage but I donāt see what Kennedy could have done better at the ball. As you hint at, if thereās a fault anywhere itās our midfield not closing down di Maria quickly enough (think thatās who played the pass). But we did get to him just before he flicked it over. At that stage Kennedy has to be flat footed because heās to be prepared for a run from midfield - or a long shot - and Cardozo is able to get a run on him. With the way the pass is played he simply doesnāt have time to recover. It was an excellently executed goal.
Otherwise canāt disagree with any of it. Iād have brought on McDonald for Killen a bit earlier too but I doubt that was the difference - to be fair they had the balance of chances anyway. Hartley was tiring but Donati had tired too so it was a case of Sno for either/or. Sno had some good touches when he came on and he got forward well but really doesnāt close them down quick enough.
Aiden and Kennedy were top drawer tonight. Borucās save was superb but he should have done better with the long shot that Cardozo pounced on the rebound of to hammer it off the bar. Brown and Hartley were next and then I thought everyone else did well, nothing bad, nothing brilliant.
Really missed a full back getting up alongside Aiden a couple of times. Not Caldwellās fault but heās the worst attacking full back in the competition. Also possesses the shortest throw-in in the professional game by the looks of things.
Devestating result but itās past now. Letās do them at home.
giles didnt see the game but said bnfica should have won by five or six-what a cock
I was flicking around between RTE, SKY and Setanta and Iāve just seen Giles, Dunphy and Brady conclude that Celtic got a chasing after watching less than 5 minutes of clips too. These lads really are ridiculous at times and Brady in particular has a massive chip(py) on his shoulder after his inept spell managing Celtic. Maybe itād best for them to refrain from commenting on something they havenāt seen and concentrate on getting ready for the Sunderland and Reading games this weekend. Dunphy and Brady going on about what a chasing it was. Absolute fooking idiots.
Disappointing to play that decent and lose (albeit deservedly.
Boruc 8.5 Excellent saves and looked commanding. Spilled one ball
Caldwell 6.5 Defended well but didnāt do enough to support McGeady. Not a full back though in fairness. I can spit further than he can throw the ball
Kennedy 8.5 Best performance since Barcelona. That run in the first half was excellent. Is very confident in his own ability
Naylor 7 Good game where he marked his man well and got forward as much as possible
McGeady 8.5 One poor header but terrorised Leo all night. No Steven Hunt though
Donati 7 Looked dangerous but caught out badly for corner
Brown 7.5 Very good running all night. Would like to see him demand the ball more when we are under pressure
Hartley 7.5 Covered ground well and was a good protective cover. Could have offered himself more for the ball like Brown when we are under pressure
Jarosik 6.7 Put in a decent shift and did well with possession.
Killen 5.5 Matched their centre halves for strength and did well to get onto McGeadyās cross where he hit the side net. Isnāt good enough at this stage though and he lost the ball too often even though he had a very hard task. McDonald is a far superior player imo and would have held it up better
Sno - covered ground well and took the pace out of the game at important stages
McDonald - probably should have squared the ball for Brown late on. Did well other than that
Complete tossers. Typical of them. Whatās the point in them covering games that theyāre clueless about. No harm in showing highlights if they have the rights but donāt fucking pretend to analyse the thing. Gobshites.
Before the game Setanta went on a break at about twenty past seven and I flicked to Sky to see if theyād bother their holes mentioning Celtic on Sky Sports 2. Caught the very end of an interview with a Besiktas player and back to Keyesey in studio:
"Keyes: Well what a city. Beautiful place. What do you think Ruud?
Ruud: Oh what a place. Lovely city. And you know something else - itās trendy. It is now. Great city. [camera changes to clip of Besiktas fans] But you know something: I hear the fans can be bad sometimes."
Pathetic television. Who gives a fuck whether Istanbul is trendy or not? What a first class arsehole Ruud Gullit really is.
Agreed with 98% of that Bandage but I donāt see what Kennedy could have done better at the ball. As you hint at, if thereās a fault anywhere itās our midfield not closing down di Maria quickly enough (think thatās who played the pass). But we did get to him just before he flicked it over. At that stage Kennedy has to be flat footed because heās to be prepared for a run from midfield - or a long shot - and Cardozo is able to get a run on him. With the way the pass is played he simply doesnāt have time to recover. It was an excellently executed goal.
Otherwise canāt disagree with any of it. Iād have brought on McDonald for Killen a bit earlier too but I doubt that was the difference - to be fair they had the balance of chances anyway. Hartley was tiring but Donati had tired too so it was a case of Sno for either/or. Sno had some good touches when he came on and he got forward well but really doesnāt close them down quick enough.
Aiden and Kennedy were top drawer tonight. Borucās save was superb but he should have done better with the long shot that Cardozo pounced on the rebound of to hammer it off the bar. Brown and Hartley were next and then I thought everyone else did well, nothing bad, nothing brilliant.
Really missed a full back getting up alongside Aiden a couple of times. Not Caldwellās fault but heās the worst attacking full back in the competition. Also possesses the shortest throw-in in the professional game by the looks of things.
Devestating result but itās past now. Letās do them at home.
I know it was an outstanding pass and Iām not criticising Kennedy, who was exceptional tonight. I just wondered if he could have reacted a tiny bit quicker. Anyway, as you say itās over now and we need to win these two home games on the bounce and then assess things. Itās a realistic possibility that Shahktar, though ahead of us now, could lose to Milan at home and us away. We need to put away Benfica and also hope Milan do likewise in Lisbon in week 5. In other words if ourselves and Milan win our next 2 games then itās Milan 12; Celtic 9; Donetsk 6; Benfica 3; Thatās very much the best scenario we can hope for going into the last game in Milan.
Disappointing to play that decent and lose (albeit deservedly.
Boruc 8.5 Excellent saves and looked commanding. Spilled one ball
Caldwell 6.5 Defended well but didnāt do enough to support McGeady. Not a full back though in fairness. I can spit further than he can throw the ball
Kennedy 8.5 Best performance since Barcelona. That run in the first half was excellent. Is very confident in his own ability
Naylor 7 Good game where he marked his man well and got forward as much as possible
McGeady 8.5 One poor header but terrorised Leo all night. No Steven Hunt though
Donati 7 Looked dangerous but caught out badly for corner
Brown 7.5 Very good running all night. Would like to see him demand the ball more when we are under pressure
Hartley 7.5 Covered ground well and was a good protective cover. Could have offered himself more for the ball like Brown when we are under pressure
Jarosik 6.7 Put in a decent shift and did well with possession.
Killen 5.5 Matched their centre halves for strength and did well to get onto McGeadyās cross where he hit the side net. Isnāt good enough at this stage though and he lost the ball too often even though he had a very hard task. McDonald is a far superior player imo and would have held it up better
Sno - covered ground well and took the pace out of the game at important stages
McDonald - probably should have squared the ball for Brown late on. Did well other than that
Canāt disagree with any of that. Maybe a touch harsh on Killen but the sentiment is correct. You left out McManus though.