Hhhaaattttaaatttteeee
Hart got a red ?
Yeah. Fouled their striker just outside the box. Should have probably done better but defence keep getting done by balls over the top.
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O’Riiiiilleeeeeeyyyy
Oooorrrriiillleeeyyyyy
Great vision by Maeda
Nothing recent but wasn’t on my phone first half. That ref is some cunt. The Scales and Johnston bookings were directly from his incompetence.
Maeda is some man to miss a sitter.
Massive to get the second goal after Hart’s red. Their direct & physical style will surely lead to plenty of balls bouncing around our box so important to have a cushion.
Bain with an absolute brain fart here but gets away with it. We really need a keeper.
Need to hold this 2 goal lead for a good chunk of time now & not give them a sniff.
O’Riley is having a stormer here.
He’s really developing the attacking threat under Rogers
Maaaaaeeeedddddaaaaaa
He’s put in a huge defensive effort too. He was often taken off after 60-70 minutes last season.
Mmmmaaeeedddaaaaa
That was very good. Recovered well from the red card and were generally very comfortable.
Taylor back to decent form. O’Riley was outstanding. Kyogo and Maeda both excellent too. Could still do with more from Hatate and the centre backs still shaky under balls over their heads. But saw that out really well.
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Have to say Scales is much better on the ball than I realised. Thought He used it well the other night in Europe .
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Rodgers going 4-3-2 after the sending off was bold enough. Maeda & Kyogo kind of split wide on either side to keep the full/wing backs honest & we didn’t necessarily have a presence directly through the middle. It reminded of the Ibrox game in Brendan’s first spell when Simunovic was sent off at 2-2 & he boldly brought Edouard on, changed to 4-3-2 & Edouard scored the winner.
Great ball across from wide right by Kyogo for the second goal & he had another one for Maeda later that was saved. Maeda misses some handy chances but the goal was a brilliant finish & his workrate is obscenely good, even more important down to 10. O’Riley was imperious & Taylor had a strong game. Another clean sheet for Lagerbielke & Scales, not without some hairy moments but Scales in particular has grasped his chance & they can be pleased with themselves.
Scales dropped off to play yer man onside for the penalty incident but I think that’s fully on Hart. Absolutely no need for him to be careering out of the box recklessly for a ball that’s bouncing high on a plastic pitch with defenders getting back. I’m a bit concerned about the goalkeeping position. I think when keepers get old, their speed & reactions can become suspect & then their decision making is affected too. I like Hart & he seems a very solid sort & good dressing room presence but definite signs of decline. That said, he had a great game at Ibrox so maybe he deserves the benefit of the doubt for now. He should have saved that freekick in Europe the other night too though.
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For all his critics, Rodger’s is still a top class coach and can change things up tactically quite quickly with no real difficulty. The players know what’s happening as well so clearly the training is paying off. Agree re. Hart. Is there any way Kelleher from Liverpool would be tempted on loan after Xmas?
Yeah the rejig to go with two wide attackers was an aggressive call but it worked really well. We were very solid through the middle and Maeda in particular is an excellent defensive asset so they couldn’t get anything going.
I think Hart should have done better alright. I think he’s misjudging his pace or reaction time alright and it’s catching him out. But we’re going to have to tolerate that this season anyway.
Was interesting to see Iwata coming on again. He was pretty decent on the ball and seems to have come in from the cold. We may see him in Europe with Holm suspended and Turnbull dropping out of favour. Could really do with another centre back coming back.
There was some talk Iwata was on his way out of Celtic when he didn’t make the Ibrox squad but it transpired he picked up a knock just before it in training. He’s been in all squads since the international break & I think he was used off the bench in the 3 games. He might have to play centre back against Lazio with Lagerbielke suspended & the raft of centre back injuries. Maybe Nat Phillips will be available again but he’ll be very short of match sharpness.
I think Rodgers is really sharp tactically & I thought Celtic were set up very well the other night too despite the result. He’s clearly very good on the training ground too & I think the coaching & tactical strength more than compensates for him being a bit of a weirdo.