Champs League Group, All Chat In Here.

Bang on the money.I may be wrong but Wilson,Ambrose,Lustig,Mulgrew and Wanyama have played every game in last 6 weeks.Then you've Sammy,Hooper,Ledley and Brown maybe coming back from injury too soon.Time to start using our squad more wisely in the SPL.

 

here here

why the heck is mcgeouch not getting more game time ?

a very good player who was having a stormer against real madrid pre season before breaking his jaw

why the heck is kayal not getting used one of our best players ?

paddy showed during preseason he has more strings to his bow what the * is the point of resigning him and paying him if you dont trust him to play

young watt, miku, lassad should be all getting much more game time than there getting

we dont need to be top of the league just now the champions league was and is the priority 1st half of the season so this is when the fringe players should have been getting used in the domestic league and cup games

deep breath.........

(back down to earth it was only one game, don't get carried away ian) :smiley-laughing002:

 

it was a poor performance.. and the same has happened in the SPL where we have lost. if we can lose by under-performing to SPL teams then players and manager should have known what was waiting if under par against a very good side

passing was horrible, and we can have no complaints about the score... maybe Lenny just got the team selection wrong because the players did put in a shift and overall workrate was good.

i never get involved in team selection predictions etc .... not my job. my opinion will never count and i don't have the expertise ( if i did i would be a manger at some club)

can't be easy and i am sure Lenny picked a team he believed could get a result but he is not infallible ... he said it would be most difficult game and hopefully that is the case. Few good performances from individuals but over all we looked FLAT and very nervous ...

onwards and upwards ... hopefully lenny and the bhoys can figure out what went wrong -- i wont be losing sleep over it

 

I'm feeling really apprehensive going into the Spartak game. I'm normally far and away the most positive person on here before games but I just have a feeling that nerves will get the better of the players and they'll slip up. I can't even imagine how gutting it'd be to beat Spartak, only for Benfica to beat Barcelona over in the Camp Nou.

Hopefully Lenny justs rests everyone before Spartak. I don't give a * what happens in the league at this point. I'd happily take an 8-0 thrasing off ICT in exchange for a last 16 spot. :smiley-laughing002:

 

Lennon hasn't rotated the team so far but it'll be done now I think seeing as our next European game will be the one which decides our fate.

I'm unsure how others feel about it, but I'd be quite happy to sacrifice a few points in the league if it meant we were to continue playing alongside the cream of Europe.

That said, a rotated Celtic side should still be able to pick up points against the SPL dross anyway.

 

It's Arbroath at home in the Scottish Cup the Saturday before Moscow so I imagine most of our players will get rested for that. With maybe a few being on the bench just in case.

 

Aye just noticed that which is good news.

Rest most of the team on Saturday, bring some back in for Tynecastle, then rest most of them again against Arbroath.

I reckon we'll do the business anyway, the team will be busting a gut as it is, and the fans will drive them on to get them to go that extra mile.

 

Don't think Spartak will be particularly up for it either. They've got big domestic games around our game.

I'm pretty optimistic we'll do our part. Just need to wrap everyone in cotton wool.

 

Without sounding over confident, I wouldn't get too upset about us getting to the last 16. Realistically as long as we can get at least a point at home to Spartak, which we definitely have the capacity to do, I think we could beat them, considering we done them in on their soil not that long ago. The main reason being, I think there's no chance thatBenfica will beatBarcelona. When we played Barcelona at the Nou Camp, we had to sit back and weather one * of a storm, as do every team going there. Our goalkeeper had an absolute outstanding performance as did every single defender. Benfica need to win in order to get into the last 16, they can't * about, and if you go to Barcelona's home patch and attack them, they will destroy you. And no disrespect to Benfica but they are hardly a match for Barcelona, I think Barca will giveBenfica a dooin and all we need is a point against Spartak, but I am confident that we can get the 3 points.

 

I want Tony Watt to start the Spartak game.

 

Barcelona are already through though so it is completely different. I know Barca always play too win, however, Benfica players will play like their life depended on it, I doubt the Barcelona players will play with the same intensity.

And taking even a point off of Spartak is no easy task.

 

I would probably go with Miku and bring Watt on for the final half an hour....unless Hooper can prove his fitness as it was like playing with 10 men last night.Also sick of Mulgrew playing in midfield !!

 

Yeah you have a fair point! The reason I'm confident Barca won't take it lightly is because Barcelona have got an incredible home record in the champions league and they will want to maintain that, also Messi will definitely play against Benfica as he is desperate to break Muller's record. He's not far away so he will be right up for it, and guys like David Villa will be getting a game as well. I just can't see past Barca at home mate, see if they were playing Real Madrid or Inter Milan, I would maybe feel more worried but Benfica going gung ho at Barca in their home turf will just end in their defeat. It won't be easy taking a point off of Spartak at home, but if we're being serious about this competition then we should get the 3 points against this team. I can see us sneaking two late goals and winning 2-0 against the Russians. I reckon Barca will win 2 or 3-0.

 

Imagine Aiden McGeady scores at Parkhead and that turns out to be the goal that puts us out. That would be a bit of a kick in the stanes.

 

Pressure does bad things to this team and this game now put on lots of it.

Naw hes gonna go * it wer bottom anyway and score a deliberate OG for his old team

 

Xavi

And over the last 5 seasons, I've never seen Barcelona not show up for a match at home - to think otherwise is to have not seen much of this team

 

Well said by Xavi.

We just need to win and try not think too much about what is happening in Barcelona.

 

I dont think we need to worry about Barcelona taking the game with Benfica lightly, I think Benfica have the quality to cause them some issues but it should be business as usual.

I just worry about the explosive pace in which Spartak attack teams on the counter away from home. We need to be very very vigilant.

 

I could've done without the nervousness this is going to cause at home to the Russians.

 

With Messi going for Mullers record goals haul in a year, he certainly won't be letting up !! I don't think Barca are the kind of side to do that anyway. Even if they rest a few players, they have more than capable players to bring into the side. I fully expect Barca to win against Benfica, especially as they will be trying to attack Barca and think we will do the business at parkhead, sure the atmosphere here will be electric again !! Can't wait for the match.