[Official TC Thread] Celtic vs Manchester City - Wed 28th September - 7:45 - BT Sports 2

Great performance from the bhoys <img src="http://www.talkceltic.net/forum/images/smilies/shamrock.gif" class="inlineimg" smilieid="114" border="0">

 

I actually had 2 cans of Guinness before then took 2 more cans and a bottle of buckie with me but decided against it once I got there in hindsight I should have tanned them but felt * after munching a KFC on the way there

 

How much possession did we have overall and passes v them?

 

Not sure about the passes but possession was 39%. Shots 9 vs 24.

 

Players passing stats
http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/ucl/2017/2019311_tpd.pdf

Match stats
http://www.uefa.com/newsfiles/ucl/2017/2019311_ts.pdf

Celtic 43% possession
Man City 57% possession

Celtic 359 attempted 283 successful 79% accurate
Man City 567 attempted 485 sucessful 86% accurate

 

Me neither, in the Hoops after it and have no voice, what an atmosphere tonight

 

Tremendous effort.

What a difference from Barcelona. Should always be looking to improve as a team and for players to develop. I seen plenty of improvement and development in players. We gave Man City no end of trouble in the opening 25-30mins of the 1st half. We pressed them up the park and they struggled to play past our press. I don't believe they thought we were capable of it.

Our 1st goal was superb. Great invention on the goal and everything worked. From Sinclair's fake hit to draw the attention and disorganise the Man City players set-up, Forrests run and cross on the half volley was a thing of real quality. Dembele's left leg was offside but thanks to what happened before, the linesman wasn't in the position to give a decision. McManaman the * couldn't even spoil my enjoyment. Fantastic start.
Rogic was finding space and getting us forward, he was giving Fernando the run around. Sinclair was going forward and Tierney was making Sterling run towards his own goal. Brown and Bitton were giving us the platform by winning and getting us forward. Man City are a quality outfit and you know they will make chances. Although the equaliser was fortunate.

We got ourselves in front again, Bitton picked up the ball after we won it back in our half and played in Rogic who was in acres of space. He drove into the space and played in Tierney who's what looked like what was an attempted cross to the back post for Sinclair, was diverted in by the scrambling Sterling. After this goal Man City tightened up considerably and realised this wasn't going to be what they had anticipated. Rogic was no longer given what seem the freedom of the midfield. They started to pick up all the loose balls and we struggled to find the consistency of earlier on. Dembele played a poor pass into Brown who lost out to Gundogan on the edge of the centre circle in our half. They broke quickly and as our defence scrambled to recover Sterling got himself ahead and inside of Tierney. As Tierney and Gordon rushed to block Sterling, he cleverly cut back and managed to roll the ball home. Gordon was inches away from getting something on it.

From then until halftime, we were knocked off our stride a bit. Man City were getting the better in the midfield and we couldn't find either Rogic,Sinclair or Dembele to get us forward unlike earlier on. Thankfully we seen it out until halftime. The players were throughly deserving of the ovation which greeted them at halftime, the performance and effort merited it.

Second half we mirrored our 1st with an early goal. Good pressure on Otamendi(might even have been Kolarov) forced a mistake. We picked the ball up close to the Man City box and good work from Bitton and then Tierney on the over lap, granted Kolarov should have dealt with the cross. Dembele took advantage and finished very well. 3 goals against a Man City team that was untouched in the supposed "Best league in the World".

However the same problems that occurred at the end of the 1st half. Rogic influence had all but gone and in the process of bringing him off we conceded another equaliser. For me this was probably the most avoidable goal and most frustrating point of the night. It started with a long ball towards the Celtic box, Toure was underneath it but Gordon was also available for the header back to him. Toure ended up heading towards Sviatchenko, who was pressured into a poor pass/clearance. City again had possession in a dangers area, they shown great quality by working the ball between Silva,Sterling and eventually Aguero. The latter forced Gordon into a good save and the break of the ball fell to Nolito who finished.

Armstrong replaced Rogic but it didn't really alter the path of the game. We were still competing but our forays into the danger areas were becoming rare. City were gradually taking over but defensively we were dealing pretty well with it. Toure and Sviatchenko were clearing the crosses and we managed to snuff out most of the danger. Although we just couldn't get anything going forward in an attacking sense. Roberts replaced the hard-working Forrest, but we still couldn't really cause them problems. Then a bold move of introducing Griffiths, still couldn't get us going in attacking areas. Fernandinho had a raspier which just flew over, Gordon had a good save from a Gundogan free and Toure defended a couple of crosses well.

We saw out the remaining time and from a game where many thought it would be a case of how many. Turned out to be a game where Man City were given a real test in terms of quality and attitude. While you could argue, we could have probably taken 3 points from the game.

Aside from the manner of the 3rd goal(being overly picky), It's hard to fault the players and manager tonight. Atmosphere was class.

Tierney done well against the impressive Sterling and Toure was class in the centre of defence. Lustig and Erik also performed well. Brown was tremendous in the midfield and as was Bitton. Rogic was key to a lot of our good play in the 1st half,faded out the game as Man City began to control the game. Forrest was quietly effective after he supplied the opening goal. Sinclair got us forward with his runs and doubled up on Sterling when possible. Dembele was a handful for Otamendi and Kolarov, added to his display with 2 goals. Gordon had a fine reaction save late on from a deflected Gundogan shot and was so close to denying Sterling on the 2nd goal.

Never anticipated feeling disappointed about the outcome of the game. Yes, we could have done a few thing better, but it's hard to be overly critical of a group of players and management who put so much into the showing.

Barcelona was a difficult one to take, but it's important to praise the players and management for taking the lessons of that game and making the correct adjustments.

The display against City would get you the result against a number of teams in playing Europe over the 3 days.

 

That forum of there's has some pretty embarrassing comments on it, they all do tbh, and I shouldn't really expect anything else.

There's a bizarre notion amongst fans of most English top flight clubs that there league is vastly superior to any other league, and that the SPFL is some * standard affair that could be won by a local 5's team from down there. It's a ridiculous chip to carry but I suppose it's reinforced by the constant 'bestleague in the world' * from Sky. Ultimately European competition is the only place you can really make any fair assessment of where your team are compared to teams from other European leagues. There was also this bizarre assumption that because we got shafted by Barca we were 'unfit' to grace the hallowed ground of the CL (despite loads of big teams having been on the receiving end of the odd horrendous result), and simply couldn't hope to hold our own with a side from the BPL (we're a Championship calibre team side apparently, according to fans who admit in the next line to barely ever watching us play :smiley-laughing002. City are not Barca, not by a long shot, and we aren't some run of the mill renta-mob, no-history BPL side who will be pushed around by a few expensive names at their own home ground.

We get it all the time, in fairness to the English media, the ones up here do absolutely nothing to go against this bullshit, instead just regurgitating the "Scottish football is perpetually *, always has been always will be" myth again and again.

 

Just this...He gets it, if he never got it before, he gets CELTIC now

HH

 

As i said before that first 20 minutes of football by us would get us to the semis,so proud to be a Tim.Played with heart,guile,intensity you name it,our only failing was we tired which is so understandable given the pace of the match.Well done Bhoys you done us proud,3-2 win would've nettedme £500 but who cares.

 

First time I've went to a big game sober and I can't handle it. It's far too stressful.

 

Could you no afford pints down Gallowgate?Ifd itwas too busy just do what we did,Celtic £45 malt from shop and drank around the side:icon_mrgreen:

edit its rank and no worth that.

 

He got it before. You can tell nothing that happened tonight surprised him (and if it probably surprised some of his players, that won't be because he didn't give them all the information.

 

Respect where it's due. You gave us the work. Rodgers had better tactics than Mourinho. That was the best atmosphere I've seen in a long time. Can't wait to host you at our place.

 

Just a heads up, Neil Lennon was on the panel of last night's post-match Sportsound programme, you can download the podcast here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p02nrsc7/episodes/downloads

 

Thats Paradise for ye:icon_mrgreen:

 

new links added

 

A long time ? Try ever

 

The biggest embarisment goes to the bookies 8/1 9/1 for us to win at home was discraceful considering the teams we have sent packing over the years, brilliant game and performance from us we need a few additions new right back new centre mid who can keep that ball ! Delighted but