SPFL Celtic V ? Sunday September 1st kick off 12:30 PM sky sports football

I was listening to the Huddle breakdown podcast just now and they were discussing different models for rating midfielders in a game.

They were talking about how our midfielders weren’t maybe as good as the narrative. I have to say where they all had moments of giving the ball away I couldn’t agree with the take that our best moments came by bypassing midfield. I would argue a midfielder had a big part to play in all our big chances.

- Disallowed goal Hatate great lay off to set McGregor away; McGregor a great pass through to Kuhn.
- Maeda’s goal Bernardo’s little ball over the top for Johnston combined with the laters run made that chance.
- Hatate takes up a great position at the back post, Kuhn finds him but his shot is poor.
- second goal McGregor presses Barron he plays a loose pass and Taylor wins the ball and feeds Kyogo.
- Bernardo dribbles in to the box beating 2 men but chokes the shot.
- Hatate puts Kyogo through 1v1 with their keeper but he chips wide.
- McGregor scores a cracking goal.

So they are all big moments in the game for me and a midfielder to varying degrees has a role to play.

Did they turn the ball over on occasion, yes but they also all had big moments in the game.

 

The midfield being absent or ineffective last season was a huge complaint from me.

Midfield with and without O'Riley this season looks is miles ahead of where we were same time last year. And it makes a huge difference.

 

Hatate is the difference.

 

Maybe, but I think it's more than that. We've got a better shape and the midfield have a lot more direction than last season is my guess.

Hatate was also present in some of the games I'm referring to.

 

*-raping sounds a tad drastic. I'd settle for a * good thrashing which they'll not likely forget in a hurry. And it's gonna happen at Ibrox...

 

He was the poorest of the 3 on Sunday.

 

Think the games last year Bernardo showed up well, as did O’Riley. McGregor was peerless the New Year game and 1-0 at Ibrox. The difference is that it’s not defence, midfield and attack playing individual good as a unit, they’re all playing with each other seamlessly. They all cover each other, move into space that full backs or wingers have made.

Every players covering and helping those next to them, and it’s effortlessly doing it. Last year at times they were stuck to just their own role disjointed and static at times. This year and pre-season its fluent

 

I was talking about all the games we played early in the season. We are always better against the huns but some of the performances we turned in the early part of the season I really though the midfield was shapeless and really not involved at all. As you point out playing as individuals, but not really able to work together was one of my big issues.

All looking much better now.

 

Ahhh that’s interesting, I think that this season so far (including some impressive pre-season games) the stand out was how cohesive and fluent the midfield was, whereas last season was more individualistic.

 

Probably not clear but I was talking about last season too.

 

Might be saying the same thing then mate, end of last season I think it clicked a bit more. Hatate is a massive part of that, but this season everyone seems to be seamless, losing O’Riley this time last year would be unthinkable.

Where we are now as good as O’Riley is I think we have guys that can step in there. Bernardo being first in that queue, I think even on Sunday there no MOR Hatate got the focus and be was ok, didn’t step up as much in his absence as I hoped but Bernardo does that job he can. He needs to score more to do it fully now, but him being subbed first was unfair IMO. It should have been Hatate.

 

Yip, same thing. Agree Hatate should have been subbed before Bernardo. Really impressed by Bernardo last week. Him and Maeda where everywhere.

 

Bernardo’s off the ball game has been ridiculous even thrown in to CL games last year, he has that work rate and base level of competent, it’s when he’s been bold enough to be risky is when we’ve seen the best of him and it’s came in bursts after a goal that lasts a bit. I think him being here permanently now, he looks like he’s not hedging his bets and playing within himself. He wanted O’Riley’s place before be left, as he should, he’ll be gunning to make sure he’s undroppable. Which makes me think because he did stand up more than Hatate did against them, after O’Riley had officially left, Bernardo being subbed for the record fee signing was the wrong signal to the team. It should have been who was playing worse. For me, unquestionably that was Reo.

 

Yip, saw lots of positive comments on here for Hatate, last week. Didn't really see it myself, not that I thought he was terrible, just things broke down more when he was involved than others.

 

He wasn’t terrible don’t think any player on the pitch was, he was pivotal a lot of times but out of the three in the middle? He was the worst

 

I actually thought Hatate was decent. Should have had a goal and an assist to his name. Just that Cal and Bernardo were better, the latter especially in his off the ball work.

 

Decent is the word mate, he was far from bad or poor. Bernardo was the best out three I think though, Calmac probably had his worst all round game against them for a long time, but he was devastating with him powering forward and his goal.

 

A week on from this, and a * weekend without Celtic, but final thoughts would be that game took me straight back to that period under Ange were we skooshed them 3 and 4-0. Beautiful, concise, 100mph football.

You felt like it was coming during both Parkhead games and the 3-3 game at Ibrox. A bit more on the clinical side and those two Parkhead games are pumpings, and the 3-3 at Ibrox is comfortable without Silva's dive.

Football itself was incredible, but what I think was beautiful was how abysmal they looked, you could honestly tell me we were playing St Johnstone and I would have believed you.

 

That result was coming, given we should have been 4-0 up at half time at the * pit and let them off the hook a couple of times last season.

 

Just seen a video of Juco James saying Rangers won the midfield battle....*

I dig stats but ffs...