Alistair Johnston

Think he's just tired TBH. We need to remember that that was a big, physical team who have been resting during their winter break while we've been playing 2 games a week.

 

IMO we haven’t seen the best of him for a while now. I would genuinely let him rest out a couple of league games I don’t know if he’s injured or what but he’s lost a bit of his spark and his passing tonight was genuinely sending me off the edge.

 

I don't think he has fully recovered from that injury he had around Christmas, he's been a bit off his usual standards since that.

 

Do no harm to have him on the bench at weekend, just look's a tad jaded.

 

Don’t care if this is reactionary. We can definitely upgrade on Johnston. Absolutely honking positionally

 

He's been like that for a lot of games this year. Definitely not the same standard as previous season(s)

 

Absolutely love the fact since I put that on here he’s been class haha

 

AJ had both a shocker then a blinder tat first half man. But he gave himself a shake and stood up to be counted after a very poor start and for 25 mins or so was a defensive monster.

2nd half was neither highs or lows from him but that 1st half was wild

 

I think he was clearly told to. We went man for man with them and we got caught a good few times because of it. Then the second half he was man marking one of them which put the onus on Kuhn at times in the right back slot. He had a tough night no doubt but the calls of him being poor are a bit of an exaggeration

 

For me he started the game poorly getting done inside too easily but the big Ramsay he was up against was a very good player, he actually impressed me more then Rodgers who got the hat trick. Both were good but Ramsay had that thing about him where despite how hard he was pressed he always seemed to emerge with the ball and his off the ball running to break our lines was excellent.

Johnston totally lost him for the first goal but then got no help to shut down the cut back or get either a centre back or a defensive midfielder in there to stop the cut back. It’s the sort of ball I could see CCV blocking, just the way he defends.

Once the whole team gave themselves a shake he played largely fine and had some big moments with the goal line clearance and a couple of excellent tackles. Possibly should have made more of a few of his crossing situations but that’s being picky.

 

Didn’t see the game last night so can’t really comment on that specifically.

But I think it’s fair to say his level of performance has dipped fairy significantly over the last couple of months.

Started the season on fire with goals and assists, but that’s slowed down massively. And he’s been getting caught out a bit more defensively than usual.

Wouldn’t be surprised if he’s not fully fit/injury free.

 

The Celtic players knew that they were facing the toughest of UEFA Champions League knockout play-off draws, given that the two options for opponent were Bayern Munich or Real Madrid.

And it’s the German giants who Brendan Rodgers’ side will face for a place in the last 16 of the competition, with the first leg scheduled for Celtic Park (date tbc)

For Alistair Johnston and his team-mates, they’re relishing the prospect of coming up against one of the top sides in European football, and the Canadian internationalist is pleased that the first leg will be at Celtic Park.

Speaking at Lennoxtown today following the UCL draw, Johnston said: “It will be an amazing experience and a great opportunity for us to go and show Europe what we’re all about and it’ll be really fun having the first leg at Celtic Park.

“I know it’ll be loud and it’s a fixture that everyone will have circled and be excited for, so we’ll focus on that when it gets a little bit closer but it’s an amazing fixture.

“It’s a difficult draw but it’s one that we’re all really looking forward to.

“Having the first leg at home can be something to build on. It’s going to be really important that our crowd is behind us from the get-go and I can imagine it’s going to be a loud one.

'Anything’s possible so we just need to come out firing right from the start and hopefully give ourselves a chance going into the second leg and put some pressure on them.'

“But they’re a top team and one that’s been utterly dominant domestically in Germany for the past decade or so.

“Obviously, Leverkusen took the title last season but Bayern are top of the league now and they’re such a strong outfit so it won’t be an easy task but, again, it’s one that we’re all excited for

Celtic have already faced German opposition in this season’s UEFA Champions League, playing Borussia Dortmund away and then RB Leipzig at home in the league phase.

While the game in Dortmund was a disappointment as the Hoops lost 7-1, they produced a superb display at Celtic Park to beat Leipzig 3-1, with German winger Nicolas Kuhn scoring twice on the night for Celtic.

“The Leipzig does give us something to look at and understand that they are one of the top teams in Germany and they had to come to Celtic Park, and look how difficult we made it,” Johnston said.

'So that’s something we need to lean on and build on, but at the same time, we’ve got a great admiration for this Bayern Munich team.'

“This is a team that came into this competition with expectations to be hopefully lifting it at the end of the season, but we’re in the way and we’ve got to cherish this opportunity and look at it as a great chance, especially having the home leg first.

“I know that it’s an advantage in the long run having the home leg second but for us, I think it was really important to have it first, to give us a real chance here to go out and impose ourselves and show that we can compete.

“And, again, when you have Celtic Park rocking, it can be intimidating to whoever the team is