League Cup Celtic 2 - 1 The Uglies

Nothing wrong with consistency if gets you the results at the end of the day.

I always say the definition of madness is to keep doing the same thing and expecting a different result the next time.

I think goalkeepers should be rotated to keep them in tip top shape. Siegrist could have been given the Cup games and some low intensity league games, to show us all what he can do.

He's got neither.

Is that good management ?

 

I've had times in my life where I had that much going on that Celtic completely fell out the picture. I got curious about previous cup final meetings between us and shockingly I'm only just learning about the 2019 League Cup Final. Watched the highlights just there, big Fraser Forster man his celebration at full time inaw. That final must have been torture to watch

 

9 point lead and almost double the goal difference.
Yeah it's good management

 

I think you know it is not quite a simple as that.
Things can change rapidly in football. If you have good players rotting on the bench, its bad for squad morale.
And the regular picks go unchallenged for their positions. They can get sloppy and over confident.

 

This week is dragging to * and it's not even begun.

Hart
Johnston CCV Starfelt Taylor
McGregor
O'Riley Hatate
Jota Kyogo Maeda

Has to be the team for me if Mooy is out. If Mooy is back fully fit he could come in for O'Riley, not sure who to go with there.

 

Ange seems really reluctant to change his back 5. This is nothing new in football. Success built on a consistent defence etc.

 

Mooy for me if he's ready.

 

Always worried always nervous when playing these. However I am very confident for this one.
Looking back at the last game at Ibrox they had an unbelievable chance to beat us.

Johnson’s first game. Which is a huge ask in itself in a big game. But then because of that we needed experience cover in front of him. Unfortunately while no doubt disciplined in a positional sense, he offered us no threat at all
(Imagine swopping Forrest for Jota at the weekend)

taylor injured so early and JJ coming on. 1 not in his natural position and 2 he was away. There’s no doubt at all he will have had the risk of injury in his mind

there was also huge rumours of a flu virus in the squad.
All that considered we still got a draw
And looking at the stats from the game
61% possession
Our last 5 games against them
Won 3 drawn 1 lost 1
We are 9 point clear with a 26!!! Better goal difference


I think what I’m trying to say is

we are going to hammer this shower of *

 

Good point you make about Taylor. We lost our way in last year's Cup Semi when he went off injured, the same thing happened to Taylor and us at Ibrox.

The key might be finding a way to keep Taylor on the park in these high intensity, high impact Derby games.

 

Put your house on them being fit next week. Nothing to feat, they're fukin' awful anyway.

 

This will be a telling game and Rangers will get telt.

Celtic 3-1

Lundstram will attempt to injure Kyogo or Maeda in the first 15 minutes. He will only get a yellow card.

Calmac to score again in this game. Not sure if he has ever scored against Rangers. Johnston will have a great game and sort out Kent and Barasic. Starfelt to score with a header. Taylor to score inside the box.

We needs to score early and often because Rangers are slow starters and will get demoralised - we are the only team in the SPL that actually attacks them and they do not cope with it. If not, they will come at us strong in the last 15 minutes, which has the makings of an epic second half.

Hart

Johnston
CCV
Starfelt
Taylor

Mooy
Calmac
Hatate

Abada
Kyogo
Maeda

 

Calmac has 3 goals against the huns. One at Celtic Park, one at Ibrokes and 1 at Hampden.

 

Hopefully, we'll show our class and bury them.

Wee teams need everything to go their way on the day. VAR will help them out a fair bit but they aren't a very good team. On paper, it should be a battering. Shame we don't play on paper.

 

It will be brilliant to beat them whilst playing with 11 men against their 13.

 

The one thing that will annoy me with this game is if we turn up and struggle to play through that same old tactic of packing the centre of the pitch.

I know in the New Year game we were struggling with illness but that first half the game was there to be finished. In packing the central areas we could find Hatate and O’Riley at will from the back and just bypass McGregor.

No Jota and more importantly it being an anonymous Forrest that replaced him was a big blow but should they play that way Sunday it should play into our hands.

Our ability to pick off triangles in wide areas between Hatate, Taylor and Maeda in behind or Jota, O’Riley and Johnston on the other flank will cause them no ends of problems if we move the ball quick enough. So I don’t want to see any of this getting bogged down by Hart and the two CBs delaying on the ball and refusing the pass when it’s on.

It’s the same with Kyogo’s movement up top we need to spot it and give him proper service getting the wingers and two attacking midfielders up the park close to him.

Out of possession you know what they will do, get the ball shelled forward to Sakala or Kent as quickly as possible and try get us in transition with pace. We need to be aware of that and be set to properly cover that tactic.

There will be nothing surprising about how they try and beat us, obviously the refs and VAR are a major worry but we need to come into this game at it like we were last February, being brave in possession and on the ball ready to take it under pressure and have our flair players take their men on.

At the back nothing silly from them especially Hart and Starfelt who despite being good for us have both had their moments.

 

Please just end them.
Champions 3-1 dirty orange *

 

You forgot the VAR and AVAR so us v 15. The only chance they have!

 

Hart
Johnston - CCV - Starfelt - Taylor
Mooy - Calmac - Hatate
Jota - Kyogo - Maeda
​

 

We will want to play high intensity football. Wont be allowed. We'll get kicked off the park without the foul given while the slightest touch when we press will be given as a free kick. Ball boys will be informed on the slow return of the ball and the grass will already not be cut.

We'll still win by 4.

 

Siegrist has been injured. Hard to give game time to a player who isn’t available. So yeah, I think it’s good management not playing an injured player