UCL Last 16: Celtic v Juventus Chat

Guys reading you it's like you already won the match.
There in Italy we says: "it's better to blabber after than before."

 

Hope Juve don't sign a new striker in the January window. If they don't, I fancy us!

 

The problem with Pirlo is that, since he plays so deep, you have to press up to shut him down completely. If you don't do it right it leaves you really exposed.

 

Oh everybody does that but somehow we managed to win our qualify and still be 1° in Serie A with 2 draw 2 loss 14 win.
Let's just say that if Celtic manage to pull out an outstanding performance that's cool else you know what will happen.

 

What I noticed about what we done with Xavi was, we didn't press him as such but always made sure Joe Ledley was between the ball and him, always covering the option to pass to him, forcing him to move outside of his comfort zone if he wanted the ball.

I wonder if something similar will happen when we face Juventus.

 

Bring it on.

 

Very unfair comment, mate.
You obviously didn't read any of my posts, then.
Who is "blabbering"? I was worrying, a couple of other people were psyching themselves up for the game and we were all trying to analyse what might happen. None of us are taking even the game at Celtic Park for granted and we are all bricking it for Turin!

 

Many people are saying "stop Pirlo and you stop Juve". Many teams have tried to man mark Pirlo out of the game but he's a very clever player and he tends to drift towards the wing in order to allow Juve's other two playmakers (Bonucci and Vucinic) more space to dictate play in the middle of the pitch. Bonucci does have a tendency to move forward with the ball and misplace his pass occasionally, and that has led to a few goals conceded.

Juve will definitely buy another striker, but it won't be Drogba. It will either be Fernando Llorente or (more likely) a less glamorous name who will be a backup (someone like Boriello or Gabbiadini).

One more thing for those saying that Juve will look to sit deep at Celtic Park - - I think that it is unlikely to happen. I have never seen this Juve intentionally defend deep. They look to control the match through possession, both at home and away. The only teams to have a higher ball possession average than Juve last season were Barcelona and Bayern Munich, so Juve are clearly not a counter attacking team. That could easily play into Celtic's hands if you guys defend well and counter smartly.

 

Hey, I'm a Juventino and I figured I'd sneak into this forum to say hi.
I was so hoping Juve would draw Celtic in the next round since Celtic's always by far been my favourite British club.
Unlike Michel Platini I don't think Celtic is an easy opponent and I expect a tough match between two sides that are very willing to put up a good fight. By the way: Almost everybody in the Juve forums I frequent thinks Platini's statements were incredibly stupid. I suppose we might have the better team on paper but every team that's made it to the knock-out stages is there for a reason. It's going to be tough, that's for sure. Certainly tougher than our game vs Chelsea was.

So... uhh... why my love for Celtic you might wonder? I'm Italian-German and my favourite German side's always been Borussia Dortmund. I fondly remember the BVB-Celtic clashes back in the days. And I was gutted when Paul Lambert left Dortmund for Celtic.
Oh, well... unlike Stefan Klos he at least went on to play for the right Glasgow side!

Anyway, I've been following Celtic whenever possible and I'm so glad we get the chance to play you guys in an advanced stage of the Champions League.

It's just a shame it's not the final. You guys would've liked that, Juve just keeps losing CL finals again and again.

 

Nice post. Welcome to the forum

 

I know mate but the way I see it is Pirlo is the fulcrum of Juventus like Xavi is for Barcelona. If you manage to upset that play then you have a chance of winning, it's not man-marking him. It's just stopping him being part of the possesion play.

It doesn't mean the other players aren't good or dangerous themselves, it's just that they need to adapt to a player who controls things for them not being in the game, again like we done with Xavi who plays a very similar position for Barcelona to the one Pirlo plays for Juventus.

We will defend and counter, play with 2 upfront though...

 

looking forward for this match.

I wish I could attend at Celtic Park, but impossible.
I wish at Juventus Stadium too......but impossible as well.

 

Fair play to you and welcome. It's always a pleasure when a so polite and friendly rival supporter as yourself joins the forum.

 

Wanyama, 1st min, Bang!! Arrivederci Andrea...

 

Oh yeah, absolutely, Pirlo is clearly our best player and stopping him is vital for Celtic. I just wanted to give some tactical insight into how Juve try to adapt to teams trying to contain Pirlo. Namely by pushing Bonucci (who is a very good passer but prone to the odd mistake) forward with the ball in a manner reminiscent of the way old-school liberos like Beckenbauer, Matthaus and Scirea used to do.

 

Hypothetically if we do stop Pirlo and force Bonucci forward, that would surly work in our favor counter attacking?

 

Boot es baws!

 

Mate you can * right off with talk like that... No one but us thought we'd even manage to get 3rd in the group let alone progress. You are expected to win this tie, we're not.. If we win, you lot will have to walk away with your tail between your legs and a red face, If you win we'll be able to walk away with our heads high and a lot of respect from the entire footballing world.... I know what position I'd rather be in.


We're the best fans in the world for a reason... We'll show you how to really support a team when you come to Glasgow, no matter if we win or lose.

 

Remind me what position Barca are in the best league in the world... :bbpd:

 

Really interesting post, mate. Just on that last bit, though: I wasn't saying it's what you'd do; I was saying it's what I'd do if I were you due to our strengths and weaknesses and that that worried me. I really respect that you play to your own strengths rather than the opposition's weaknesses.