So far, so good for 3-5-2 system

Ithink we can safely say that the best time to face this Celtic team is after a draining Champions League match. Probably their two least convincing league performances have come after clashes with Barcelona and Manchester City.

First Inverness took a point off them, and then at the weekend Dundee were stubborn opponents for most of this game.

The fact it was a below-theirbest and perhaps mentally fatigued Celtic shouldn’t take away from the significant improvement in the Dark Blues that the two Pauls, Hartley and McGowan, were right to highlight.

Three at the back does appear to suit them.

Darren O’Dea, Kevin Gomis and Kevin Holt suffocated the space for the Hoops dangermen with the necessary endeavour and discipline.

And apart from the Scott Brown run that led to the goal, and a couple of others like it, a packed midfield did its job of protecting the rebuilt rearguard.

The next assignment is away to Hearts so this system should again be ideal for that one.

And the same could be said for St Johnstone at McDiarmid Park.

A different test of it, though, will be when Dundee are playing bottom-six teams who don’t keep three centre-backs busy with numbers forward.

But, for 3-5-2, it’s definitely a case of so far, so good.