OLD FIRM MASTERCLASS BODES WELL FOR MADRID CLASH
You can talk all you like about tactics and systems.
But, if a set of highly-talented individuals have minds working as fast as their feet and their opponents won’t or can’t react, you can set them up any way you want.
Celtic’s outstanding unit had brains as lightning as their blurring boots.
For the second time this year, Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s dozers sleepwalked into Parkhead and Postecoglou’s wide-awake magicians ruthlessly gave them nightmares.
The Aussie’s boys are simply irresistible at the moment and that’s because rivals can’t cope in either their legs or their heads.
Celtic are taking teams apart before they’ve even noticed.
They are now unbeaten in 38 Premiership games. That’s a full season of league matches and you’d need some eyesight to see who in Scotland is going to bring them down anytime soon.
Celtic’s first Champions League assignment is against Real Madrid tomorrow night and they could hardly be in better shape.
Postecoglou says he wants them to go at the Spanish superstars and, if they are to go down to the European champions, they will do so swinging.
Obviously, Real are on a separate footballing planet to Rangers, but the hosts are brimming with belief with all departments working.
Slotted
The backline has lost just two goals in seven games. Carl Starfelt’s injury departure was a blow, yet Moritz Jenz slotted neatly in beside Cameron Carter Vickers, who was immense again. So, too, were full-backs Josip Juranovic and Greg Taylor.
Karim Benzema andVinicius
Jnr are different world to Antonio Colak, Kent or Malik Tillman, but they look strong.
Lundstram and Steven Davis are hardly Luca Madric and Toni Kroos. Nonetheless, McGregor, Hatate and O’Riley will relish it and the attackers are in the mood.
Abada and Jota ripped Rangers apart and these boys look made for
Europe’s highest stage.
Jota’s all-round game is outstanding and the cushioned touch on the run and impish dink for that second was the outstanding individual cameo of Celtic’s crushing success.
Abada’s numbers are staggering because he has that killer instinct to drive into areas where it hurts between the sticks. The 20-year-old’s inclusion was the big pre-game Postecoglou call and, as usual, the Aussie got it bang on.
There was a school of thought that Daizen Meada may get the nod to backtrack against Tavernier.
But Postecoglou doesn’t pick teams with the opposition in mind.
Abada had tortured Borna
Barisic in February and he duly accepted the manager’s offer to do it again.
Tavernier was never a problem because Jota took him to the cleaners and not even the painful early loss of top-scorer Kyogo Furuhashi halted home momentum, which is just growing.
On the other hand,Van Bronckhorst goes back to his homeland to face Ajax with morale damaged and serious issues to resolve.
As much as his players were dozy, the boss made decisions which simply didn’t pay off.
Given the way Celtic scrambled their brains, it perhaps would not have mattered who he picked, but the evidence suggests the selection didn’t help.
Miles
Quite simply, the visitors were miles off it in every department. Jon McLaughlin’s gift fourth goal to David Turnbull summed them up. Indecisive, hesitant and weak.
Celtic, conversely, were right on it.
The levels of energy and cutting edge shown by Postecoglou’s troops may not be too much for streetwise and classy Real Madrid to handle. But, against a ropey and ragged Rangers, it was more than enough.
CELTIC: Hart, Juranovic, CarterVickers, Starfelt (Jenz 57), Taylor, O’Riley (Turnbull 72), McGregor, Hatate (Mooy 73), Abada (Maeda 73), Furuhashi (Giakoumakis 5), Jota. Not Used: Haksabanovic, Siegrist, Forrest, Ralston. RANGERS: McLaughlin, Tavernier, Goldson, Sands, Barisic, Davis, Lundstram (Jack 78), Tillman (Arfield 60), Kamara (Scott Wright 46), Kent (Sakala 78), Colak (Morelos 60). Not Used: Yilmaz, McGregor, King, Devine.
Referee: Nick Walsh