Bodo huddled up to meditate as Hoops long for a lie down
Arctic Circle troops turn up heat on Ange’s Bhoys
THE Bodo/Glimt squad held meditation sessions to prepare for Parkhead.
Now it’s Celtic who will need to spend some time in a dark room after the Norwegians left Hoops’ heads spinning.
Kjetil Knutsen has a few tricks up his sleeve to get the best out of his side and had his players sit in silence like Buddhist monks while crowd noise was pumped in to get them ready for Celtic Park’s wall of noise.
It turns out it only took a few goals to silence the place.
And they were clearly right at home by the start of the second half when they upset the locals with a huddle.
The team from the Arctic Circle were cool as Celts got all hot and bothered, now needing to turn up the heat in the frozen north.
Bodo weren’t quite mesmerising but they did play like men possessed. It was incredible from a side who hadn’t kicked a ball in anger since December.
A couple of friendly games in Spain was hardly ideal prep, especially when Celtic have been in spellbinding form since the turn of the year.
The Hoops should have been on a higher plane but the slick passing and ruthless finishing in the final third were replaced with snatching and stuttering.
It didn’t help that Glimt did more pressing than Maw Broon’s iron. Celts like to work quickly but it’s a different story when you’re rushed.
Ange Postecoglou had talked up his side’s chances of winning the Europa Conference League but it will take the power of positive thinking to get anyone believing this can be turned around in Norway.
Postecoglou isn’t the first to be given plenty to ponder by this outfit.
Roma boss Jose Mourinho was also left in a daze after his side were battered 6-1 in the Arctic Circle.
Talk in Norway was Jose was a bit blase going to the frozen north. But if he took Bodo lightly, then he clearly hadn’t done his homework.
Knutsen’s squad got pillaged after his first title but he went out and did it again the following year.
Sure enough, his top talents were pinched once more last month but the thing about this Bodo team is they are a team – it’s not about individuals.
Bodo came to Glasgow with the vow of meeting fire with fire, not that there were any naked flames allowed in these parts.
The Green Brigade were back in on the strict instruction the fireworks were left to the players on the pitch.
As usual, Celtic went off at the first whistle like a rocket, only they were quickly left fizzing.
Any notion Bodo were undercooked went right out of the window when Runar Espejord slid in to space and smartly stuck the ball in the net.
Postecoglou admitted there were similarities between the two sides when it came to attacking attitudes.
It must have felt like looking in the mirror for Celts as both outfits went hell for leather.
It was end to end at times before the home side eventually settled to dominate. But they struggled to get in behind and there seemed a constant threat of getting picked off on the break.
Postecoglou went all guns blazing with Tom Rogic and Matt O’Riley either side of Callum McGregor in midfield. But even early on, it looked like one luxury too many.
Celtic couldn’t win enough of the ball high enough up the pitch to get into attacking positions. And when Bodo got beyond them it left the Hoops wide open on the counter.
Exhibit B arrived 10 minutes after the break when the Parkhead side were left in a trance again.
Daizen Maeda’s goal should have provided some clear thinking after a ton of attackers were thrown on.
But another dip in concentration has left Postecoglou and his side requiring some quiet contemplation ahead of the trip to Norway.