Early exit on cards unless Celts conjure up new aces
OPENING night of his new job. And Ange Postecoglou must already feel as if he’s being asked to tap dance in a pair of diver’s boots.
Give ’em the ol’ razzle dazzle? Kind of tricky when you’re being dragged down by so much dead weight. And getting such little support from the producers holding the purse strings.
Honestly, if all coaches will have moments when they feel overworked, undervalued and inadequately supported by the men upstairs, it’s rare for such disillusionment to creep in quite so early in the relationship.
Let down by a stand-in centrehalf jabbing his finger in the face of an opponent and a goalkeeper actually pulling his hands away from an effort on goal, the new Celtic gaffer’s first competitive match should really have ended in a crucial Champions League win that set the tone for a season of — they hope — rebirth.
Yet the club’s gamble to head into the new season without signing an experienced, established and capable centrehalf was ultimately exposed as a folly. Yes, another one. You might say they’ve got form on this front.
Add in the price still being paid for recent recruitment blunders, not least in the acquisition of a goalkeeper who consistently gives up goals in pressure situations, and the Parkhead side look anything but ready for the challenges ahead.
No offence to central defender Stephen Welsh, who possibly made more well-timed tackles and interceptions last night than he did in all of last season.
But it was his rash challenge that gave away the free-kick which, thanks to Vasilis Barkas inexplicably and deliberately avoiding the ball, led to the concession of a killer equaliser.
Nor would anyone deny that young sub Dane Murray did a manful job once thrown into the fray of a blood-and-thunder encounter that saw players from both teams require medical attention for ugly — but accidental — blows to the head.
But the fact that the obvious replacement for red-carded Nir Bitton — a midfielder deployed in defence — was such a callow youth says everything about Celtic’s depth in that particular position.
Still, it’s not as if it’s been a problem area for a long time or anything…
For a manager who was something of a hard sell to supporters, despite the rapturous reception he was afforded by fans who want to believe in him, this was a distinctly odd sort of night.
On the one hand, you only get one chance to make a first impression. Then again, there isn’t a Celtic supporter on the planet unaware of the backing — or lack thereof — afforded their new boss.
The man himself has been anything but subtle in expressing his unease over the pace of activity on the transfer front.
Fans were entitled to note the match-day sale of Kris Ajer and conclude that, when it comes to players leaving, the Celtic board don’t hang around. Why should it take so long, then, to get players in?
These arguments are guaranteed to dominate the agenda between now and next week’s second leg in Denmark.
Should this team fall out of the Champions League for want of a new centre-half, the punters won’t be blaming the boss. A man who might actually have enhanced his reputation with some of what we saw last night.
People who have worked with him talk glowingly about not just his man-management, but his attention to tactical detail.
Rotations are a big part of what he wants his team to do. Whether that involves full-backs stepping into midfield in a Man City style, a midfielder dropping between the centre-backs or the front men swapping in and out of channels, it’s designed to make his team difficult to read.
And it makes sense, as a theory. In this age of ultra-effective, welldrilled and heavily-coached ten-man defensive blocks, everybody’s looking for an antidote.
There were certainly some very bold strokes about his team last night. And for ‘bold’ read ‘terrifying’.
When his team had 11 men on the park, though, we could all see glimpses of what might be, with Turnbull, McGregor, Soro, Christie and goalscorer Liel Abada all catching the eye.
But Bitton’s moment of idiocy robbed Celtic of momentum and, if the numbers were evened up by Anders Dreyer seeing red for two acts of simulation, the rhythm had been disrupted by Postecoglou taking off Abada after the red card.
Then came the intervention of Barkas. A goalkeeper who has never convinced.
Just nine days on from the Euro 2020 final, last night’s eliminator in Glasgow was a game of sufficient incident, drama, controversy and quality to satisfy the needs of any suffering withdrawal symptoms.
Once the mayhem subsided and the proper analysis began, however, it was impossible to escape the feeling that this Celtic team will not go very far. Not with these players. Not without serious reinforcement.
Over to the board, then. Give the new man, someone who has waited a long time to reach the big stage of European football, a chance to shine.