Keep the faith

 

Keep the faith

Former UK Prime Minister Harold Wilson is credited with saying that ‘A week is a long time in Politics.’ Much can change in a week in the world of football too and the past week has witnessed Celtic playing three games without recording a win. Those bald statistics may accurately inform us that Celtic are lacking in certain areas of the team at the moment but equally they disguise that fact that for periods of all three games Celtic looked as if they could record a positive result.

The Europa league match against AC Milan was one of those games in which you sensed the side was nervous and uncomfortable at the start. Whether that is down to confidence or formation is a point of conjecture but the introduction of creativity in the shape of Tom Rogic and Ryan Christie seemed to stir the team to a much more effective second half display and they game the Italians a tough time before being suckered in the final minutes. The result didn’t reflect the balance of play but a telling statistic is that AC Milan’s last two shots on goal in the 42^nd and 92^nd minutes were both goals. When the chances come along at this level they have to be taken. Celtic had 13 shots at goal in the match with just two on target. Milan had 6 with 3 of them on target and finding the net.

At Pittodrie last weekend defensive errors gifted Aberdeen two penalties and gave them a point their robust play on a wild windy day probably deserved but to lose a goal deep into injury time suggests Celtic have difficulty closing out games at the moment. To see Celtic streaming forward in the dying moments of a match they were already leading in had me shouting at the TV. Games need to be managed at that stage. I’m not suggesting breaking up the play with treatment for feigned injuries or sending on substitutes with a minute to go but don’t commit too many players to attack when the game is in the bag; shut the back door!

So Celtic then flew to France to face a Lille side sitting joint top of their league and in sparkling form. This was always going to be a very tough fixture and few Celtic supporters expected otherwise. The team’s performance in the first half was one of the best from a Celtic side away from home in Europe in recent times and the score line did not flatter them. Indeed there were chances to add to the 2-0 lead Celtic had. Again defensive errors hurt Celtic as Duffy gave away a needless penalty with a clumsy tackle only to see Scott Bain bail the team out with a good save.  Lille’s second half onslaught was expected and for the most part Celtic defended well with Laxalt looking very impressive. The Hoops though were undone from a set play when they failed to clear a cross and the ball broke to an unmarked player at the back post who bundled it home. The equaliser also came from a cross which was allowed to bounce around the box before a deflected shot  hit the net. For all their huffing and puffing Lille never cut Celtic open but with defensive errors like that they didn’t need to. The excellent Elyounoussi could have restored Celtic’s lead immediately but delayed the shot and was crowded out and Celtic had to settle for the draw.

In normal circumstances a score draw away to a team at the top of the French league would be seen as a good result but needless to say elements of the Scottish media portrayed it as a bad night. This chipping away at Celtic’s confidence by some in the printed media is fairly transparent and expected,  but what is more surprising is the way some of Celtic own followers use social media to berate the team. Personal attacks on the manager and calls for his sacking following a spell of games without a win is counter-productive. Of course supporters are entitled to have opinions on the team and no one should be immune from criticism regarding its performances but some of the personal abuse online of late has been way over the top.

For a minority, weaned on unbroken success in recent years, it smacks of the sort of hubris and entitlement mentality we saw in the Murray years at Ibrox. There is no divine right to win and every team goes through rough patches in a season. Celtic are clearly missing a top class goalkeeper in Fraser Forster who decided to leave and sit on Southampton’s bench and Barkas as yet has failed to look anything other than ordinary. He deserves time after coming to a new country in these strange times and having to settle in and learn about how the game is played in Scotland. More importantly though, a clutch of other their top players have been missing from the side in recent games. Edouard, Forrest, Elhamed, Christie and Jullien would be a big loss to any side. Add to that the fact that Celtic’s symbiotic relationship with their fans isn’t there this season due to Covid 19 and it’s clear they do miss their backing.

Only a fool would fail to accept that Rangers are developing into a decent team with a defined shape and fighting spirit. Perhaps some of the reaction to Celtic’s recent problems among hoops fans is based on the knowledge that they may not collapse like a pack of cards as they did in early 2020. A club with their budget wasn’t likely to stay in the doldrums forever and that challenge must now be met. This season being historically important because of the possibility of the ‘Ten’ is adding to the tension some are feeling. No one wants to blow this historic opportunity but the prizes are given out in May not October. Let Celtic get their top team on the park, sort out the defence and formation issues and they will demonstrate why they have dominated the Scottish game for so long.

 Celtic proved in that first half in Lille and the second half against Milan that if they play with confidence, a high tempo and crucially in a formation they find comfortable then they are a good team. If they can produce that form for 90 minutes then someone will be due a spanking. Injured players are drifting back and the squad will be back to near full strength soon. Tomorrow’s cup semi-final with Aberdeen is the first opportunity to demonstrate that Celtic remain a team to be reckoned with in Scotland. The opportunity for a fourth consecutive treble is there to be grasped and Celtic should take it.

I’ve watched Celtic now for literally decades and each season has its own narrative. This one will have many twists and turns yet before it is settled. No one can tell what damage the ongoing pandemic will do to this season but hopefully it will be played to a finish. I still remain confident that Celtic has the best squad in the country and as the winter progresses and fixtures and injuries pile up: that fact will be important.

Keep the faith; there is a long way to go. I remain confident that when the prizes are given out the Glasgow Celtic will be there.