The final league game of the season had plenty at stake for Celtic with modern invincibility in sight. Celtic once lost a single league game and still finished second, under Tommy Burns, but there was to be no such heartache this season. Commendably Hearts showed signs of improvement under new coach Cathro, defending deep and … [continue reading]
Archives for May 2017
Celtic 2 Aberdeen 1, Scottish FA Cup Final by numbers
Celtic completed their 48th domestic match unbeaten, 47 this season, meaning all three domestic trophies were secured for the first time since Martin O’Neill’s side of 2000/01. The club claimed the Scottish FA Cup for a record 38th time. An unbeaten treble is surely unreachable as a record Scottish season. In a week when the … [continue reading]
Between Rock, Paper, Scissors and a Hard Place
In his excellent book, Inverting the Pyramid, Jonathan Wilson explains the evolution of football tactics. Today, there is very little new from an innovation perspective at the macro level (i.e. new formations or approaches), rather coaches try to find a) weaknesses in the opposition to exploit or b) devise ways to ensure your own better … [continue reading]
Aberdeen 1 Celtic 3, by numbers
Celtic played 3 games in one match in beating Aberdeen 3-1 on Friday night football in the harr of Pittodrie. For the first 10 minutes, Celtic blew the Dons away to streak into a clinical 3-0 lead. The Dons responded immediately after the 3rd goal, and in the next 60 minutes attempted their version of … [continue reading]
Partick Thistle 0 Celtic 5, by numbers
On a beautiful evening upon a perfect and voluminous playing surface, Celtic edged closer to the invincible domestic season with a 5-0 demolition of a Partick Thistle side who have done wonders to make the top 6, but appeared to have the sun screen on. Celtic started well, creating 6 shooting opportunities before Roberts lured … [continue reading]
Celtic 4 St Johnstone 1, by numbers
Celtic found their way past St Johnstone with four second half goals. An entertaining display saw several early openings as Rogic found space between the defensive and midfield lines. Once St Johnstone adapted their shape to a 4-5-1, closing off this area, chances dried up as the first half wore on. Celtic attempted 11 shots … [continue reading]
The Rangers 1 Celtic 5, by numbers
Despite Celtic winning four and drawing one, dominating all meetings with The Rangers since their arrival in the Premier Division, there remained a feeling of unfinished business. Even after the Scottish Cup semi-final, there was chatter of Celtic being an average team. But as I pointed out on Twitter and illustrated on Celtic By Numbers … [continue reading]
Shooting Stars
Top U21 Scorers I revisited the comparison of Celtic wide attackers in Give Me More Wings. This analysis was refreshed thanks to Tiago Estêvão? (please follow him on Twitter @TiagoEstv). Tiago has now come up with an analysis of the top 3 Under 21 goal scorers in each of the top 6 European Leagues (plus … [continue reading]