Under Rodgers, Celtic’s pressing effectiveness deteriorated season by season. With more emphasis on possession, or perhaps cumulative fatigue allied to the sheer number of games, it was less evident by season three. Lennon has reinvigorated Celtic’s press. Attacking Threat The starkest evidence is Passes Attempted Per Tackle (PAPT). Last season, Celtic’s opponents attempted 13.24 passes … [continue reading]
Lennon
The (Partial) Death of Possession Football
A supposedly harrowing week ended with two comprehensives away victories. Success in Stockholm secured European football until year end. Triumph at Ibrox opened up an early SPFL lead, and punctured a seriously inflated Scottish media balloon. All good for Lennon and his new look side, but attained in a manner the Celtic support have not … [continue reading]
Do Lennon’s Demands Suit Brown?
A strangely economical performance against Hearts on Sunday was the latest in the new season for captain Brown. I detailed his slow, graceful but inexorable regression in my end of season review Brown: Growing Old Gracefully. 898 minutes into the new season, what has changed? Defending Firstly, there is continual decline in the number of … [continue reading]
Is Signing Forster Necessary?
La Grand Muralla has returned to Celtic on a one-year loan deal – not official as I write but it looks like happening. What does Forster’s arrival mean for Bain and Gordon? Is it just injury cover, effectively replacing De Vries in the squad? Or are there grounds for Forster to push to take that … [continue reading]
Familiar Failings As Celtic Crash Out
Elimination from the Champions League will cast a long shadow over Celtic’s season. Much remains to play for, of course, but the errors here need to be openly discussed and avoided in future. I will say from the outset I have been a consistent critic of Celtic’s squad management over a number of seasons. This … [continue reading]
Does Griffiths Set Edouard Free?
Wednesday against Nomme Kalju may have been a glimpse into the way Lennon’s Celtic will play. Following the Rodgers 4-2-3-1 template to see out last season, we saw 4-4-2 and 4-4-1-1 in preseason. In reality, a lack of striking options has stymied any thoughts of two up front. But against the Estonians, both Edouard and … [continue reading]
Transfer Window Checkpoint
As a consistent critic of Celtic’s squad management over the last number of seasons, I wanted to take a check point on where we are now the 4th Summer signing, Abd Elhamed, is in the door. Operating Environment Firstly, Celtic operate in a unique place where they are a relatively affluent club from a non-Top … [continue reading]
Sarajevo Satisfaction
Moments of quality ultimately saw Celtic home and (not very) dry after a sticky tie in Sarajevo. The potential for disaster here was significant: Poor weather (heavy rain) A badly cut up pitch An opponent drilled in 4-5-1 medium block defensiveness And possessing set play competency Going a goal down Usual preseason injuries Usual preseason … [continue reading]
History On Lennon’s Side
We are in the Second Golden Era of Celtic European history. The late 1970’s, 1980’and 1990’s were, for the most part, desperate for the Hoops. But Group Stage football has become the norm. The 2019/20 European adventure starts tonight for Celtic. And in Lennon, they have a manager with a history of Champions League Qualification. … [continue reading]
Austerity? Or More Of The Same?
Will Lennon get transfer funds to strengthen the squad? I take a look at managerial trading since the end of the O’Neill era. I pick this benchmark as it saw the end of the strategy of a stellar first XI and then kids / cheap squad players to a more nuanced model of Moneyball trading, … [continue reading]