Anyone in the Etims Kultured CSC who has seen the Sky Arts “Portrait Artist of the Year” show will be have seen the reaction of the celebs when the artists turn their easels around to show their finished portraits. Without fail, the celebs sit there wide eyed, drop their jaw in shock and slowly whisper one word…”WOW!”
That “WOW!” was the reaction last night, although rather than a slow whisper, it was a loud constant roar from a watching Celtic crowd in Paradise and no doubt all Celts all over the world were reacting the same when Callum “One of our own” MacGregor marked his 150th appearance with a rifling right foot strike into the roof of the Zenit keepers net.
What a night.
What a performance.
This was Fortress Parkhead once more. Lest we forget, for all the “Och they are in a winter break!” excuses for Zenit, they had a £20m player on the park and were also the highest scorers in the group stages on this competition. Last night they had one shot which Dora the Explorer swiped away whilst lying on the deck smoking a cigar and sipping a cocktail( Are you sure about this? – Ed)
Hands up, I thought we would struggle. I didn’t see how we would raise our game enough from recent performances and feared that if Zenit turned up, we could be played off the park. I couldn’t have been more wrong. With a line-up surprise with Kouassi and MacGregor starting and a formation change of a diamond in the middle, Brendan had his side lined up perfectly and picked the perfect personnel to execute the winning game plan.
This was the Celtic we loved from last season and showed how a manager can influence players. We had plenty of changes to our accustomed stars of 2017 season.. starters included De Vries, Ajer, Kouassi, Ntcham ( and Musonda and Odsonne as subs of course) but the play was sensational and the pressing, harrying, passing, composure and drive were all perfect and a tribute to the work done at Lennoxtown.
Time for some ratings..
De Vries
One great save with his feet and then a masterclass in passing the ball from the keeper. Already had a chat with a colleague today who said “I thought Dembele was amazing winning every ball!” and I then pointed out how De Vries was the guy placing the ball perfectly onto Dembeles chest or head, often under pressure from a Zenit forward no less. Hopefully this performance will renew confidence in the keeper with the Celtic doubters. 8/10
Tierney
A wonderful first half saw our young left back rampage up and down the park. Tierney was turning the Zenit right back in and out and would then whizz the ball across goal hoping for a Celtic toe to get on the end. A more composed second half as Zenit tried to retain the ball more and had one “lost man” moment but a great showing overall 8/10
Lustig
Often derided by many but again showed his class and composure last night. Kept the ball moving and made himself available when needed. Fed the ball to broony, Kouassi and Forrest where possible and had a great double sliding tackle in the second half to remind Zenit there was no way through the Celtic back line. 7/10
Jozo
Solid at the back when defending but had 2 bombscare moments when passing the ball directly to a Zenit player on the half way line. Alls well that ends well and his marshalling at the back helped ensure we kept a clean sheet. 7/10
Ajer
Cometh the hour, cometh the man, cometh the bhoy. Outstanding performance from the lad who should be the future of the Celtic defence. Composed on the ball and ready to bring it forward into midfield, Ajer also got stuck in with a great tackle and remonstration down in the bottom left corner that reminded me of a Johann Mjallby in his day. He even made the initial tackle for the move that led to the goal too. 9/10
Kouassi
I thought he was looking a little lost positionally in the first half, especially tracking back as often found himself standing next to James Forrest when it seemed he should have been across the park a little more. Overall though he was great, putting in robust tackles and as game went on he just grew and grew into the game. Great to see another young guy demanding the ball from centre backs allowing Scott Brown a rest from such duties. Has really reinforced his chances of getting a lot more gametime as we head into seasons end. 8/10
Forrest
Hugged the right touch line and had a few good runs, one in particularly will still be causing the Zenit players nightmares after being twisted in and out within his own 18 yard line. A few shots on goal and worked hard all night, helping to cover down the right hand side when needed. 7/10
Broony
What can you say? When Broony plays, Celtic play and bhoy did he play last night. A masterclass in twisting, turning, passing, teasing opposition and being in the right place at the right time. Helped cover the defence as well as pulling strings in the middle, amazing to watch. 9/10
Ntcham
Everyone remembers big Victor Wanyama and his strength, I reckon even big Vic would struggle to get the ball of Olivier Ntcham. The guys ability to turn or shoulder through tackles, often 2 opponents at a time is amazing and he had a great game last night even if his set pieces were disappointing. His drive and intelligence are brilliant to watch and along with Broony he can help bring Kouassi on and what a midfield combination we could be looking at then. 8/10
Dembele
Playing as the solo striker looked like a forlorn task before the game. Dembele just said “bring it on” and played a blinder. Often holding of 2 defenders, he won almost every ball and brought his team mates into the game and helped make the goal. Still coming back to full fitness by the looks of it but he will soon be firing goals home for sure. Scott MacDonald on Sportsound was singing his praises loudly after the game and he knows what it takes to be a decent Celtic forward on a European night. 8/10
MacGregor
Lets save the best till last. A truly outstanding performance, especially in the first half by the guy making his 150th appearance. What a way to celebrate that achievement, and with his right foot, “I thought he used that to stand on” said a celtic team mate. Callum ran, harried, dribbled and passed impeccably in the first half and then in the second chased and drove forward whenever possible, resulting in being in the exact position needed when wee Charly sent the lob pass over. Wonderful finish and a credit to a guy who is a credit to Celtic and never complains, sulks, hides or disappoints even when finding himself on rotation. 10/10
Subs
Musonda
“pass it ya greedy bastard!” was the cry behind me as wee Charly went on that wavy run that would set up the goal. Amazing feet and vision and will only get better. The way he celebrated the goal was as much a joy to watch as his performance, good times are ahead for all concerned and “Theres no better place for him to be right now!” was Glenn Hoddles perfect summation of wee Charly and Celtics loan love-in. 7/10
Odsonne
On for 10 minutes for Dembele ( booked for the slowest walk off ever) and ran and ran and also held the ball up well. Did enough to merit a start at the weekend with Dembele possible rested / protected for next weeks return leg in Russia. 6/10
Manager
This was the best Celtic performance I have seen from a Rodgers side. I don’t care about the opposition for the execution and tactics were truly a joy to watch and admire. Everyone of the players knew their role and executed it perfectly with Brendan giving constant guidance on the sidelines. The tactics were spot on and chances were made, Zenit were nullified and Celtic dominated at home which is exactly what we expect and love. Every fan watching may have a sore neck after a night of nodding in appreciation at Rodgers sides performance and its all credit to the manager and his team for a clinical professional showing.
The run to celebrate the goal was a joy too. 10/10
The Fans
What a night and what a showing from the Celtic fans. A great Walk On, a magic Russki style Tifo from the Green brigade, Song after song, Player shout out after player shout out. Standing ovations for half time, substitutions and full time, and the celebrations for the goal was only beaten by a great “in the heat of Lisbon” which lit up the stadium and seemed to spur the side on even more. Brilliant all round. 10/10
Here is how the world see us on such nights…
Agreed. A great performance from all the Bhoys.
Hail,Hail
A perfect summation of last night. HH☘️☘️
Suddenly the tactics changed, instead of the back sea wave, tippy tappy oot, Doris would hoof the ball up the park, usually to the big man in the hoops. He would hold it up and bring in the midfielders, as well as coming back to defend. Suddenly in Europe, players would show for the ball, ask for it, demand it and fuck me, (no Dinny) pass it to another Celtic player. Wave after wave of one way traffic. Suddenly, the Russians were coming, backwards and they were the ones who looked nervous not us. Last night was one of those defining moments, we all felt it, a turning point for the manager, the players and the support. Bhoy did it feel good. Good summary, a job well done.
S.C. (Stevie Chalmers).
Excellent, Mike, really well put.
Hope all’s well in Bonnie.
HH
Yes Tic Toc all good here in the City of Discovery and the new V.@ A. museum scabby name but lovely building. R.S. (Ronnie Simpson).
Very fair ratings. I thought Moussa was superb last night, the big lad has been getting a torrid time from all angles and in my opinion he bullied the Zenit CH’s. Defensively, the cocentration was far better. As for ourselves as fans, we’re unrivalled on these big nights. I always joke with my mates and call CP the EmotionArena as it’s very palpable what washes from the stands, it’s raw, unadulterated emotion and has transference to the team as has been shown over and over again. This it what it means to be Celtic. I hope the result restores confidence in the team and we start blowing the rest away.
On the money with this blog,Desi.
Yes,doom and gloom was how most felt before the game.As you said previous,’hope’ was all we could cling on to.
Well,Brendan came up trumps,with his team selection,tactics,motivation…the lot.
A top class Manager,we are lucky to have him.HH
Delighted we got a well deserved result last night but let’s not get carried away only half time in the tie. I’m confident we can score over there so if we dare to be looking ahead there’s a hell of a lot of great sides left but let’s have a go bhoys Hail! Hail! MG Eire
i am so sorry I did not come over for this game now. even on the telly, it was awesome.
when in the heat of Lisbon came on, it was nearly unbearable and its no coincidence we scored not long afterwards.
Good result for Celtic and handy concerning co-efficient.Really good team performance against a team,who let’s be honest,were well off the pace.A bit like us when we have to go through the qualifiers after the summer break.Was hoping that would/will be the case for next week as well.Could I just say,what a goal! As for the ref,absolute garbage,weakness personified…….
Spot on with every word Desi!
I had a tech nightmare yesterday here in North Carolina, Satellite went wonky and wouldn’t show the game then half an hour before kick off the internet went tits up.
A quick call to work to say a ‘personal situation’ had come up and I needed a couple hours off and then a bolt down to the local Starbucks to hook up to their internet.
The only thing I could find was a 4 inch square stream with 2 Mexicans commentating in Spanish.
Cometh the minute, cometh the tears, ‘In the heat of Lisbon’ always chokes me up a little, but yesterday was just extra special.
There was me in the corner of a Starbucks in the middle of NC, with headphones on, wearing the hoops, listening to 2 Mexicans, aware that the girl sitting opposite was wondering what the fuck was going on with the old bald guy sitting grinning while looking a little glassy eyed.
And when we scored….GOOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLLL….MAAAAGREGOOOOOOOOOOOR….Just Magic!!
This is exactly what I was talking about earlier in the thread. Celtic fc leaves it’s mark on you and you never, ever shake it off. That’s some amount of running about, Sammy. Fair play mate.
What a comment, what a mhan, Sammy! Brilliant, Pal.
It’s very likely most of us who’ve left Caledonia’s shores have wee stories about how we fought (and won) our right to watch and support the Celtic. Your wee story’s a belter and hope to hear more.
HH
Points well made Dessi, agree with Mike they mixed it up more some passing out, some hoofs to Dembelle. Boy did he bully their centre backs, Ntcham probably my mom.
Could the ‘old way’ be the “new way” forward for us in Europe ? Has Brendan become more pragmatic and realised that toe to toe with some of Europe’s best and most expensive teams just wasn’t going to work ot if we had been full strength would we have stuck with the plan ? If this works, a mixture of both,
,then we could win through here. Good footballing teams do lose and so do those with heart but if we can consistently combine the two ?
Desi, that’s a lovely, heart-felt, uplifting piece of writing by a Tim for the benefit of us all. WELL DONE, PAL.
The inclusion of the French journo’s statement brought a tear of joy to my eye, as it was only based on his TRUE evaluation of our world-class supporters. I can’t copy and paste it, so I’ll just savour each letter as I reproduce it here. I hope you don’t mind.
TicToc
HH
“If you want to know what a real football audience looks like, take a look and an ear at what’s happening at Celtic Park right now.”
Poetry; sheer, unadulterated, beautiful poetry, Desi.
10 out of 10 for your adulation of the Bhoys and your evident love of our supporters. Real class.
HH
Absolutely spot on with those ratings. We happen to have done very well against Russian oppostion in Europe btw, getting the better of both Dynamo and Spartak in recent years. Maybe their style of football suits us? Their winter break must be the main reason for Zenit underperforming and obviously we can expect a far harder game on their patch next Thursday. We’re in with a great chance though!
J.H. (Big Yogi)
Perhaps playing at their equivalent of 11 pm was a factor too?
Good point.
Boyata 1
Great to read this and all the comments. Gives you a wee glow. I thought the difference was the link up between defence and midfield, with Ntcham , Kouassi, Mc Gregor and Broony dropping deep and looking for a pass. Dora the Explorer is also great at finding a man. There was none of the pass along the back rubbish. Really encouraging performance, and tactical know how from The Bhoys and Brendan. HH
What happened to the gloom, doom and despondency of the previous couple of weeks? Wasn’t the manager being found out, the players not happy, the world was about to end and the 4 horsemen were galloping up Kerrydale Street.
Had my doubts about McGregor at the start but I was never happier to be wrong! Great performance from the Bhoys.
Desi,
Great read. Comment to follow.
H H
Desi,
I love your piece and every word is right on the button. The team played very well and the management got the tactics more or less spot on. The fans rebuilt the fortifications of Celtic Park and it truly was like “one of those nights” of old.
However, I hope, without dampening any ongoing celebrations or minimising the achievement of Thursday evening, we are all coming back to earth at some time before 3pm tomorrow. Sadly, and if we are honest with ourselves, the team and the manager have failed to be consistent all season and I am once again becoming wary about what team will show up against St. Johnstone and, more worryingly, against Zenit next Thursday. I believe we have the players to win every domestic game and go a fair distance in Europe but, for some reason or another, those players fail to produce anywhere near the same standard of football from game to game e.g. Dembele, Sinclair and some defenders among others. This has bothered me this season. I am especially concerned we revert to “keeping the ball” from side to side again. Thursday night proved the adage that defence starts the forwards and finishes with making sure you clear your lines. It is just as much about putting pressure on the opposition defence as our own defenders holding them off. Few, if any defences, can withstand a constant barrage as was clearly exemplified on Thursday. In the end, at least one crack will appear. So, come tomorrow, it should be pretty much the same again and next Thursday, we must continue our pressing game while being that bit more circumspect in the middle and at the back. But that does not mean pity-patty across the pitch – frightening stuff and the cause of many a blunder this season. On Thursday night, on several occasions, Zenit proved to be a perfect example of how this “passing the ball out of defence” can be a very dangerous pitfall. Brendan Rodgers needs to become savvier about this. It may look nice and professional but, as we have seen far too often this season, when deployed as an absolute, it is downright boring to watch and totally self-destructive when it fails. Maybe that is why so many see our defenders as being the weak links in the team. But what about forwards who fail to score? The old brilliant Brazilians used to say they did not worry about goals against as long as they scored at least one more. Now, they were not a bad lot, if I remember correctly. Our own great Jock always maintained the best line of defence is attack. That dose mean being reckless or “Light Brigade”. It means protecting your defence from the front and not simply waiting till the ball comes your way. It means having a goal-wards focus even when playing safe. We have seen it ourselves when our forwards cannot get hold of the ball because the opposition forwards are putting our defence under so much pressure they cannot get the ball up the park. Enough said. You can all see it week in, week out yet, on Thursday, there were more long balls than I can remember all season and young Dembele, an enigma so far this season, did not badly making the most of them as did the substitute Eduard. Did anyone spot the difference? Variation is at the heart of confusion.
I am not trying to put a dampener on what you have written, Desi. Every word is spot on. Perhaps, in my old age, I have learned to control my exuberance a little more after just one good result. On the other hand, maybe I simply cannot cope as well with the constant highs and lows. Of course, it may well be I am just a grouchy old fart. However, I would hope I am actually a realist who does not get too carried away in the moment for, in the overall picture, that is all that Thursday night was. The proof of what it really means comes in the next few games.
But, hey, enjoy the “moment, guys. I did as much as anyone, despite my current reflections.
H H
PBhoy,good read,nicely balanced,totally sensible(except the grouchy bit) piece.Hopefully,the team will kick on from here on in.KTF
P.S.How many times are Aberdeen(move on)going to be beaten in important games?Why is McInnes not questioned about obvious frailties?
Celtic will need to be at there very best for the return leg in the beautiful city of Saint Petersburg. Expect to see the same team barring any injuries (No Thanks) in todays game.
Broony will be well rested and the teams confidence high, they played exceptionally well in the home tie and raised the bar well above our expectations. The roles were reversed against Zenit when THEY were the ones playing tippy tappy oot and paid the price for this daft tactic. Variation oot is the name of the game, caus. opposition teams know how to counter it. They Zenit will be apprehensive knowing that Celtic can be a very potent force when we play well, lets hope that the team raise there game, again.
COYBIG in Saint Petersburg, score just score Celtic. S.C. (Stevie Chalmers).