The Offical Glasgow Celtic thread

[Declan]

While watching the game we  were actually discussing  at nil - one down  in the 2nd half  whether Celtic should accept the result  and drop back as Juventus would do likewise. Cavalier attacking by them killed the tie stone dead in the 1st leg.

+1-Naive in the extreme. A one nil deficit wouldn't have been a bad result

[Main Street]

However the cavalier attacking would have cut the mustard in the event of the centre halves doing their usual job.
And Commons on another night would have directed one of his shots the way he usually does.

Somewhat ironic that Juve's first goal was a nicely executed hoof ball

[Billys Boots]

While watching the game we  were actually discussing  at nil - one down  in the 2nd half  whether Celtic should accept the result  and drop back as Juventus would do likewise. Cavalier attacking by them killed the tie stone dead in the 1st leg.

+1-Naive in the extreme. A one nil deficit wouldn't have been a bad result

True, the pressure would have been on Juve to attack in Turin - now they'll sit back and defend in exactly the same way as last night.  Tie over.

[Harold Disgracey]

Hastily edited!

http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Alberto_Undiano_Mallenco&oldid=537936363

[Main Street]

While watching the game we  were actually discussing  at nil - one down  in the 2nd half  whether Celtic should accept the result  and drop back as Juventus would do likewise. Cavalier attacking by them killed the tie stone dead in the 1st leg.

+1-Naive in the extreme. A one nil deficit wouldn't have been a bad result

True, the pressure would have been on Juve to attack in Turin - now they'll sit back and defend in exactly the same way as last night.  Tie over.

I wouldn't regard Celtics' tactics on the night as naive in the extreme.
That's hindsight talking in the perspective of two awful defending errors by the CL standards of Celtic's defending.
A one nil victory to Juve would have been regarded by them as a very successful outcome and the tie already settled.

What other team apart from Norway in Drillo's prime of negative football, would come out and defend a one nil deficit in the home leg of a 2 leg tie?

[stew]

Steep  and harsh lesson for NL and his team.

While watching the game we  were actually discussing  at nil - one down  in the 2nd half  whether Celtic should accept the result  and drop back as Juventus would do likewise. Cavalier attacking by them killed the tie stone dead in the 1st leg.

Have to say I thought the Juventus defence were well entitled to battle the ground in front of the keeper at deadball situations and that the pundits etc were just being hysterical. From what I saw the defenders had the hands out/ palms wide open at all times and there was never going to be a penalty. The Celtic lads just got outmuscled/ outsmarted as the Italians obviously had their homework done.

Celtic are great to look at but I think their fortune favours the brave type luck just ran out.

You are talking about professional footballers here, they are not wired to take a one nil defeat, that would have been madness considering they were playing at home against a world powerhouse in Juventus.

Fortune favors the brave? they played Barca twice, beat them once and but for a last gasp goal by Messi they would have taken a point in Spain, that's not luck, (well maybe a wee bit) that was intelligent game management and absolute and total commitment to the jersey and the fans in the stands.

[T Fearon]

Just saw Celtic lose a Champions League tie in my presence for the first time ever at Celtic Park last night. The early goal was a real killer for both the team and the crowd sadly.Wouldn't blame Ambrose so much, okay he made a mistake, but really the pre Christmas Fraser Forster would have read the situation and moved quickly off his line to clear. I reckon Neil believed Ambrose when he said he was up for playing and probably reckoned his confidence would be sky high as well after Nigeria's success.

When Celtic upset the odds in these games its usually due to them not conceding anything in the first half and scoring the first goal themselves. The concession of a sloppy early goal last night was a real shame

[qubdub]

NL was nuts to play Ambrose, he's been away from the team for whatever length of time, just off a flight from South Africa that morning after winning the ACON, so I'm assuming hadn't even trained with the team in the lead up to the match. Also no doubt mentally and physically fatigued after playing in a different climate, timezone etc.

Hard to blame Lennon though, Celtic played fantastic positive football, big Samaras would have been good for an aerial threat, Hooper didn't look his best. The only player who played poorly was Ambrose and there were good reasons for that. Flattering scoreline for Juve, hopefully Celtic give a good account of themselves in the return leg in Turin.

ps the officiating was a joke re set plays, at one stage one of the Juve players hauled Brown to the ground and then threw himself to the ground straight after to make it look as if they were both at it! No class out of that lot.

[T Fearon]

Easy to be wise after the event, but Ambrose's pace would have been seen to be crucial against Juve, and I assume the medical staff would have checked him out and confirmed his fitness etc. Lennon saying himself it was just a mistake and commented that he showed no signs of fatigue and was sharp after the first goal. Pity the headed chance didnt fall onto the head of a striker!

Still a brilliant campaign, with both Barcelona and Juvenus coming to Glasgow on Champs League business when last August more than a few Celtic fans seriously doubted whether the team could even get into the Group stages.

[Canalman]

Steep  and harsh lesson for NL and his team.

While watching the game we  were actually discussing  at nil - one down  in the 2nd half  whether Celtic should accept the result  and drop back as Juventus would do likewise. Cavalier attacking by them killed the tie stone dead in the 1st leg.

Have to say I thought the Juventus defence were well entitled to battle the ground in front of the keeper at deadball situations and that the pundits etc were just being hysterical. From what I saw the defenders had the hands out/ palms wide open at all times and there was never going to be a penalty. The Celtic lads just got outmuscled/ outsmarted as the Italians obviously had their homework done.

Celtic are great to look at but I think their fortune favours the brave type luck just ran out.

You are talking about professional footballers here, they are not wired to take a one nil defeat, that would have been madness considering they were playing at home against a world powerhouse in Juventus.

Fortune favors the brave? they played Barca twice, beat them once and but for a last gasp goal by Messi they would have taken a point in Spain, that's not luck, (well maybe a wee bit) that was intelligent game management and absolute and total commitment to the jersey and the fans in the stands.

Stew,
1-0 down going to Turin after a nightmare start............. Celtic would imvho anyway have a good chance of progressing.
Instead we have a 3 goal deficit and the tie over.

Only said in my post what I , my mate and my brother were chatting amongst ourselves about with 20/25 mins or so to go. We all thought that NL would take off a striker and put on a midfielder but didn't happen.

We'll agree to disagree so.

[Main Street]

If Celtic were playing 2 strikers, Lennon would have been mauled if he replaced a striker for a midfielder with the score at 0-1 in the first home leg against a top Italian team.
Seeing as Celtic only had one striker, to replace him with another midfielder, with the score at 0-1, Lennon would have no place to hide, he'd even be thrown out of the confessional box.
At 0-1 the tie is already dead in the water if the game stays like that. To surrender to a 0-1 scoreline is already accepting that fate.

[camanchero]

Abrose is there for his pace. He is a tremendous athlete and covers off very well.
However, this was a mistake wating to happen as Ambrose and a few other Celtic starters all too often give the ball away needlessly through bad passing or poor control.
A lack of experience and a hugely different style of play (at a much higher technical level) doesnt help.
Celic playing week in week out in spl then have to metamorph into a side that competes with CL teams. thats not easy.

IMO Samaras missing was a disaster for the team. Hooper does not fit well into the lone striker of a counter attacking team. he has scored goals , but it a 18 yard box poacher more than a lone striker. A fit enough Stokes or Samaras the ideal candidate for that role.

Forster not as sharp yet as he was due to only just back from lengthy lay off from inj didnt help.
thought the Forster before Christmas would have saved the first and one of the other subsequent goals (cant rem which one).

The sooner Celtic get into the epl the better. Swansea have paved the way for this!
Even if they do have to start in lower divisions...

[T Fearon]

Easy to be wise after the event, but surely the obvious thing to do, after going a goal behind at an early stage at home in a Champions League tie is to go after it and try to level and then get a win, so that you dont absolutely need to score in the away tie?

Anyway I see Pirlo is not dismissing Celtic's chances. He remembers being in the AC Milan side that had a three nil lead against Liverpool in a Champions League final once upon a time!

[Main Street]

Abrose is there for his pace. He is a tremendous athlete and covers off very well.
However, this was a mistake wating to happen as Ambrose and a few other Celtic starters all too often give the ball away needlessly through bad passing or poor control.
A lack of experience and a hugely different style of play (at a much higher technical level) doesnt help.
Celic playing week in week out in spl then have to metamorph into a side that competes with CL teams. thats not easy.

I think Ambrose has been performing very well in the games that demand it,  CL qualifier/group games and the Africa Cup where he got on the team of the tournament. I'd say there is little doubt that the edge of the (poor)  split second decisions he made, was the effect of post tournament/travel/no recovery time  and not because he's prone to poor decision making in the big games.

His mistake for the 3rd goal,  turning into a clutter of Juve players around the edge of the box was the worst I've seen in Celtics' cl campaign, there's little doubt that by that stage of the game, his brains were mush.

[camanchero]

Abrose is there for his pace. He is a tremendous athlete and covers off very well.
However, this was a mistake wating to happen as Ambrose and a few other Celtic starters all too often give the ball away needlessly through bad passing or poor control.
A lack of experience and a hugely different style of play (at a much higher technical level) doesnt help.
Celic playing week in week out in spl then have to metamorph into a side that competes with CL teams. thats not easy.

I think Ambrose has been performing very well in the games that demand it,  CL qualifier/group games and the Africa Cup where he got on the team of the tournament. I'd say there is little doubt that the edge of the (poor)  split second decisions he made, was the effect of post tournament/travel/no recovery time  and not because he's prone to poor decision making in the big games.

His mistake for the 3rd goal,  turning into a clutter of Juve players around the edge of the box was the worst I've seen in Celtics' cl campaign, there's little doubt that by that stage of the game, his brains were mush.

Ambrose's speed and athleticism usually save him, but the bit in bold - he has been a bit of a bombscare on a few occassions home and away to spartak and away to Barca.
he is not on his own there, but Celtic defenders are not the accomplished footballing centre halves.
However I'd prefer to see them hoof it out if in doubt. Reiper and Mjalby etc would never have hesitated. Safety first as a defender or when defending.
my thoughts I think are on record prev in this thread about giving the ball away too easily. I also am always an advocate (not advocaat) of safety first for defence!

Undoubtedly Ambrose was affected by the trip back to Glasgow. Lennon risked him and it didnt work.
I personally woudl play Rogne who is damn fast, but he doesnt seem to gel well with Wilson when they play together, which is prob why Lennon went for Ambrose too. Mulgrew a good all round player, but not a natural centre half and too left footed for there in the big games imo - if not lacking a bit of place for the CL there too.