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I guess I kind of did. What I mean is that with better performances from the players, we could win...even with that system. The system gives us no room for error. To counter that, Deila should be changing the formation or the way we go about attacking. That allows players to have more of an off night and still get the win.

It's the definition of insanity.....doing the same same thing over and over again and expecting different results. They're not even the best team in Norway anymore. In fact I think they failed to even qualify for Europe.
 
I don't think we can beat this team with that system because we lack the quickness to get back and the one-touch football to get the opportunities we need. In addition to the formation, we play too high of a line and are constantly threatened with a break. They created both goals this way and three goals last game. It's bullshit.

We had a real chance as a club to do this right, get a coach and talent to get to the CL and set Celtic up financially for years to come. It started with Lenny and then they just went conservative.
 
We only play such a high line because they play so deep.......they invite us on, particularly our CBs and then they break quickly and effectively. It's not just us though, remember that they beat Fenerbache the same way.

Let's put it simply, if there is one very effective way to beat us, Molde play JUST that way! The way we play, we CAN'T beat a team if they play like Molde. It's as simple as that! Deila needs to waken up and realise this or it will cost him his job. Even if we beat Ajax and Fenerbache, it might save him for a while but it doesn't change the fact that Molde have exposed the system.
Deila thinks his system is the best and the proper way to play football, maybe he's right but it doesn't change the fact that it doesn't work in every situation!

Id like to give a little bit of praise to Boyata for his performance last night. He was having to tidy up after Blackett an awful lot and he defended well in general. He just can't be relied upon to play out from the back, his passing ability and creativity is simply not good enough.

Technically we're not out of it yet. We can still qualify. If we lose the next game though, Deila would be daft not to just give up and play the young players, give them experience!
 
Some quotes from Craig Gordon last night:

When asked about our chances of still qualifying - “We’ll need to be an awful lot better than we were tonight.

“I never felt as though we were ever in control of the game. It felt like we were always chasing it.

“We are far too easy to play against. We can have no complaints."

When asked about how wide open we are at the back he said - “If I knew why, we wouldn’t be losing the goals. That’s a very difficult question to answer as there’s more than one reason.

“But we have to come up with some solutions.

“We almost play the same way as we do at home. European football is a different test, we have to learn to adapt to it.

“We like to attack and throw bodies forward but teams can catch us on the break. It calls for a different type of game.”
 
What could save Deila is the need to change things for the next game. He may have no choice but to either use young players or change the formation.
Johansen received a booking which rules him out of the next game because of how many he has picked up and Nir Bitton was sent off so he will miss the next game.
As I see it, we should have Brown back by then but it means either moving Armstrong or Rogic back into CM. Not the strongest position for either player! That's based on them all being fit, if we pick up more injuries to any of those 3....we're sunk! We'll need to use one of the young players or change the system round and potentially get overrun in midfield.
 
Deila after the game:

"It was individual mistakes again. We need to have much more character and pride.

"We have to win challenges and we lost that game inside the two boxes and that is disappointing.

"Kieran Tierney played with his heart, he had an unbelievable performance and that is a positive thing on a dark day."

Basically we need more Tierney's and Brown's. Especially in defence we need more character. If Stuart Findlay can make the step up to the first team (he's doing well on loan at Kilmarnock) or if O'Connell can come back fit and fight for a position next season, that might help. I think we need a good defender who has worked his way into the team rather than being bought and just put there. It's as though they feel like they don't have to work so hard, they haven't grown into the club and gained that love and appreciation for it which makes them fight harder for the team!
 
The defenders also look confused., frankly. It's just not on in Europe with Ronny. Every game feels like an Artmedia I get the feeling the players hate this formation and are are being pushed out of their comfort zones, and not in a good way. And they know it.

With five midfielders, why do we have a CB passing the ball up? None of them are comfortable doing it. Everyone is all over Izzy, but he's 30 and has had ankle issues and we ask him to sprint up and down the pitch in this formation. In case no one has noticed, Lustig hasn't been lighting it up either. I will pile on Izzy a bit. His crosses have been terrible. But this game plan suits no one except Bitton. Griffiths is scoring a lot, but he's being asked to play like John Hartson in this formation.

In other words, we're making this harder on ourselves by trying to run an unnatural game plan.
 
I think what you're basically saying welch, is that we don't have the right players to play this formation.....does that sum it up? Because I agree.

Griffiths scoring so many goals in this formation is quite frankly outstanding! It should be a big target man but one who is also mobile and can get in behind the defence (they don't come cheap and there aren't many around).
I think the formation suits Commons, otherwise he plays as the second of the two strikers in a 4-4-2 and I don't personally think that's a great fit without having a big striker again. It also essentially turns into what we currently play now, just not as attacking.

Izzy has had his time, he wants to be an attacking fullback but he can only do one or the other. He doesn't have the concentration to attack and defend in one game. Set him the task of just defending or just attacking and he'll be fine, but ask him to do both and he'll get caught out or lose concentration. Tierney looks to be his replacement and I think the whole Celtic support are hoping he does take over!
 
That's basically correct and it's why I have likened the Deila ersa to the Mowbray era. The only difference is that Ronny does not have an overspending rangers team to battle. Mowbray tried to run an attacking club and did so after selling off our best scorer in MacDonald and replaced him with Fortune, who was really a strong target man. He didn't have the attacking midfielders and the defenders were too slow to handle it. After he left McGeady said the team didn';t have the kind of players the club needed for Mogga's strategy.

Ronny does not have the creative players to break down the coagulate in front of the opposition's goal and the defenders are way too weak and underconfident to handle an opposing break. The formation was really susceptible on the break when we had Virgil and Denayer and Matthews.

The reason I have barked for a 4-4-2 is simple. If you can't break down an opponent who digs in and you're not fast enough to defend the break, you play a lower line in defense, put four in the midfield and invite the opposition into the center of the park and then push them back when they have pressed forward. We have players like Bitton, Brown and Rogic who are excellent at taking the ball off an opponents feet. Invite them in, make the steal and charge on their goal when there is some space.

Thoughts?
 
Andreas Hinkel has basically said the thing recently. He has told Deila to continue with his plan and that it was the same thing with Mowbray. Mowbray's problem, beyond not having the right players for his system (very similar to Deila's) was that he just wasn't getting results domestically. eila is at least getting that and it may be that he simply needs another few transfer windows and backing from the board to get the right players in.

Agree about the lack of creativity, it's something I've mentioned for a while! How many players do we have that can actually create space for themselves and beat players with skill?
Commons? I don't even think he's that good anymore, he can still score goals but what else is he offering? How often do we see brilliant skill from him? Great passes or through balls? I don't see it!
Armstrong? Yes at times but he's still raw and hasn't looked high on confidence this season but we saw it more from him last season so we know he can do it.
GMS? He should be! Like Armstrong he's not doing so well this season! It could be a case of second season syndrome for both of them.
Rogic, yes he can do that. Not so much of a runner but he can pick out good passes and through balls and his footwork is good!
Johansen was last season but it's not working for him this season and he needs to be played in a deeper role.
Forrest - on his day he absolutely can but he tends to need space to work in, his problem is consistency!
Scott Allan - too early to tell, where is his position? Attacking midfield? Wide on the left like Armstrong? Or deeper in CM but creative.
Callum McGregor - He can when high on confidence but probably not to a high enough level for us as a regular starter.
Aidan Nesbitt - not seen much of him to date but from what we have and what we've heard, he could be good for this sort of role.
Stokes - When he wants to be then yes he can be creative, he can score goals and he can beat a man....it seems he doesn't want to or isn't Deila's plans.
We really need someone more like Nakamura or Moravcik, someone of that level and ability! It is possible!

Defensively, something needs sorted! Simunovic does still look good I think, still got learning and growing to do but he's our best defender for this system. Boyata can defend, just don't ask him to play it out from the back! Ambrose's time is probably up, Mulgrew is past it and we've yet to see enough from our young CBs to make a judgement but my fear is none of them will be to a high enough standard for us.

I agree about the 4-4-2 and change of formation, it will be the only way to succeed against some teams! One way of doing it would be to start off with Deila's formation and system but it shouldn't be difficult to change to a 4-4-2 from that. The players have done it before, the only real issue is the second striker, we tend to use more of a midfielder in Deila's system where as preferably we would have more of an out and out striker instead.
 
I just read that Johansin is going on extended lead. Something has been wrong with him. Clearly he needs to get his head sorted out. He has been awful his year.
 
I see none of us were around to discuss the weekend's game. It was a 0-0 draw and Deila wasn't happy! It seems we just weren't playing well enough in the final third, poor passing and link-up play. The most frustrating thing I think is that we've just had the international break so I would expect almost everyone to be sharp and ready to go!
We had only 5 players who were actually away and played on international duty (6 if you include Tierney actually). Ambrose, Izzy, Lustig, Johansen and Rogic. Ambrose didn't start, Izzy and Lustig did, Johansen didn't start but Rogic did. So what's everyone else's excuse? There can be no excuse of being tired!

Nobody played beyond the 17th....so everyone should have been back in training on Thursday 19th at least, maybe Friday for those who did more travelling. So why couldn't we score? It seems we had 70% possession but lacked tempo and timing according to Deila but it was the same old problem that we have all spoken of before. Kilmarnock had so many players back behind the ball that we couldn't break them down. We didn't have a target to aim for in the box so despite getting width (apparently Forrest was playing well) we didn't have enough players or anyone big enough to aim for. If that doesn't work we have to try and have skillful enough players to run into the box and take defenders on in the hope that it will either result in a chance, a penalty or if still outside the box at least a free-kick. So the answer is that we don't have the players to do it efficiently!

With regards to Johansen being given time off; he was given the weekend off to rest and since he is suspended for the Ajax game anyway, it was the best option for the team to play without him. He'll be back in training on Tuesday to prepare himself for Inverness next weekend.

Looking forward to Thursday and the crucial Ajax game in the Europa League; we will be without Johansen and Bitton and Brown limped off at the end of the Kilmarnock game after making a vital challenge on Obadeyi. Deila thinks he will be OK but Brown said he will see how it is over the next couple of days. I very much doubt we will not see Brown leading us out on Thursday, even if it means him playing through the pain. With all of the usual midfield partners for Scott Brown unavailable for Thursday, I'm a little surprised Deila didn't try playing Armstrong or Rogic further back in beside Brown for at least some of the game as I would imagine it will be one of them who partners Brown on Thursday night.
 
I was online watching the game, but no one was around. It was the same old shit, really. Lots of possession but not enough chances. They put men behind the ball but with one striker, you get what you get. If we had a marksman like Nakamura, this formation would work. But we don't. It's one of the many reasons why this formation does not cut it, not with this squad.

Johanson admitted he has been way off form. Deila said it is about focus and gave him the extended time off. I'm starting to think he's a head case.

Lacking Brown, Johanson and Bitton in midfield makes for a tough lineup. We'll probably have to go with:

Lustig-------Boyata----Simmo----Tierney
-------Armstrong-------Rogic--------------
Forrest-----Commons-----GMS-------------
---------------Griffiths--------------------

Or do we see Stokes come back?! Yeah, I doubt it, too.
 
IF, and that's a big IF, Scott Brown is out of the game then yes I think that would have to be our midfield. Alternatively he could do something really stupid and use Ambrose as a DM (Lennon did it remember) and then have everyone playing in front of him.
Commons may be out as well, in which case we might need to play Ciftci or Callum McGregor.

If Commons and Brown were both out then even bringing in Stokes would leave us one short on the bench. We'll need to have Nesbitt or one of the other youth players around. Most likely would be Joe Thomson or Nesbitt, Thomson would probably make more sense because he's a midfielder while Nesbitt is an attacker.
As it is I think Brown will be fit and it wouldn't surprise me to see Commons make at least the bench as well.
 
Looks like Commons won't be fit.

Brown is still expected to make it.

Mulgrew has declared himself fit. While that is obviously a boost, he's not played a game since September.....do we really want to start him in midfield in such an important game? I'm not sure we do! I'd have him on the bench though!
 
OK, forget my last post regarding Brown.......he's out for 8 to 12 weeks!!!!

We're fucked in midfield for tomorrow night. Some are suggesting we might throw Scott Allan in for a start now that he's fit again.
Considering how screwed we are, might Deila consider a tweak to the formation? 4-1-3-2 anyone? The downside to that would be no out and out striker on the bench unless Stokes is brought back in but even then he's not considered a striker by Deila.
Or maybe a 4-1-4-1?

Mulgrew has declared himself fit so we could leave him as a holding midfielder, allow him to do as little forward running as possible. It also means when the fullbacks push on, Mulgrew can sit in and cover and create a back 3 and leave our more creative players up the pitch.

Gordon
Lustig - Boyata - Simunovic - Tierney
Mulgrew
Forrest - Rogic - Armstrong
Griffiths - Ciftci

Gordon
Lustig - Boyata - Simunovic - Tierney
Mulgrew
Forrest - Armstrong - Rogic - GMS
Griffiths

The main issue will be the subs. Bailly, Ambrose, McGregor, Ciftci/GMS, GMS/Ciftci, Allan, Izzy. Now that seems OK but that's based on Mulgrew being fit and fit enough to start. If he's not fit enough to start then he should make the bench. It still just doesn't feel that strong though.
 
I like the 4-1-3-2. You could put Stokes on the left wing over GMS, though he hasn't kicked his own ass since Lennon left. I'd definitely go with your first lineup. Mulgrew is pretty good in that role.

I can't beleive Brown is out so long!
 
A lot of suggestions that Scott Allan could be given his big chance tonight. It's an opportunity he'll need to take if he wants into this midfield! All the fringe players and young, first choice players alike all need to step up and have a big game tonight! Come on!
 
Tonight's team:

Gordon
Lustig - Boyata - Simunovic - Tierney
Rogic
McGregor - Armstrong
Forrest - Griffiths - GMS

Subs: Bailly, Ambrose, Izzy, Allan, Stokes, Ciftci.
 
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