Fitter, Happier, More Productive
The improvement in Celtic since last season, even since the opening games against Braga cannot be overstated. Three consecutive clean sheets must have brought Neil Lennon as much hope for the future as his now double figure SPL winning streak. Although it is defensively that Neil will be relying on Celtic to perform to their best tonight, it is no the only area in which Lennon's Celtic have made dramatic steps forward.
I have seen more signs of a "stronger, fitter, faster, younger" team than I ever did under Strachan, and more "open, expansive, free flowing" football than under Mowbray. Lennon promised was that he was going to bring back the intangible thunder, whereas his predecessors promised more tangible things that in truth they didn’t come close to delivering in full.
Whilst having so many players comfortable on the ball with a mobility and fluency that have long eluded those in green and white hoops, it was interesting to hear the manager talk this week that he is likely to set up very differently whether we are playing at home, away in the SPL, or in European competition. Lennon will no doubt believe their is finally a system and personnel suited to playing on the counter attack for first time since Celtic's last lengthy run in Europe's second highest competition. Not only are there good attacking outlets so possession can be used well and sensibly to stave off the pressure for spells in the game, but also players with real top level pace.
With Samaras, Fortune, Brown, Juarez, Cha, Kayal, Maloney, Forrest with McGinn and Hooper to come back from injury this may well be the quickest Celtic team in living memory. And while realistically, this team may never become the juggernaught that overpowered team after team like O'Neill's could, smart money could be placed that it could eventually play even better football than their counterparts of a decade ago did.
And lets not be mistaken by the long and direct football it was said Celtic played then. That team played excellent football. The interchanging of passes and positions, the variation of goals and scorers, the touches, the flicks, the nutmegs, the stepovers, the short passing, the long passing, the freekicks, the volleys, the overhead kicks - they were all in there. The facts show that regardless of who wanted to ignore it.
We might just see all that again.
Love Lenny Love Celtic
I have seen more signs of a "stronger, fitter, faster, younger" team than I ever did under Strachan, and more "open, expansive, free flowing" football than under Mowbray. Lennon promised was that he was going to bring back the intangible thunder, whereas his predecessors promised more tangible things that in truth they didn’t come close to delivering in full.
Whilst having so many players comfortable on the ball with a mobility and fluency that have long eluded those in green and white hoops, it was interesting to hear the manager talk this week that he is likely to set up very differently whether we are playing at home, away in the SPL, or in European competition. Lennon will no doubt believe their is finally a system and personnel suited to playing on the counter attack for first time since Celtic's last lengthy run in Europe's second highest competition. Not only are there good attacking outlets so possession can be used well and sensibly to stave off the pressure for spells in the game, but also players with real top level pace.
With Samaras, Fortune, Brown, Juarez, Cha, Kayal, Maloney, Forrest with McGinn and Hooper to come back from injury this may well be the quickest Celtic team in living memory. And while realistically, this team may never become the juggernaught that overpowered team after team like O'Neill's could, smart money could be placed that it could eventually play even better football than their counterparts of a decade ago did.
And lets not be mistaken by the long and direct football it was said Celtic played then. That team played excellent football. The interchanging of passes and positions, the variation of goals and scorers, the touches, the flicks, the nutmegs, the stepovers, the short passing, the long passing, the freekicks, the volleys, the overhead kicks - they were all in there. The facts show that regardless of who wanted to ignore it.
We might just see all that again.
Love Lenny Love Celtic
posted by Michael__67 at 8:22 AM
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