Style and Substance
With not only the current players at his disposal, but also the type of players he purchased in the Summer, there was certainly a feeling amongst many observers that Neil Lennon was building a squad full of very technically able footballs.
While there has been the odd game or run of a couple of matches where the players have not expressed themselves upon the game, I would say that it has been generally accepted that Celtic at times though appearing fragile defensively or other times lacking a cutting edge up front; they have definitely aimed to pass the ball and play forward thinking football.
A return to fitness of a couple of key players, the addition of a couple of new faces in the Winter transfer window, alongside a general gelling of the squad, has given the team an added strength and has seemed to have sorted out the any deficiencies preventing Celtic from allowing their brand of attractive football becoming consistently successful.
Without drawing too much on sentiment, it appears as if Celtic looked early season to be moving in a similar direction as the club did in Tommy Burns’s reign, certainly in terms of the style and expectation of how the game should be played. Burns was also the first Celtic manager to really utilise the foreign transfer market. Players like Di Canio, Cadete, Van Hooijdonk, and Andy Thom brought a swagger and technical ability that allowed the team to play with flair and an attacking mentality which observers thoroughly enjoyed. Despite much early season criticism (possibly understandable given Celtic’s shambolic squad performance last season under much weaker management than this season certainly looks to be offering us), it looks like a worldwide scouting network has come up trumps and in terms of building a squad and giving the fans value for money, I don’t imagine many Celtic fans will be complaining at the moment.
Neil’s ability to focus his performances and those around him as a player definitely looks to have stood him in good stead and he has brought a visible sense of directness totally opposed to his predecessor that gives a great foil for the swashbuckling forward play. The mentality Lennon seems to have instilled in his players have allowed him to add a real purpose to the aesthetic attacking style the likes of Izaguirre, Hooper, Stokes, and now Commons have shown so far. Beram Kayal really epitomises the teamwork, determination, and fight that the team Lennon himself excelled in under Martin O’Neill, hopefully marrying both approaches to provide Celtic with long term success.
The main difference that Lennon has brought to the club in comparison with his mentor O’Neil is a sense of squad, rather than a sense of team amongst the eleven on the park, with whom the manager clearly puts all his trust in. Lennon seems to have rotated pretty well, the usual unhappy squad play rumours seem to be quiet, certain players play in certain games, and to a man, he seems to have the players up for the fight.
Obviously there is a lot still to prove, and indeed improve on, but the signs are definitely there that this squad, which is terrifically youthful, can grow and be the building block to challenge a seemingly ever consistent Rangers team. However, it is against Rangers, and Hearts, and indeed other big fixtures that this team have the most demonstrate that they can handle the high pressure, physically demanding, important fixtures, as early season memories of Braga, Utrecht, and Rangers are still not forgotten.
While there has been the odd game or run of a couple of matches where the players have not expressed themselves upon the game, I would say that it has been generally accepted that Celtic at times though appearing fragile defensively or other times lacking a cutting edge up front; they have definitely aimed to pass the ball and play forward thinking football.
A return to fitness of a couple of key players, the addition of a couple of new faces in the Winter transfer window, alongside a general gelling of the squad, has given the team an added strength and has seemed to have sorted out the any deficiencies preventing Celtic from allowing their brand of attractive football becoming consistently successful.
Without drawing too much on sentiment, it appears as if Celtic looked early season to be moving in a similar direction as the club did in Tommy Burns’s reign, certainly in terms of the style and expectation of how the game should be played. Burns was also the first Celtic manager to really utilise the foreign transfer market. Players like Di Canio, Cadete, Van Hooijdonk, and Andy Thom brought a swagger and technical ability that allowed the team to play with flair and an attacking mentality which observers thoroughly enjoyed. Despite much early season criticism (possibly understandable given Celtic’s shambolic squad performance last season under much weaker management than this season certainly looks to be offering us), it looks like a worldwide scouting network has come up trumps and in terms of building a squad and giving the fans value for money, I don’t imagine many Celtic fans will be complaining at the moment.
Neil’s ability to focus his performances and those around him as a player definitely looks to have stood him in good stead and he has brought a visible sense of directness totally opposed to his predecessor that gives a great foil for the swashbuckling forward play. The mentality Lennon seems to have instilled in his players have allowed him to add a real purpose to the aesthetic attacking style the likes of Izaguirre, Hooper, Stokes, and now Commons have shown so far. Beram Kayal really epitomises the teamwork, determination, and fight that the team Lennon himself excelled in under Martin O’Neill, hopefully marrying both approaches to provide Celtic with long term success.
The main difference that Lennon has brought to the club in comparison with his mentor O’Neil is a sense of squad, rather than a sense of team amongst the eleven on the park, with whom the manager clearly puts all his trust in. Lennon seems to have rotated pretty well, the usual unhappy squad play rumours seem to be quiet, certain players play in certain games, and to a man, he seems to have the players up for the fight.
Obviously there is a lot still to prove, and indeed improve on, but the signs are definitely there that this squad, which is terrifically youthful, can grow and be the building block to challenge a seemingly ever consistent Rangers team. However, it is against Rangers, and Hearts, and indeed other big fixtures that this team have the most demonstrate that they can handle the high pressure, physically demanding, important fixtures, as early season memories of Braga, Utrecht, and Rangers are still not forgotten.
posted by Michael__67 at 1:40 PM
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