As I raise my weary head up from the drain cover that was my pillow last night and reflect on Saturday’s performance in Falkirk I cant help but wonder if that was a great reversal of fortune by Celtic or whether the tiring of Russell Latapy or the incorrect expulsion of Milne by the Referee was the route of such an emphatic scoreline. Celtic in spells throughout this match did not look worthy of such a strong scoreline.
Now that I have got the negative view out of the way the more positive thoughts of Saturday are that maybe this will be the spur that our season needs to kick start us on to a successful season. The performance, whilst not wholly inspiring over the ninety minutes, did show that we can exploit teams when they are down and who knows maybe Kenny Miller can make a contribution in a Celtic Jersey after all! Here’s hoping!
Other debatable issues regarding the performance lie within our midfield, and the pairing of Massimo Donati and Scott Brown. When I first saw these two playing together I had high hopes of a mobile and dynamic midfield, full of energy and running that bamboozles the competition by not maintaining a rigid shape or line.
What we appear to have is a pairing that appears to have great potential, but is far from being a cohesive unit at the minute. Both players individual performances were good, with the obvious exception of Donati’s two misses, but they do not look like a unit. We quickly need these two to gel into a partnership if we are to emulate the success of previous seasons.
Also the need for one of the two to adopt a holding role whilst the other is foraging forward is a must or we may look very weak on the break.
The defence looks organised enough, but the battering ram approach of Falkirk via Higdon and the willingness of our full backs and wide midfielders to allow crosses into the box is a concern, especially against teams with large forwards and good wide players. For examples of teams of this type see Moscow, Spartak.
So all in all it is a good three points to be gained from a difficult period of two away SPL games in a row. Now attention must be turned to the small matter of a Champions League Qualifier!
So it is with trepidation and hope that we cast our eyes to Moscow!
Yours in Celtic
Clydebuilt