POSITIVE START IN EUROPE, BUT ISSUES REMAIN FOR CELTIC PLAYERS AND FANS
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 5 hours ago
- 2 min read
I was pleasantly surprised this morning when I woke up the news that Celtic managed a 1-1 draw in Serbia.
Given Red Star’s recent form and Celtic’s notoriously weak European away record, I was hopeful but not expectant about last night’s game.
Still, Celtic got what I think, in hindsight, will be viewed as a good away point, at a very difficult venue. It should not however distract from the issues we continue to face, on and off the park.
Celtic Showed We Can Compete at this Level, but Should Do Better
As I said, I was, overall, pleased with the result. However, watching the game back in its entirety did alter my perspective somewhat.
When you look at both the chances we created, and the rather slapstick nature of Red Star’s equalizer, there’s clearly room for improvement.
Kelechi Iheanacho stepped up when we needed something different up front. Daizen Maeda’s half-time departure, which did not seem injury related, would suggest that the player still hasn’t regained the mindset that saw him bag 30 goals last season.
However, Iheanacho got into some great positions, took his goal well, and ultimately, he’ll probably be disappointed to only have bagged one goal on the night.
Brendan Rodgers said as much in his post-match comments. He admitted that Daizen was “clearly off it”.
Credit is also due to Colby Donovan. The twin injuries of first Alistair Johnston and then Tony Ralston have given the young full-back a rare opportunity to get a run of games. The manager continued to show faith in Donovan last night, despite Ralston’s return to fitness.
Donovan repaid that faith with a superb performance. Perhaps most importantly last night, he was defensively solid throughout. However, he also wasn’t afraid to step forward when needed, and linked up well with his teammates.
Overall, this is a game Celtic probably should have won. However, looking at the bigger picture, the most important thing is probably that we didn’t lose.
A solid point away from home, even though it is against a team which, on reflection many of us will feel we should have beaten, is a good base to begin what will, hopefully, be a long European campaign.
Celtic fans will be entitled to ask the question though: Would we have conceded that clumsy equalizer or even have only been one goal ahead at that point in the game, if our board had opened the biscuit tin a bit earlier and actually allowed the manager to bring in the players he knew we needed?
Cautious optimism is the order of the day, I think. But fan protests will continue, and eventually the custodians of our club will have to face them. Tonight’s positive result does nothing to change that.
