SENTINELCELTS

Last week was one of those rare ones that are somehow normal yet unusual. Due to the most famous window in football, the supports attention only turned to the derby the previous morning. Off the park Celtic had ‘won the week’ with an unusually kind European draw and an unusually large splurge in final stretch. All that remained to top off a week to remember was to not only win the supposed last full home support derby, but to do it in style and offer an on-field statement to match our strong transfer statements. I needn’t have worried. The players certainly weren’t.

I’m starting to believe that’s actually the key to this form, they just aren’t worried about domestic opposition which allows them to play with confidence and express themselves out on the Park.
Why aren’t they worried is a good question, I’d suggest there’s various answers. There’s no doubt the gaffer imparts belief, but I contend last seasons comeback title victory allows them to have the belief needed to lift silverware. I also contend when any given player looks around the dressing room he sees strong characters who will put in everything for the cause, something which usually sees the Hoops walking away victorious.

Our Japanese contingent are the epitome of this. Yesterday two of the three scored, the other provided an assist,,,one might opine the 3 points were won ‘by The Bhoys of the Rising Sun’. Pleasingly, it wasn’t just as simple as that, this was an all around team performance.

Last week the question was ‘Matt who?’ but I’m sitting here thinking ‘Ange who?’. Brendan started with only one outfield change from an Ange team, Kuhn, yet he’s lifted another man’s team to another level. Ange-ball was nice on the eye, but this new hybrid Brodge-ball is consistently delightful to behold, for the entirety of the game now the bench is much stronger (more on that later).

OK, team selection first.
No surprises despite my desire for Engels to be given the proverbial ‘baptism of fire’. Nah, just stick with Big Paolo said my fellow Ulsterman, and the player who doesn’t let him down once again did exactly that. Which makes me wonder,,I often assume its the natives who desperately want to win this game but is that necessarily true anymore?
We know the three Japanese players now love it, just love it, but clearly so does our Canadian, American, and Portuguese player, at least, I might even throw a German in there. That’s a really good sign, these lads are big game players and are seriously ‘in it to win it!’

One observation I noted was the oppents attempt at a quick start and a desire to dictate the tempo from early doors. Nothing wrong with that, fair enough Phillipe, using some good old (not so common these days) common sense. It’s pleasing how quickly the tables were turned, between 5 and 10 minutes. European teams will attempt the exact same thing, so getting used to gaining a real foothold in the game from the opposition can’t hurt.

We start playing the Celtic Way which is such a joy for us to see, and around the 17th minute Kyogo sticks the ball in the back of the net. I’m watching a USA based stream CBS sports, and once it goes to VAR the commentator within a split second looks at the line and says ‘yes that’s on, it’s going to be given’ and proceeds to explain the great passage of play leading to it. They suddenly switch back to the raised arm for offside, said commentator mutters ‘Well there must have been something in the build-up or another offside in the play!’.
There wasn’t any such thing, it was level and should have stood.

It mattered little, the Hoops had found their mojo and many more chances would be created, as others have mentioned our passing alongside movement against a mostly rigid formation saw the good guys rip through them time and again. Thus it was no surprise when first Daizen then the wee man himself bagged one each. The Captain, enjoying his second wind at Celtic, sealed the win with the final goal.

What’s most pleasing about the three on the day is their variety, the long range rocket, the daisy cutter, the cut back and easy slide home. In Europe we shall need every and any weapon at our disposal, I’m so glad we can score different types of goals nowadays, because you just never know which one it will take to make that net bulge and I would hate to make it so easy as to have a particular goal our opponents could be drilled against.
Kyogo’s was my pick of the bunch, most would have went high into the far corner, few would have got the angles exactly right. It was a placed shot, needing the full foot behind it for the requisite power, yet also finesse to keep it on the ground to their ‘Keepers weak spot, his left. That goal just confirms he is a very very good striker and that the Big Irishman will not be overtaking in the pecking order anytime soon.

Our young opponents, despite their quick start, approached the game incorrectly I believe. Long balls and crosses,,,erm that’s not the blueprint to beat this side. That’s meat and drink to a tough and tall defense, Scales was well up for being the wall their wave crashed upon, and we have even bigger in reserve. Crosses and longballs will see you finish 3rd or 4th in the SPL, plenty have moved on but not our young city rivals who will need the officials to end up in second place this season. I read one chap saying they’ve destroyed the derby by regressing so much, and there’s a hint of truth in that, we are in their division but out of their league, if you catch my drift.

The gaps never been bigger as the benches proved. We brought on tomorrow’s Superstar and 11 million worth, plus a 500 appearances veteran to close it out, I doubt their entire bench was worth their joint value. I doubt half their starting 11 is worth that much. The gulf is stark, this fixture is now less about nervousness, and more about entertainment and trying to prepare for the big test, not the league but Europe,,,you’ve no idea how much it pleases me to type that.

Of course on one side of the coin it’s great to be pushed domestically, but on the flip side our players are being pushed internally. I suspect both Bernardo and Scales will move up the rankings in the POTY competition, how big a coincidence is that given they both saw serious competition for their starting slot enter the building, and presumably they both saw a massive opportunity to tell the man in charge ‘dont stop me now’ ala Freddie Mercury? Internal competition cannot hurt this team, morale is strong, the starters and bench are strong,,our record so far this season is phenomenal.
We are scoring lots, not conceding, the midfield is bossing games, the defense is solid, keeper an upgrade, attack sparkling.
These are special times we are witnessing. Our attention should turn elsewhere, the Continent, because we’ve assembled enough to leave the ‘challenge’ of Scottish football behind and must set our sights on bigger targets.

Unfortunately we face disruption now with the squad breaking up for an upsettingly early International break, but we totally swaggered into it.
Let’s hope we also swagger after it, and put Hearts, Bratislava, and Falkirk to the sword in succession.
And with Captain Calmac staying in training these days, the troops won’t be slacking.
Plus he will be fresh for those three games.
My prediction is he will score in one of them, and I hope it’s the sandwiched fixture.

Like I wrote on Saturday, the future is bright, it’s definitely green and white.
Up The Hoops!

By Mahe sentinelcelts@gmail.com