SENTINELCELTS

The funny old game is delivering a funny old season, who woulda thunk it!? Our topsy turvy campaign continued in a winning way as usual, but once again Celtic failed to sparkle.

There’s an old football adage that states a good side can grind out an ugly win on occasion, occasion being the key word. Our occasions are too often in my book, yet every other demographic screams out ‘fantastic season so far’.
This makes complaining about team form seem somewhat ridiculous, others envy our position of strength playing well or not, but I would much rather have a consistent flow rather than turning the spigot on and off.

That’s easier said than done, of course no team shines every single game, but the last three fixtures encapsulates our team. We delivered 9 points, scored 9 goals without response, yet most observers would agree we delivered one excellent half of football out of the 6 available. I’m not complaining, I’m delighted with our improvement under the Ulsterman, but it’s evident we are, we can be, an inconsistent side when it comes to team display. If I know that, Brendan knows that, and therefore fixing it should be on the priority list.

Why we blow hot and cold is the big question, but the last three games offer a root to the answer. A different lineup for each game. This tells me that rather than adopt a horses for courses approach, the manager is experimenting, presumably seeking the answer to the midfield conundrum. Which 3 offer the most together. Well, I do believe the past 9 days signposted the answer, something I’m sure won’t be lost on the manager.
One midfield combination resulted in our best half of football this season, with all three scoring. The other five halves of football were mostly today. It’s hardly rocket science to place said midfield combination above the others. That must be the lesson of those 3 games.

It’s encouraging to see Brendan has the balls to drop Engels occasionally despite the pricetag, ditto the inconsistent Reo despite the hype, I see them both as ‘moments men’, capable of that one piece of magic, capable of disappearing beyond that. On the other hand I see Bernardo as a player who makes Celtic tick, to coin an old phrase.
Many, including myself, did not agree with his substitution on Wednesday, he was fantastic last weekend, and on Saturday past was called in for more minutes. Surely his time has come to be given a starting slot and dare I say build the team around him? I wouldn’t ask the same of Reo nor Arne (at this moment) and that says it all. I think it’s time to pull ‘a Stan Petrov’ with the Portuguese ‘baller and tell him he’s got a run of games now to properly state his case. Consistency of selection has been known to lead to consistency of form, we’ve seen it in the past.

It’s great to preach from a position of strength, my concerns rise only from a desire for betterment rather than disdain which is always a good thing for any supporter, we’ve got some proper players and I envisage the entire club hitting ‘the next level’ if desired and correctly overseen. It’s certainly achievable, but it requires the Jekyll and Hyde part of Celtic to impart.
One single shot on target from Ross County, 9 from Hibs after a midfield switch-up, trends like that need fixed and fixed now.
We have hit December, the new guys are bedded in, the squad has grasped Brodge-ball, it’s genuinely time to start pinning your hat on certain players, and benching others.
We just watched 3 wins out of 3 since last Saturday, but did we just watch ‘the midfield pecking order’ be established?
I hope so.

By Mahe
sentinelcelts@gmail.com