Well that was everything we’d been hoping for.
First up, let me say thank you and congratulations to Moussa Dembele, who was majestic. He destroyed them today with a performance as good as any I’ve seen from a Celtic front man in years. He is a different kind of player to Griffiths, and his skill-set turned out to be just what the doctor ordered. He harried, he harassed, he passed, he ran, his close control was brilliant, his composure a beautiful thing to see.
The superiority of our team was such during this game that their fans were praying for full time with 15 minutes to go and the score still at 3-1. The cricket score was avoided; that’s the best they can take from it. They never had a prayer. They were not in it.
There are no positives for them here, not a single one.
Their “big game players” didn’t show up. Kranjcar was so utterly useless he was subbed at half time. Barton would have been better off watching the game in a Dublin boozer, with his Celtic scarf on, because he was absolutely not there. Senderos already looks like a great signing; for every other club in the league. Flat-footed, slow, he got himself a red card trying to reinvent himself as a basketball player instead.
On the other hand, aside from Dembele, who stood out a mile above every other player on the pitch, Sinclair was superb with a goal and his assists. Rogic was running the midfield before he was subbed, but Armstrong didn’t simply assume his role but played further up the pitch and it was him who got the final goal. The defence slipped badly for their solitary moment of joy, right on the stroke of half time, but that aside they were comfortable throughout.
Brown and Bitton owned the much-hyped Sevco midfield.
As far as tactics went, Brendan got it spot on. Sevco fielded an attacking looking side but set their stall up so they barely got over the halfway line. This was the kind of beating I said would see the pressure transferred from their under-performing players to focus on Mr Magic Hat himself. If he’s not under real scrutiny after that beating the media in this country is even more craven than even I’ve been prepared to write about. He offered not one solution to Celtic’s attacking play.
He’s been much criticised for not having a Plan B … I ask you, was there even a Plan A today? For the first half their intent was clearly to suck up the pressure … and they failed even at that. But for Garner nicking one before the break the first half would have been a testament to utter failure.
Hey, who am I kidding? It was a testament to utter failure anyway.
And you know what put the cherry on the cake? Scott Brown’s post match interview, which I urge everyone to find and see.
Today belonged wholly to Celtic and to the Great Brendan Rodgers. Our complete supremacy in this tie is an echo of the wider supremacy we have over this team and which we’ll be enjoying for years. In their arrogance they didn’t heed the obvious warnings; if they got past the worst Celtic team in years only on penalties, how the Hell were they going to cope with one in full flow?
Today they found out.
They have been warned.
This was only the start of the misery, and boy oh boy we are going to pour it on.
In Brendan Bloody Rodgers We Absolutely Trust!
GIRFUY Sevconites!