There was a certain inevitability about what we witnessed tonight, a tired grim certainty.
At 2-1 up with ten to go, after a pretty decent 80 minutes marred by a couple of mistakes and the customary ridiculous set-piece concession, I knew we had it in us to shoot ourselves in the foot.
There had been too many scares amongst the mistakes, too many times the German side got opportunities which hadn’t quite fallen right for them.
I don’t mind losing to superior quality. I’ve seen it happen loads of times in Europe.
I don’t have an issue with that. I mind losing to basic stupid errors.
I mind spotting a guy on the far past with nobody near him, who you know will have all the time in the world to pick his spot for the lay-off if they get it out to him.
I mind seeing a guy standing on the edge of the penalty area, totally unmarked, to smash home the winner.
I mind, as I said a moment ago, the almost set-your-watch-to-it spectacle of a corner putting us behind.
This is basic stuff, and none of this happened because we were too gung-ho, because we left every man up the pitch.
Put someone on the posts for the corner and you don’t concede the first goal.
Have someone marking the guy at the back post and he doesn’t make that killer pass so easily.
And for God’s sakes, do not let one of their best players have all the time in the world to strike that ball anywhere he likes for the winner.
That is rank. That requires some serious introspection from the coaching department.
It is simply bad and it would be bad against any opponent, but against their kind of quality you are asking for trouble and trouble is happy to chap the door.
We are unlucky with the Bitton injury.
But hasn’t the manager seen enough to know that like-for-like attacking substitutions, against Leverkusen away, when all we need is a draw and we’re in a 2-1 lead, is completely barmy?
Especially when it weakens your team overall by depriving you of two of your hardest working players.
One off for a defensive player would have been smart.
I have no idea why playing it safe and leaving Germany with a massive result was seen as the lesser move.
We got what we deserved tonight for such basic mistakes.
There is no excuse for those kinds of errors.
I appreciate that without the team’s attacking philosophy we wouldn’t have got goals in Spain and in Germany, which is probably more than most of us hoped for.
The manager is onto something there; we had the lead in both of these massive games.
But he refuses to compromise and that has cost us a place in the next round of this competition.
It has turned what would have been a rocking night at Celtic Park, with the best of this club certain to have been on display, into a damp squib of a tie meaning absolutely nothing.
There is no escaping the reality of this; with proper game management and some defensive common sense we would have taken the scalps of the two biggest teams in this group, away from home.
Tonight would have been one of the most memorable away results this club has achieved in years, and here we are cursing the utter stupidity of it, the utter waste, instead.
Not a happy camper tonight, not at all.
I said earlier today that these games are about learning lessons; by God that was a sore one to take.
If we don’t learn from this, if the coaching team repeats those mistakes, then they will have big, big questions to answer.
Biggest mistake was the subs sent us in to disarray
BUT we’re no learning! We have too many players good enough for spl but out of their depth in Europe. Scunnered!
The decision to take off the front three in this game was utter stupidity. If one of them was a 6.5 giant who had ran his race fair enough. But those players could run and run. I just did not get it tonight why he did that. The marking for the first two goals was a joke. Basic errors and awful decision-making
I understand the frustration, I really do, but I’m not having the big questions to answer bit. We have no equal for Wirtz or Diaby. If Hart doesn’t make 87 brilliant saves we lose big even without those two, well, they weren’t mistakes because Wirtz had guys on him all game and it didn’t look like it at all.
This is a match everyone thought wouldn’t be close. We’ve already made improvements from the absolute belting we took from them at home, that’s all you can ask. 3rd place is where everyone thought we’d be. It’s our level this season. Next season 3rd in the CL Groups is our level, but maybe with a kind draw(no laughing!) we can get 2nd.
Anyone any more than a bit disappointed is being childish and should probably come back to reality. Without Hart this game ends 6-2 and this article isn’t written. THAT is the take away from tonight
Ah the old hindsight philosophy. If only we had players on the post. If only,if only,if only. Did you think Celtic would be 2-1 up with 10 mins to go. You would have got good odds on Leverkusen winning that game you could become a millionaire if you knew it was going to happen. This is what football is all about.
Couldn’t keep weans out a close. HH
Being honest… Ajeti on was a terrible decision … With 3 minutes to waste time fair enough but not then… Johnston isn’t good enough at this level… And McCarthy I don’t know …. It’s on Ange for me love the guy but subs were awful
Totally agree with your comments. Dreadful like for like subs. Out of UCL in July. Out of Europa in Nov. Pathetic. Our Captain is not a leader
I think it was a big mistake to take off the front 3. The collapse was coming because they were knackered – Leverkusen are a slick and superbly fit team – but replacing the front 3 accelerated it. The midfield had evaporated too, and the defence just didn’t have enough left in the tank to hold on.
If he had at least kept Jota on I think we might have nicked something. Even a tired Jota is better than Johnston. That is not meant to be a disparagement of Johnston, but Jota is capable of operating at this level in a way that Johnson isn’t yet. The ball would have stuck to Jota more and if he had been on the end of one of the two chances we had late on, I think he would have put at least one of them away.
So I think the big man needs to look at that. Replacing the whole front line at 60 or 70 minutes seems to be a formula with him, but it has backfired twice now when famous wins were within our grasp.
It was fascinating to watch Leverkusen tonight. Their entire game is based around one-twos. You hardly ever see any of their players just passing it. It’s pass-and-go all the time. They already are what Ange wants us to become but we are getting there.
We are giving teams like this a scare now. We made them sweat for it, right to the end. It’s a long time since we’ve been able to say that.
You’re usual overreaction after a defeat.
Result very harsh but we were extremely lucky on a number of occasions.
Await your considered response later.
Also the removal of any comment that disagrees with your OTT opinion!
Apart from Bitton Ange cost us a result once again by his awful substitutions.
A lot of truths here, however once again our miserable board get off Scot free, imagine what we could do if we decided to invest in some quality for a few transfer windows, the board is our problem in Europe no forward thinking or ambition.
The substitutions were horrendous. Ajeti has no interest in football let alone Celtic from his demeanour. Johnston was pathetic when he came on. And McCarthy is one of the worst signings I’ve ever known – he is incapable of doing anything of use on a football field. To take off Jota and Kyogo for those work-shy pieces of crap is beyond me. This is the second selection cock-up of Ange’s Celtic career – he made similar mistakes on Saturday but got away with it. Tonight, he basically handed the miniature back to the opposition, when, for once, it looked like we were managing the game. Even if those were subs were forced, bringing on players who should have no place at Celtic in the reserve team was a really poor mistake, in my opinion. I live the guy, but he got that wrong.
The real trouble with the front 3 substitutes was the inability and/ or unwillingness of all
of them to hold the ball in for fear of taking a hit.
I don’t necessarily agree with the substitutions, but totally unacceptable from all three when they were called upon.
Spot on Bigmick
But the decision to put on all three rests with Ange
Soro for Bitton obvious
We were excellent tonight. Excellent in moments. We had the winning of the game. We have the makings of something great. Soundbites, are all that. Tonight I watched Celtic playing the way we want, the difference tonight was the bench. As soon as the subs started I thought keep it tight and play for a win, worst case, a draw. There is much to please, and much to annoy but, Celtic are improving and I see a lot to please. Subs need to happen James, just now I don’t know who could have come on tonight and shored up the backline. We were done by a better team, no Matter what you say James.
The blogger on Celtic Family has written some serious nasty comments directed at YOU.
Can’t you have an opinion now, without your fellow bloggers shooting you down?
Celtic Family ? Yeh, right yar, GTF CF.
Keep being YOU James.
HH
Did you expect us to win tonight james?
If you’d like a debate… email me and I’d be happy to oblige.
Extraordinary reaction to tonight’s performance
HH
I thought we played really well. Roll on the league, cups, and next season. We will be unstoppable in the spl, and dangerous in Europe…
You sound like Steven Warnock on Sky
If he covered, moved,didn’t,did,closed,blocked etc
Martin O’Neill described those people perfectly
Monday morning Quarter Backs
Been following the hoops since 1963 and every defeat hurts but don’t think they are making errors on purpose
Please target your tomorrow blogs on Ange
Carries the can for extreme single mindedness
Good God.
Unfortunately, the substitutions weakened the side, just as they did a week or two ago. Tactical naivety or lack of reserves ? Empire Exhibition Trophy. Coronation Cup. Europa Conference. However, the League is the one that matters and Mr. Postecoglou does not strike me as a manager that doesn’t learn.
James,
Methinks your analysis is a tad unfair. Our bench is way to shallow and Ange knows that.
Sitting back and playing defensive rarely works for the opposition that we play in the SPFL so I don’t think inviting a full on wave of attacks would’ve allowed us to see out the game.
What need is a second string of players that are just slightly below the first team best selection. We’ve barely lost away from home to some of the best teams in Spain and Germany. Given where we were at the start of the season I think that’s a commendable accomplishment.
Remember also that Kyogo has already played a full season so unless we manage his minutes carefully he won’t be there for the business end of our domestic season.
If someone had said at the beginning of the season that this is where we would be at right now, I think they would’ve considered it very successful.
I think this game shows we are playing with one hand tied behind our back in Europe in terms of resources and that’s on the Board. BL are not a great European team by any stretch of the imagination but enough of their players are better than ours. Moreover our better players for some reason didn’t make much headway in the game. Calmac played as ineffectively as I’ve seen, ditto Turnbull. These are crucial players in opening up the opposition but didn’t succeed. I think Juranovic has to replace Ralston at left back as he is arguably the better player, especially for European games when the standard of the opposition is higher. It’s harsh on Ralston but things in Europe are different from SPFL. Although it may have happened anyway, we were undone by our substitutes – not one made any telling kind of contribution. At this point in time three of them are nowhere near where a Celtic player should. Abadi is the exception but his form has dipped. Ajeti, Johnson and McCarthy cannot cut it in the SPFL (yet?) so why expect them to cut it in Europe now? I hope Ange learned something, I think he did. I hope the Board got the message.