Soccer Football - Champions League - Group E - Celtic v Atletico Madrid - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland, Britain - October 25, 2023 Celtic's Callum McGregor applauds fans after the match REUTERS/Russell Cheyne
Yesterday, we saw two familiar things happen at Celtic Park, and it cost us two points and the chance to extend our lead over the club from Ibrox. We failed to make the best of a plethora of set-piece opportunities and, as has become depressingly familiar, we conceded from an easily defensible one. When it comes to this stuff, across three different managers in the last eight years, we are hopeless. Dead ball situations seem to frazzle our brains.
In an effort to add something new to the game, Football Manager this year, in its annual effort to justify itself as more than just a data upgrade, added a brand new set-piece system, including the introduction of set-piece coaches. It has changed the way I play the game … sort of anyway. I do score more goals from corners than ever before.
I don’t know if set-piece coaches actually exist, or if this is some interesting new affectation the game has run with, but I know that if they do, we don’t have one and that we badly need to get one in. Because this long since became ridiculous, this long since revealed itself a problem and it is one that, glaring though it is, we have yet to fix.
In this, we might be victims of our own success. We regularly blaze past opponents without difficulty, and when you are doing that and scoring so many goals from open play you don’t need to focus as much attention as you might on those dead ball situations. And when your opponents are content to play for a point with less than 20% of the ball it seems to matter even less.
But that’s the sort of complacency which leads to moments like that one yesterday, when Motherwell, with virtually their only meaningful chance, converted from a corner. For all the corners we had and which we did nothing with, they capitalised on theirs, as many of us feared they would when they got it so quickly after our goal.
If dead ball situations – including penalties; don’t even get me started on that – can get you a dozen goals over the course of a season, that’s surely worth working on? If it can prevent you conceding even half of that, in a close title race, that could be what gets you over the line. So really, whether or not people at Celtic think we “need” this … do you not want that insurance policy? Is it not something you should have in the back pocket, just in case?
The thing, when we get to Europe this stuff is punished even more readily than in Scotland. How many dead-ball goals have we lost on our continental travels? You would think for those games we would want every advantage we could get … but I see no evidence at all that we work on this stuff with any regularity, or to any net effect.
Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe the Celtic stats guys will crunch some numbers for us and show me the error of my ways. But a lot of people I’ve spoken to have highlighted this same issue, and so I’m not the only one who thinks so. As a percentage of chances we get, our results seem piss-poor to say the least. Of the number of chances our opponents get, I would bet the percentage that end in a goal is much, much higher. With the number of chances we create, and thus corners and free kicks around the box, we should be scoring these in a recognisable pattern.
We aren’t. And we continue to concede them. Regularly.
So there’s a clear need for something in this area. Soon.
Since Sutton hartson larrson were at celtic we have been absolutely shit when it comes to set pieces fact
The obvious answer James is the lack of height and physicality we have within this area, throughout the squad?
Even CCV lacks the height regardless of the physical power he possess.
Oreily who has the height but pretty brutal within the aireal aspect of his game.
Starfelt in fairness to himself was very strong and good within that manner, possibly even better than scales, even if scales is way better with playing out from the back imo?
So on most occasions we are trying to operate with potentially only 1 player fairly useful in the air and the rest more on a containment job defensively and feeding off scraps in an attacking sense also imo.
We still have to also take into account upon how VAR will and has been used in the different situations used with ourselves in the 2 penalty areas also?
Reaction speed is where our defenders can’t get to close in defence as any form of contract is awarded against ourselves.
Yet up the other end a free for all is allowed upon our player’s within the SPFL?
Hardly helped with age catching up with Hart now, with never been truly comfortable under the high ball, and far from convincing with the speed he leaves his line either imo.
You pay the bigger money for the improvements required within player’s within our budget, and the weaknesses will be exploited more so also.
So wanting to remain as a footballing team, based upon possession based, we still lack that physical element that Scottish football requires, but how its used within each penalty area is a totally different matter?
No easy solutions to the problems that I can see, so still remains ourselves to become better at what we are good at, to help compensate where are weaknesses remains imo.
Remember the not so distant days when set pieces were our bread & butter, from Martin O’Neill on until liquidation when we started downgrading squad quality… we’re too lightweight as a team; Motherwell’s more mature bigger boys manhandled our defensive set up for their goal!
…we could try counter this in the meantime by reshaping our system to a more compact one when defending but we like to play balls to the wind instead
Completely agree. The amount of short corners we take that end up with us going back into our half is baffling. To the extent they are detrimental. We rarely score or even offer a threat from corners. We also don’t have a dedicated free kick , or penalty taker. Our record in penalties is horrendous. It’s like pass the parcel whenever we get one, which we just as often miss.
Our defensive set pieces are all over the place,.John Kennedy?, the goal against Feynoord when Kyogo was in the wall a prime example. Yesterday should have been a straight height by height match up which surely must have been discussed prior to the game?
A serious flaw in our set up just now. It was the same under Ange.
Set piece coaching absolutely does exist!!! The Austin something ex Jambo now with Scotland does just this. He cannot be the only one.
Sad to say it but Sevco are a million miles ahead of us on dead balls and free kicks and corners…
They also have a better chance of scoring / preventing goals as they have far bigger players unfortunately –
Luckily we are ahead on skilful players etc…
But sometimes that won’t be enough in Scotland –
I simply cannot wait to see Abada, Meada and Hatate back in Celtic strips !
James, apologies that its from the Daily Ranger, but here’s an interesting link for you. Even our national team are all over this, why aren’t we??
https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/sport/football/football-news/incredible-scotland-goal-stat-coincides-30859663?utm_source=linkCopy&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=sharebar
Imo, it’s nae coincidence we’ve been makin the same defensive mistakes (especially set peices) through all these managers. Surely they’ve no all been so clueless at remedying these situstions properly. There’s a common denominator in this, right there, who’s been sittin in that dugout throughout all that time. That’s where we should be lookin.
We are the best team in a poor league can’t compete in Europe we just make up the numbers so that won’t change for many many years spl that’s our limit at present.
On match of the day a few weeks ago during a game involving wolves a commentator mentioned that wolves had a set piece couch and that they had scored more goals from set pieces and conceded less goals than any other team in the league. We badly need someone of this calibre. We have a poor record in both boxes. HH
Because Joe Hart stays on his line all the time!
If he comes out and punches the ball away, Celtic win!
Simple as that!!!
We need new a quality goalkeeper, left back and midfielder
The same three players every Celtic fan on earth knew we needed since July!
Taylor’s dome, he’s peaked, Hart peaked years ago and playing CalMac in that role in this team is now a waste of a jersey, he’d be better off in The Pointer Sisters as the onkynuse out of him these days is out of his two forefingers.
The team isn’t just fiat but dead and needs a serious injection of new and experienced blood right across the board, three men who can come in and change the whole dynamic of the team like Jota & CCV did what seems like many years ago, before they’d even signed full time.
So is it Brendan’s inability to get a tune out them or has the whole thing collapsed under them, it’s like watching slow motion replays from 2019 as someone else has pointed out on this thread.
It’s not even football, it’s like an attempt to bore the fans and opposition to death and he better get his finger out sharpish or all those Hun penalties WILL see them catch us up, and quicker than anyone can think.
It’s wake up or break up time again, Brendan, and we don’t want you walking out on us a second time after your promise of ‘3 years’ when we’re sick of your garbage so called ‘football’ already.
Sometimes I feel like this year’s league trophy has Sevco’s name inscribed on it already, no matter what Brendan or Mark Lawwell might or might not do, which would be no surprise after the Covid Cup fiasco or even 2012.
Gotta keep them interested somehow, right, Peter?
Been lamenting this for years!
Ah now, to be fair there now, they’re not all like that to be fair there now.
Sure it’s a game changing situation there now and we must all agree but you have to be fair there now, there’s a whole team and back room of team of men there now that are surely fairly failing all of us to be fair there now there now.
Still an all fir all you say there’s a lot to be said fir it there also still an all there now still, isn’t it but sure to be sure now there now?
Given all tha its onk6 fair to be fair there now, the boys are the boys and we are only mere onlookers to be fair there now it’s not right sometimes that we question their ways while we sit here struggling as I is stain an all in our own lives and them in theirs.
Sure my bleeding cat was sick the other day and what could I do but try to help it, the poor wee thing, the last thing it needed was me giving it bleeding gyp to be fair there now still an all so let’s not be too harsh on the youngsters who haven’t a clue about how the west world works never mind how Glasgow or Celtic world works to be fair there now sure.
Ah now no, the more I think the more I think it’s not it’s not fair there now, they’re young men form all these different countries, what can you say there now to be fair, what can you say to them?
They haven’t a bleedin clue how Scotland works against its own and by its own manner and in its own manor there now.
Brendan Rodgers should know better to be fair there still but still we can’t blame the young men hamstrung and hogtied to their masters demands sure and all and to be fair enough to them there now an all Still?!
If you want a team you buy a team, if you want a never ending project policy for money you will never have a team and even an old codger like myself can understand that to be fair there now sure still and also should anyone forget.
WTF. All the teams I’ve played in through the years work on offensive and defensive plays and that’s at a lower level. So if you’re questioning whether Celtic do, that would surely be ludicrous or an absolute scandal and wildly unprofessional
I am often sometimes looking here, sometimes happy, sometimes sad.
My friend him say, ‘Football!’ no, no good, all bad, all gangster make money buy I am say, No!
Glasgow Celtic is good, good team, good men, often sometimes I am wishing go see game but I am shy and friend no like now I am sad.
Family like, yes, Celtic, but not so want see live, only father who is good and proud and strong and love men like him with same good feeling and strength and human people.
Some say I am wrong but I am always say No! I am right, for Celtic always stand up and sing and I am man love to singing but still people feel sad for me and look lie I am idiot when I know I am strong one.
Good friends I know come Celtic and good friends world over Celtic have.
I am one!
Yes!
Go Celtic!
Now we make bad Rangers sad!
Taylor is the weakest link in celltic team.
Defending set pieces is always difficult with such a small team.
O’Riley with his height can’t jump.
Got a feeling of deja vu.
BR and the team has regressed to February 2019,
just before he left for Leciester.
Were we not all pulling our hair out then as well about the
neverending side-to-side passing of the ball, lack of taking the man on,
lack of shooting etc.?
Yet, we still bagged another Treble – under Lenny – so we couldn’t moan? 🙂
Thought the team had got its mojo back with that unexpected ibrox win,
but we now look flat and short of fresh ideas.
Worrying.
Does the Celtic Goalkepper inspire any of his team mates the Gollie should be going for crosses and helping no the one we have is a vampire he bottles it at any crosses and what is it with the penalty taker do a wee jig before the spot kick sorry lets go back to put your laces through the bloody ball ya sand dancer .
We should practice them more, but we also need a commanding centre half who wins almost everything in the air that comes into our box. For all his excellence, CCV does not win a lot of balls in our penalty box. He is not a Van Dijk or a Boyata or even a Julien. So far Scales, while an improvement on Starfelt, doesn’t look like he can massively improve things in that area. Perhaps Nawvroski will.
Ave complained about this repeatedly. Not enough height at the back. Thats why CCV is worth £6mill and not even more. Hes just not tall enough. That goal was a disgrace. The corner should never have been conceded. Callum goes with his left foot leads to the corner when if he takes it with his right its out for a shy. Greg Taylor having a close up check on the state of the grass whilst the guy has a free header. We have lacked a real physical presence for ages and that why we carry no threat with our corners and cant defend at the other end. Its doing my head in. its been obvious for years now. Mid to defence not enough physicality and height
I remember when Chris Sutton headed the ball.
Austin McPhee is the Aston Villa and Scotland set piece coach.
I think you are right we badly need to get our act together at both attacking and defending set-pieces and corners. Teams like Motherwell are happy to defend and wait for the chance to get corners or free kicks as they know it is their best chance to score. Similarly with Sevco, who use Tavernier and Barasic to great effect against us.
We are criminal when it comes to set pieces, corners, long throws, penalties etc. We hardly ever use them to our advantage and our opponents only need a sniff of one of these and we more often than not concede a goal. Motherwell just brought on some big guys, won a quick corner and boom, it’s a goal. We have too many little guys and a goalie who should be doing better at corners. We are too pre occupied with practicing and playing silky football. This is not enough, we need to improve our return from set pieces. I can’t remember us ever being this bad.