Whatever plan Philippe Clement had for dealing with Celtic tomorrow was utterly destroyed this afternoon with the news that their goalkeeper, Jack Butland, is out of the game after being taken to hospital with internal bleeding.
That sounds pretty grim, and I’m sure we all wish him a speedy recovery. The good news is that he seems to be on the mend, as he was released from the hospital this morning. But while we can sympathise with anyone in that situation, and we do, most of our focus—and Clement’s—must shift to the game.
And now, Clement must come up with a Plan B.
Last night, I wrote in one of my articles that Clement has become a manager reacting to circumstances rather than shaping them. This is a textbook example of what that looks like. He is in all sorts of trouble now. If he’s as astute as he’s made out to be, he’ll already have acknowledged the scale of the challenge he faces tomorrow and will be scrambling to adapt his team accordingly.
He’s dealing with a nightmare scenario.
His first-choice right-back is out. His first-choice central defence is out. Now his first-choice goalkeeper is out. Whatever defence he manages to field tomorrow will be a patchwork version of what he originally intended. A sensible manager would focus on protecting the defence and goalkeeper as much as possible, but Clement is managing at home, he’s 14 points behind in the league, and the question of whether he can afford to set up cautiously is a massive one.
No manager wants to be in this position: trying to limit the damage while also needing to find a way to win the game. It’s an incredibly damaging scenario for him.
I think one of the likely outcomes here is that Leon Balogun will play, even if he’s limping onto the pitch in obvious distress. Any manager under the kind of pressure Clement is facing will take desperate measures. So, if Balogun can walk, I think he’ll be drafted in, regardless of whether he’s 100% fit.
That’s something Celtic must exploit to the fullest.
At the same time, we must remain vigilant and guard against complacency. Injury-ravaged sides can still be dangerous if you take your eye off the ball.
I wrote earlier about Brendan Rodgers and his fabulous press conference yesterday. I don’t detect the slightest hint of complacency from him, and I doubt he’ll allow any to creep into the team either. He will be working hard to ensure Celtic is focused and ready. If we show up for business tomorrow, we will win this game, and the title race will be put to bed once and for all.
What happens to Clement after that is none of our concern. No doubt it will be discussed at great length: what it will cost his to sack yet another manager, what it will mean for their plans in the January window and beyond. But ultimately, I care far more about what Celtic does, because our decisions will dictate not just our immediate future but their long-term quality of life.
Remember that.
It is Celtic’s decisions that will have the greatest impact on them, more than anything they are capable of doing themselves. If we extend Rodgers’ contract, if we continue to back him in the transfer market with quality, then there’s nothing they can do to stop us. All they’ll do is remain trapped in their endless rinse-and-repeat cycle: hire a manager, fire a manager, hire a manager, fire a manager.
So how does Clement deal with it? How does he line up his side tomorrow? Does he have any initiative left to go on the offensive, to try to take the game to Celtic in key areas, to match us, or to overwhelm us early on?
His backline was already going to struggle with the pace and power Celtic bring. Now, with the latest injuries and absences, how they’ll cope is an even more critical question.
If Clement decides to go gung-ho and play an attacking system, he’ll leave his defenders painfully, brutally exposed. But with his team 14 points behind in the title race, playing a home game where their fans fill 100% of the ground, and with his job on the line, can he really afford to sit back and play the more defensive game that a sensible manager—or even just one with room to manoeuvre or some benefit of the doubt—might choose here?
When Rodgers first visited Ibrox last season with Celtic, facing our own defensive crisis, he knew better than to play recklessly. Rodgers was under a bit of pressure at the time, but he also had some benefit of the doubt and, crucially, the experience and talent to get the best out of the 11 players he had available. Many of us kept faith in that.
Clement, on the other hand, has no such benefit of the doubt left. This past week has well and truly destroyed any goodwill he might have had. Yet the home fans will still expect him to try to hurt Celtic, to play on the front foot and go for the throat. If he tries that and gets it wrong, the damage we could inflict on them would be catastrophic.
There’s no question in my mind that if Clement had a team that was, if not fully fit, at least in better shape—if he still had his goalkeeper, his captain, and a Balogun capable of playing 90 minutes without fear of breaking down—he would try to play an attacking style. He would try to put Celtic under pressure and go all out to win the match.
But one by one, his choices have been stripped away. He’s looking at his team sheet now and must be thinking, “How the hell am I going to handle this?” This isn’t about what they can do anymore; it’s about how they stop what Celtic is going to do.
In these circumstances, it would take Celtic turning in our worst performance of the season for them to get anything out of this game other than another hard-luck story. Clement isn’t going to be able to play the game he hoped to play. He’s not planning for how to take on our team anymore; he’s patching up his own side.
Whatever he had in mind a week ago, that’s gone. Whatever optimism he might have felt seven days ago is now completely wiped out. It’s our job tomorrow to turn up the pain, and I’m sure we will.
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There are no lifebelts being thrown in their direction, no help from anywhere and so they are sinking and drowning. It is Brendan’s job to push the hose down their throats and turn the pressure up full throttle……and so it shall be done Amen.
If the Ibrox Klub didn’t need the Match Day Revenues so bad I could see them angling to have the game postponed. Injuries, sudden ‘unverifiable’ outbreak of the Winter Flu Virus, Met Office Severe Weather Warning for ice and snow and perhaps them not even being able to afford switching on the ‘Leccie’ for the under soil heating.
An unfortunate confluence of circumstances, completely outwith their control of course, whereby the magnanimous SPFL Bods feel justified in assisting them in their hour of need.
Also deals with, or merely delays, the anticipated alcohol fuelled Klan meltdown if we ‘pump them rotten’. All that adverse publicity from their delightful (sic) clientele rampaging through our Dear Green Place’ with the statues of George’s Square under threat once again. All conducted with not a ‘Hooped shirt’ in sight.
Never mind what team he’s able to cobble together to start, I think his bench will be one of the main talking points. We’ll be bringing on guys like Idah, Bernardo, n Valle. Who the fek are they bringing on to change things??
That’s a brilliant point. Their first 11 will still basically contain their main “front six” even if their defence isn’t the strongest however they won’t have the luxury of bringing on the quality we have NOR will they be able to cover any defensive injuries during the game or bring on seasoned players to “see out the game” should they be leading with say15mins to go.
Who the fuck is gonna take the Sevco penalties – Cos they are coming to them…
On The Subject of Jack Butland – Speedy recovery to him for sure…
Internal bleeding sounds quite a serious illness and despite having no time for his employers (Sevco FC) I wish the big fella a speedy recovery and a good result for him medically…
But not a good result for his (football) team obviously !
Stay safe all Celtic players and supporters out there tomorrow !!!
I think Rangers will sit deep today as they have no pace at the back, similar to the last game.They will again be over physical and play the long ball.
I have never been so confident of a Celtic victory today.
‘Rangers’ won’t sit deep because they don’t exist to sit deep…
SEVCO may very well sit deep though !