Parkhead 09/03/2019

From The Dung Heap

An analytical look at The Dons & our opponents

Celtic - Celtic Park

SPFL Premiership- 9/3/2019

So again we play someone with a much greater budget. At least this bunch have made it with the
help of UEFA rather than crooks and thieves.

They’ve lost Brenda! Yay!

We get to shout at that dick Lennon! Yay!

They’re still massively better than us! Ya… Oh fuck.

Rodgers was a proper manager. I didn’t think he’d be capable. He should have made some terrible
signings. He should have had such contempt for the league that he’d take his eye off the ball at some
point domestically. The only time he did it was with the Red Imps. God that was looking like we’d
really have something to capitalise on there. I think that was the catalyst for what came after. He
really fucking concentrated didn’t he? Well fuck him. He’s gone and just almost nobody in Scotland
remembers him fondly. Funny that. 7 straight title wins without one single domestic slip up and the
precious little buggers throw a strop when he rides off towards his deserved financial windfall. Plus,
he gets to work with James Maddison. Remember that free kick? Ooft!

So we don’t have much to work with here. Lennon has said that playing out from the back has been
rapidly thrust into the bin and in my eyes that is totally moronic. Why the fuck would you come in and
totally rock the tactical apple cart that has won SEVEN TITLES IN A FUCKING ROW NEIL!?

Goals

At Parkhead Us away from home

Goals for: 2.56 Goals for: 1.19

Goals against 0.48 Goals against 1.00

xG for: 2.44 xG for: 1.42

xG against: 0.66 xG against: 1.34

This isn’t great. We’re pissing into the wind looking for inspiration here. Something we can
hold onto is that they might not be settled. A defensive display from Hearts (I didn’t see it but it was
Levein, how attacking could it be?) allowed them to get through 90 minutes at Celtic Park without
losing. Just a shame injury time happened isn’t it Craig?

So keep it tight and sneak something. If they’re not playing it out from the back then there might
be a chance to build from them lumping it up the park. Taking just the Hearts game the xG totals are
more level. 1.73 for and 1.06 against. It could get a bit lumpy if we keep playing the long ball to
Cosgrove trying to pick up the second ball and if they’re going to go long to Edouard or Burke who
both clock in at over 6ft. If we can finally get McKenna and Devlin on the park at the same time then
we’ve got a chance. God I love them together. It’s criminal that they’ve played so few games together.
That’s my main thinking behind us not having been as successful as we maybe should have been
this season.

If we can turn the tables and play like Rodgers had Celtic playing then we could leave Celtic Park
having had more possession than the hosts. If we can do that then they could panic and let us in.
Will they? Will we? Do we have the balls to go there and play football? Perfect segway into…

Tactics

We’re going 5 at the back. We were forced into it in the Hamilton game at home, Hibs away in the
League (that’s Lennon for those unaware) Hibs away in the League Cup (yep, Lennon again) and
maybe Burnley away if you take Hoban as a third CB.

So we’ve actively tried 5 at the back against Lennon when we’ve been away from home. Add to
that we’ll have McKenna, Devlin and Considine available and Lowe and Halford will probably be
shoehorned in to give them game time before the replay at Ibrox and it’s for me, a given.

I’d like to see 4 at the back. I’d like to see a 4-2-3-1. I’d like to see May behind Cosgrove with
McGinn and McLennan wide. I’d like for a lot of things to happen… I just can’t see it though.

For them, Lennon tried 5 at the back against us with Hibs and he’s chopped and changed the
formation but I can only see a 4-2-3-1 for what Celtic will see as a routine win. Forrest and Sinclair
have been brilliant lately and whether it’s Rogic or Christie in the hole, it doesn’t really matter. If
we’re going to beat them they’ll need to be having an off day. That’s just the facts of facing a team
that’s paying multiple times what we are.

Yet they still moan when it happens to them in Europe…

The goals they have lost recently

Bozniac Penalty for Hearts

That brilliant Motherwell goal that we can’t really glean any tactical significance from apart from
“if they put the ball out for one of their own players going down, fucking keep it”

Gamerio for Valencia is a wonderful cross ball behind their defence for the winger to nod back a
cross and it’s a tap in

Some goal that doesn’t matter because the goalscorer slithered up to it and pokes it with his long
sleekit tongue and got a hoachy deflection. Snake cunt

May Penalty

Cosgrove Penalty

Ferguson tap in from a corner

Dabbur scores with a ball behind their defensive line, comes back, into the box and a headed goal
on the 6 yard line for Salzburg

That hilarious Gordon fuck up. No tactical significance but bloody funny.

Brophy Penalty

Johnson for Well. Stramash then a sweet shot to the bottom corner.

Ball in behind the back 4 from a beautiful cross. Header on the 6 yard line for Augustin for Leipzig

Cunha and Bruma score from crosses into the box from each wing for Leipzig

Kamberi scores a peach from just inside the box.

Martin Boyle dinks over the keeper from a through ball.

So take out the penalties and you’ve got a high defensive line to take advantage of. This is going to
be difficult if we play the way we normally do. Winning second balls and building attacks from there
isn’t going to be any use for us. Their defensive line drops back when they lose it and it all goes tight.
Build from the middle of midfield then try to have our wingers go one on one with their full backs.
Get an early ball in and we might just have a big beanpole in the middle who can take advantage of
that. And don’t forget, Cosgrove can play with the ball at his feet. Get a good ball in and we’re going
to be able to take advantage whether it’s high or low.

Passmaps

League Cup Final 0:1

Everyone seems to have their role. Lots of pass backs from out centre backs. Lots of lumps to
Cosgrove from Lewis. Seemed to work pretty well. Really obvious 4-2-3-1. The wingers are involved
enough and linked up well with the full backs. Then Ryan Christie did that thing. Yeah… Sake!

Celtic Park 0:1

Gary, Gary, Gary. WINGer! Go wide. Stretch their back 4. Get the fuck out of the middle and let the
toad in the hole do his job. I don’t care how much you like yorkshire pudding, get out on the fucking
wing! Other than that… Very attacking full backs. Kind of stepping on the wingers toes so push them
wider and we might see some more goals in the right bloody net.