Celtic take a step in the right direction

Article by e-Celtic's Tom Shanahan

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An emphatic 4-0 win was the perfect way for Ronny Deila to celebrate his first ‘home’ match in charge. KR Reykjavik may well be one of the easiest opponents Deila will face in his time at Celtic but the Hoops fans should be delighted with the manner in which the team performed, especially in the first half.

With Celtic 2-0 up inside the opening 20 minutes it was party time as the home support bathed in the Murrayfield sun shine. Celtic’s football was a joy to watch as they turned this European tie into little more than shooting practice. The change in style of play is not huge from last season but it is certainly noticeable. There is a real emphasis on playing a short passing game and the players are a lot more interchangeable within the formation.

One player who seems to be enjoying the change in regime is Leigh Griffiths. Griffiths will undoubtedly always see himself as a striker however; it is refreshing to hear how he is enjoying playing wide right. With Lustig or Matthews always willing to go on the outside Griffiths’ left foot is the perfect attacking weapon when cutting in from the right. Hopefully Griffiths has put all his previous troubles behind him and can now fully focus on becoming a mainstay in the Celtic side.

It was maybe a surprise then with so much free flowing football that the first two goals came from corners, as Virgil Van Dijk managed to bag himself a double.

No matter how much possession you may have during a match it is essential in modern football to be a threat from set pieces. With little between teams at the highest level of football more matches are now regularly settled from a dead ball situation. With this in mind Celtic will need to be dominant in both penalty areas throughout the season, especially when competing against a higher calibre of opposition. With two goals for the season already Van Dijk should also be striving to score more headed goals. Someone as powerful as him should be looking to get a goal tally close to double figures when you factor in his ability with the ball at his feet.

Teemu Pukki continued his hot streak by also scoring a brace. Although Pukki missed chances to increase his tally further he looks transformed and full of confidence.

Pukki along with youngsters Callum McGregor and Liam Henderson are the perfect examples why not rushing into the transfer market was the right decision by Deila. These are players who the manager may not have known a great deal about however, if they continue their recent good form then it may force Deila to rethink how many new additions he requires.

The only negative from Tuesday night’s performance was the occasional lapse in the team’s defensive play.

This is largely down to Celtic having a slightly more attacking approach. With both full backs basically playing as wingers it’s important the defensive midfielders are aware of the dangers around them. The team of course needs time to assess these mistakes however, these errors must be eradicated with a trip to Warsaw on the horizon.

Legia Warsaw defeated St. Patrick’s Athletic 6-1 on aggregate to set up the third round qualifier with the Scottish Champions. The score line flattered the Polish champions, with three of their five 2nd leg goals coming in the last ten minutes of the match.

Warsaw promises to be a more daunting trip than Reykjavik although Celtic should still be confident of defeating Legia over the two legs.

Legia, managed by ex-Rangers player Henning Berg fell at the play-off stage last season, being defeated by Steaua Bucharest. In fact it’s been 18 years since Poland had a representative in the Champions League group stages and since then the Polish domestic game has been on a downward spiral.

Many clubs in Poland encounter the same financial obstacles as Celtic in terms of low income levels from their domestic league and with most of their young talent moving abroad domestic football has suffered in the eastern European country.

If Celtic perform to the best of their ability and use the experience gained from their previous two European campaigns then Scotland should once again have a participant in the Champions League play-off round.

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