Dundee 1 Celtic 2

3 points but nothing new

After a spell of being able to put Celtic to one side and drown out that absolutely rancid performance on our last visit to Dundee, it was another trip back to the City of Discovery; this time to see if we’d actually discovered the ability to play football.

The team sheet came out and while I hadn’t voted inline with the Celtic Underground Subscribers who picked this starting eleven in our polls:

Instead we got a team that had 9 of 11 players our subscribers voted for:

The first half was better than some of the stuff we’ve seen recently. Not great, but it was a huge improvement on our last trip to Dundee.

We at least used the conditions properly, with the wind at our backs, pressed a bit better and took the lead early. Scales played Maeda in down the left, some decent link-up follows, and eventually Tierney appears to get some good fortune, as for me he scuffs his cross into Cvancara.

What happens next sums Cvanacara up; as he does something well and something wrong in quick succession. Good touch and then hits his shot straight at McCracken. The keeper should do better, palming it straight out, but Yang deserves credit. He’s developing a real habit of arriving at the back post, and his clever dink over the goalie ends up with Nygren apparently bundling it in, only for the camera to show Yang pinched it back off of the Swede. Nygren tried to claim it, but has to settle for the assist.

Then the familiar problem returns: we don’t take chances.

We create three very good openings before half-time and waste all of them:

• Nygren slides one across goal: Yang and Maeda both half a yard off it

• Nygren puts Maeda through on goal, shot is straight at the keeper

• And the big one…

Maeda’s pressing wins it high and sets Cvancara away. It’s perfect: right side, space ahead, defenders beaten. All he needs is a clean first touch.

Instead, his touch is Kenny Miller-esque, and he has to take about 9 strides to catch the ball which takes him too close to the keeper, reduces his options…. and the dink he attempts comes back off the post. Iheanacho is celebrating before it hits the woodwork.

1-0 at half-time, and that familiar feeling kicks in….we’ve seen this before.

Second half, same story, Cvancara still chasing touches five yards ahead of himself.

Another guilt edged chance comes and goes, again because of poor control, and then the game shifts.

Dundee start making use of the conditions, finding space between lines, especially in wide areas. Halliday and Dhanda on the right, Yogane on the left, and we quickly lose control. And when that happens, our defensive structure looks exactly what it is: fragile and panicked.

The equaliser is coming from a mile away, and when it does, it’s more school boy defending.

From a corner (images below):

• 11 men back and in our own box

• No real pressure on the ball when Dhanda takes his touch before whipping it in

• No organisation, just players defending like they are terrified of players moving around them

Trusty clears, but everyone has collapsed towards goal. Three players then hopelessly chase the same ball like school kids, leaving Maeda in a 3vs 1. Congreve nods it back in and it drops behind Maeda, chaos follows as we scramble, Astley eventually gets a free hit, and it strikes Donovan’s hand.

Stonewall penalty. Murray takes it and it is 1-1.

No pressure – Cal and Nygren react late

Ball chasing and leaving Maeda 1 vs 3

At that point, the contrast is obvious. Dundee looked like a team with a plan. We looked like a team hoping something happens, and we went through 3 sets of subs. Iheanacho on for the misfiring Cvancara, then Ralston and McCowan on for Donovan and Chamberlain, and last but not least Forrest and Saracchi for Maeda and Tierney.

I have to say I really hoped McGregor and Chamberlain would find a connection on the pitch that showed the quality they both have, but 3 passes between them in around 70 minutes doesn’t suggest that’s coming anytime soon and we are still looking for a trio or system that allows our midfield to thrive in games.

Thankfully the subs had an impact, but that impact could have been killed early in the move that led to the goal, and this is where my building frustration with McGregor comes in. The constant pointing, slowing things down, directing play backwards; it’s been a problem all season long and it needs to stop.

The winning goal only happens because McCowan ignores him when he points for the ball to go back to Trusty.

Instead of going safe, McCowan plays inside:

• McCowan → Scales → Saracchi

• Lovely low cross from Saracchi

• Iheanacho bullies Astley, takes a good touch and then buries it

Two passes, one quality cross, one shot - goal. 2-1

Sometimes the safest option is the problem for us, and we should be thankful McCowan ignored his captain in this instance.

Two minutes later, Dundee are down to 10 men. Yang reads the flick-on from Iheanacho, bursts through the middle, and is taken out. Clear red card based on what we’ve seen this season.

At 11 vs 10, you expect control. Game management. Authority.

We showed very little of that.

Dundee still looked the more coherent side, still pressed, still played with belief. We saw it out, but nothing about the performance suggestsreal progress is being made, or that the hours spent on the training pitch are helping this team. We still have players who look like they’ve never met, players who are struggling with their fitness after 60 minutes and players who are making basic mistakes under minimal pressure.

Ultimately it is three points and that’s our positive from this game, we make up a few points on Hearts and the margin is now 1 game, but performance wise it was nothing new.

We’re still a team with no clear structure, and lacking any real cutting edge. Even with Hearts dropping points against Livingston, this didn’t move the needle from hope to expectation for me.

One game left before the split, at home to St Mirren. Another chance to find something resembling rhythm.

If we don’t find something in terms of performance aligned with a positive result, it’s hard to see where the points come from during the split against the rest of the top six playing like this, especially when our home fixtures against Hearts and Rangers look like two must win games.

I hope I’m wrong, but a team that spends most of its time passing between centre-backs and goalkeeper, with no real control through the midfield and minimal threat at the top end, doesn’t inspire much confidence in me, but at least they’re leaving me with hope.

Ross H