The Highlight Reel
Ross Hall reviews Saturdays 5 goal bonanza
I said in my Friday preview that I didn’t really know what to expect from us at the start of the game against Kilmarnock, but the one thing I knew and that you knew was that we had to be better than we have seen recently. Well, this goal review and some extras are written with glee. The vast majority of the first 30 minutes were excellent and we ended in the 93rd minute with a wee sprinkle of joy to bring the final whistle
What we will see and what I’ll mention at the end is some common themes and hopefully shine some light on a few things that some might not have noticed.
Here are the highlights: Celtic score FIVE to edge closer to title! | Celtic 5-1 Kilmarnock | Scottish Premiership Highlights
5 Delicious Goals & The Killie one
1ST Goal: Reo Hatate (Assist: Greg Taylor) – 8 minutes
This goal was all about something that fast became a theme in the first 30 minutes. Good relationships between players, and positive movements. Cal has dropped in between Scales and CCV to give us a base of 3 that takes control. Scales move beyond Cal and takes a simple pass, quickly moves it on to Hatate, who kept finding this lovely spot in the left 10 area. Greg Taylor has become 1 of 2 central 10s (keep an eye on James Forrest). Hatate and Taylor play first touch passes to open up a space for Hatate (Forrest has taken a potential blocker away) and Hatate rips one into the top corner. Goal of the day already scored, or was it???
2nd Goal: Daizen Maeda (Assist: Alastair Johnston… I’m giving him it even if the statto bores aren’t) – 10 minutes
First half themes. Again, we set in a back 3, this time AJ, CCV and Scales. It quickly becomes a 2. Taylor our new number 10 was away ages ago and now AJ is off galivanting as well. Killie have put a trio (Trio, I want a trio and I want one now) around Cal in the middle. No bother, we ignore Cal which was great to see (no offence to Cal) and Scales goes straight to Hatate (Left 10) who first times it to Taylor (Zidane 10), to Forrest (Right 10), to Engels who is now wide of Forrest.
This is the bit I really liked and people will say Killie could had done more, of course they could have, but they didn’t do anything because we had them bamboozled. Engels waits, he doesn’t blast a shot or attempt a cross, just patiently waits for what he knows is coming. He’s seen the passing lane between the two defenders and he’s waiting. AJ is “ABOOT” there, just a wee bit longer. Passed with perfect weight. AJ has times his run well to stay onside and puts in a ball that defenders hate, low and hard across the front of goal. A bit of well-earned luck falls our way and Daizen Maeda gets the easiest finish he’ll likely ever have. Making his trademark run into the back post to ensure that if it gets there, then he’s getting his.
3rd Goal: Cameron “From Downtown” Carter-Vickers (Assist: Liam Scales, yes, I’m giving him it... I’m in a good mood) – 20 minutes
This was a result of us penning Kilmarnock in. Pressure was hard and high and they were clearing the lines in hope rather than by design. A throw in over on the left, we recycle the ball out. Our system in control at this point is a 2143 (sounds more like the end of a telephone number than a tactic) and CCV takes a pass from Scales around 40 yards from goal, takes advantage of the space that Taylor and Cal have created by drawing men in to them, Killie again really wanted to close down Cal and I’m delighted that we were letting Cal be a decoy a bit more often.
Then Boooooooooom…….
I know CCV appears to be a humble chap. He called this a shank. Well, if this is a shank I’d love to see him catch one clean. He steps on 10 yards and he absolutely rips one into the top lefthand corner. Shunsuke Nakamura would have been proud of the power and whip he got on that shot. The facials from Idah, AJ and many others were brilliant. Hands on head, wondering if they had had mistaken CCV for someone else. Nope, it was 100% Cameron and it was a peach of a hit. The only thing missing was a wild celebration, it was certainly worthy of one.
4th Goal: Reo Hatate (Assist: Alastair Johnston) – 23 minutes
Patterns, so pretty, so effective and so enjoyable to watch. Cal is now where you might expect to find Taylor and Killie are trying to work out who should be marking who. Greg Taylor is again in the left 10 space inside Maeda, and Hatate this time is central. We recycle the play to create a new point of attack and CCV starts the next wave. Actually, It’s maybe more of tsunami from Engels, Forrest and AJ down the right. In less than 18 seconds they’ve made 9 passes (all one or two touch). Engels as the right winger, Forrest as the right sided 10 and AJ as the runner between them. The passing is crisp, it’s a glorious wee dink from Forrest to put AJ in and his pass across the front of goal to Reo puts a Killie defender on his arse, Reo then leaves another on his arse and pops it into the bottom corner.
Killie were so determined to shut down the middle that they for 30 odd minutes just couldn’t cope with us having so many players acting as 8s and 10s in terms of their positioning and Greg Taylor was the catalyst, recognizing that Killie wanted to shut down Cal, so he just stepped up and in beside him and often well beyond him. Cal was good yesterday, yet at the end it didn’t feel like he’d controlled the game, but he had and that’s a great sign. 144 successful passes and over 150 touches, and Killie never got near him because those around him were giving him good options and his own movement was always unselfish and allowing everyone else freedom to go express themselves.
Fly in the ointment: Danny Armstrong Goal (Assist: Liam Donnelly… if I give AJ the first, I sadly have to give him this) – 28 minutes
It’s a free kick on the halfway line. A pass from Forrest is a bit off, Idah struggles to get control on the touchline and Lewis Mayo gets the pinch on it. Idah, I think is back in and likely to control Mayo, but AJ has a nibble and it’s a cheap free kick on the halfway line. Nothing to worry about, or so I thought. This was the one-way Killie were getting at us. Aim for big Joe Wright with every set play or throw in. Donnely hits a 40 yarder deep into our left back area. It goes over Wright, but his position stops Idah from moving back to try and get a head on the ball. Armstrong is beyond him, and maybe a touch of know your opponent from Engels comes into this. He gets over, but he shows Armstrong on to his stronger left foot. The cross come shot dipping in at the back post, well it happens. It was a tiny mark on a really good day. It’s not ruining my happiness.
5Th Goal: Anthony Ral”Dinho”ston (Assist: Reo Hatate) – 93 minutes
The second half has seen us slow down, the dynamics weren’t as prominent and Killie were just trying to keep it to less than a riot but this was a really good goal. We were taking lots of touches, lots of players just moving at walking pace and then CCV steps forward, finds a nice crisp pass into Hatate who steps out form his now striker role, showing great awareness having seen Ralston come inside of Kuhn and goal side of his marker, a wee dinked round the corner pass into his path. Now, stop and enjoy….
Ralston takes the ball in tight, sells the defender (who has to now go and get his ticket to get back in to this screening of Ralston scores a goal) and then goes back on the outside and finishes with a lovely strike low into the corner. Great bit of composure, good body movement and a well-executed finish from Ralston.
5-1 Lovely.
Some Notes. Gimme your best High C
The first 30 minutes or so were great. The loss of the clean sheet to be honest barely registers when you have watched us be so dynamic and aggressive for 30 minutes. It was a Celtic footballing masterclass. The only pity was we had to have half time as we came down the gears. Killie deserve credit in the second half. McInnes recognised the problems, changed the shape and gave them a bit more protection down the sides, but I think had we kept the tempo of the first half we could have done some serious damage to them. Our finishing was crisp, the one and two touch play at speed was being executed to a really high standard in the final third and everyone who started was contributing something. Even Adam Idah who I’ve seen take some stick. His on the ball stuff, not so great yesterday. I don’t think he’ll ever be a back to goal striker, but his movement and him being the focal point was keeping the central defenders deep and creating pockets in and around the box. Daizen was quiet but effective, again him staying wide left was allowing us to create pockets in behind the Killie midfield 3 and he got his goal and had one chopped off when VAR rule Idah offside in the buildup play.
We could talk about the passing numbers, over 1000 attempted, the possession of over 87% and be hyper critical about the lack of goals and attempts in the second half, but we won 5-1. I want to enjoy that and I really want to a give few players some major credit.
With that in mind, I’d love to show you all the dynamic of the three ten(ner)s we had yesterday. It was so aggressive, so pulchritudinous (I googled that word to sound clever, it means beautiful) and key to the arguably the best 30 minutes of football we’ve played this season.
Who were they….
Hatate playing left 10, Taylor playing Zidane 10 and Forrest at times as the right 10 with understudies Engels and AJ taking shots in there as well.
Let’s start with the well-deserved MOTM and new Dad, Greg Taylor
Now this heat map shows 2 things. His average position and his heatmap for touches, what it doesn’t show is the beaming smile he had when he entered the pitch as a new Dad with his baby girl. A truly beautiful moment.
We are all at times guilty of focusing on what a player doesn’t have, weakness and ignoring what they do have and do very well.
Greg at times gets a fair whack of criticism because of what he isn’t great at, but I bet if we asked those inside Celtic who one of our most consistent and improved players has been from the day they arrived that his name would be high up that list. He came in as a left back, not a shiny one with a fancy name from a fancy club. Just Greg who had played for Killie. He is now a player who has seen off many left backs with fancy names from fancy clubs and has racked up over 200 games, 10 trophies, 19 international caps (should be more imo) and has become far more than just the left back who runs up and down the line. Greg Taylor has embraced Celtic; he has embraced every challenge put to him by managers. Especially in recent years and Ange and Brendan are no easy taskmasters, yet he has continually looked to improve, and has tried be the best version of himself as a player and as a representative of our club. So, I’m standing up and giving that some huge credit because that’s the core element required for success, commit to the cause for the club, for your teammates and the fans and give it your all. He has done that, no one can say otherwise. He has been and continues to be a great servant to the club.
He is now a left back, a deep lying central midfielder and at times a number 10. When we signed him, I’d never had pictured that for him if I was being honest and maybe that’s part of the problem amongst the support when we look at Greg, we never wanted him to be the guy, but he has been the guy for years. We’ve had great success with him as our main man at left back.
It’s a Celtic career to be proud of and if he does go this summer, I hope he gets an amazing send off because he has earned it. His performance yesterday, much needed for us and maybe in part for himself. Yet again showing everyone why he’s held that role for so long.
Next up Reo Hatate, almost MOTM and this is the Reo I love:
His partnership with Taylor yesterday was brilliant. Him starting centrally, Taylor roaming into the 10 and Reo sliding to the left. It was like a choregraphed dance routine at times and their one and two touch passing roasted Killie at times. Then you top it off with 2 really well taken goals and an assist for Ralston. That dynamic and cutting edge is what we love to see from Reo.
Last but not least, old man Forrest showing he’s still got some.
The dynamic between him and Engels who was using his old right winger days from Club Brugge to good effect yesterday as he regularly stepped out from his starting position that was in a 10 role and out on to the wing as Forrest came inside. Then we had AJ who was getting down the outside and coming inside Forrest and Engels completing the triangle trio. They had poor Fraser Murray looking like he didn’t know what bucket day it was. So much so that he got hooked at half time.
These 3 players for me created that attacking dynamic we showed in the first half. They had a great support cast around them, but these 3 for me were the main drivers. Hatate left of centre, Taylor in the middle and Forrest on the right. Hopefully we see this continue through the final 6 or 7 games ahead of us because it really was a joy to watch.
A great win, a much-needed win and performance and hopefully a marker for how we start games going forward.
Hope you enjoyed the game and this summary.