A Tactical Error Or An Error of Judgment?

Celtic Fan Discussion
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Was going to post this after the game on Sunday but decided against it due to the stresses and ultimately the relief of getting to the end of the game still 6 points clear of our nearest and dearest rivals :grimacing:

For the first time this Season my swear box exploded at half time during this game.
The main reason being Reo Hatate emerging for the 2nd half after what can only be described as a fairly anonymous appearance in the first 45.
I say anonymous because he didn’t impact the game in any way shape for form other than being poor.
It’s no his fault as he’s openly stated he’s feeling fatigued and hasn’t performed at a decent level for at least 3 games maybe more?
Yet he still starts under Ange.
I’ve always argued that most if not all Managers tend to have a blind spot for certain players and let them away with more than perhaps others :man_shrugging:t2:
Hatate would seem to be Ange Postecoglou’s blind spot.
No player, no matter how good should be beyond dropping if they are struggling and with fatigue especially.
Fatigue is only remixed by rest and recuperation not more demanding output.
I don’t get this mentality of him paying through it mysel,not when in doing so it is creating a situation where those around him ie O’Riley on Sunday are having to do the job of two players.
The reason as I seen it was simple,O’Riley was having to do the job of two players.
That’s why O’Riley also came off knackered after just 60 minutes.
Ange doesn’t seem to want to alter the shape or roles in Midfield.
A change that would have removed that extra burden from the likes of O’Riley o and Rogic in these tight games.
When the change was made I was hoping for Ange to alter things in the middle.
Why stick with a single pivot (McGregor/Bitton) with two in front :man_shrugging:t2:
Common sense decrees that you simply alter to a double pivot with a 10 in front rather than stick with a single and two in front.
ie

               BITTON               MCGREGOR 

                          ROGIC

It’s not as if all 3 who seen the rest of the game out haven’t played in this setup previously?
Brown was McGregors wingman under Lennon and Rodgers when he played and Twinkle Toes Tam has been deployed as a 10 / playmaker most of his career at Celtic.

The tactical error in my opinion was moving McGregor out of his deeper role as he has been the link man between back and front for the entire Season.
He’s been the pace setter in the engine room also and no matter how good or bad Bitton is he’s never been either at Celtic.
He breaks up play,passes well and is a solid performer but he’s never been what McGregor or Brown was in there for that matter.
Bitton doesn’t drive games he snuffs them out.
McGregor can still break out and launch attacks from a double pivot because Bitton is there to provide the cover if needs be if he or we lose possession.
I think Van Bronkhorst outsmarted Ange after his subs with brining Jack in for the mostly anonymous Davis( due to O’Rileys efforts) as a result Arfield got more involved and we went from front foot Celtic first half to defensive Celtic absorbing attacks.
The over reliance on an evidently fatigued player and the lack of flexibility in Ange’s thinking almost cost us a 6 point lead.
I don’t care what anybody thinks or says the pressure would have been on big style had that been the case.
As it is we got away with it this time.
I sincerely hope Ange has a look at this game and his thinking going into it before we meet tough opponents again.
You won’t get away with decision making like that in the Champions League never mind against a resilient Rangers desperate for a win.

Drop Hatate and be more flexible within the System it’s still a 4-3-3 Ange at the end of the day.

strong text

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I too thought the selection left us a bit weak.

I felt the subs who were brought on around the 60 min mark should all have started.

Big GG would have headed home Maeda’s first half chance and maybe big Tam would have put away Maeda’s early second half chance.

I thought if GG had started it would have thrown TRIFC 2012’s game plan out the window and gave us a real presence up front.

Unfortunately TRIFC 2012 come away from the game in a better psych due to their end of game dominance. If we had a 2 goal cushion at any stage of the game, they would never have came back :four_leaf_clover:

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I agree on the Giakoumakis/Kyogo decision as I do t think Kyogo is looking 100% match fit yet.
Pressing and closing down was the hallmark of his early Season form before injury and I thought during the game he was picking and choosing his moments a bit when to apply the press.
As a result they were afforded the time and space to build and play out from.
This probably wouldn’t have mattered as much had Hatate not been so poor and struggling with the pace of the game.
The thing about a high press is everyone has to do it ,you can’t have passengers as it creates space for the opposing side to run into and break the press. Lundstrum basically sauntered through the game as a result.
Giakoumakis starting gives them issues to deal with they simply don’t get with Kyogo.

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Did Ange not say he keeps playing him to toughen him up with regard to playing here ? Maybe that was just an excuse to keep playing him ….if it was it’s not a good one.

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He basically said it’s a tougher schedule and wants him to get used to playing through it.
My issue with that is ,is this is Fatigue and the only way to cure fatigue is proper rest.
Hatate quite early into the game was given a ball out of defence and he had free space to run into and Lundstrum who was a good 5 yards behind managed to catch him.
He was running like he was wearing ankle weights and running through wet cement.
That’s the point Ange should have realised he had ufcked up.
I was astonished Hatate came back out after half time.
A simple change to 4-2-1-3 from the 4-1-2-3 and it’s problem solved without altering the basic 4-3-3 setup.

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The real error was not playing both Kyogo and G.G. together in the middle as Rangers now drop Lundstrum deep and spread Galston and Bassey wide when they have the ball so no matter what stage of recovery Kyogo is at or G.G. alone it is too big a ground to make up when pressing their defenders and it allows them the time to batter long diagonal balls on to our full back areas. They don’t want to play through midfield and want to get over loads on us in wide areas and it spreads us so wide in midfield that we cant get n the ball and play close passing football.
This has happened in 3 games now and we have failed to dominate the game and we have been forced into areas they want us.
We don’t have the height or strength collectively so we need to keep the ball and work closely together moving it fast.
When they hit ball up the middle ccv and starfelt won everything but it was different when they hit us wide.

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A simple change from his preferred 4-1-2-3 to a 4-2-1-3 would have solved the issue this game without compromising his preference for a 4-3-3

4-1-2-3

               MCGREGOR 

      O’RILEY           HATATE

After the changes

4-2-1-3

        BITTON          MCGREGOR 

                 ROGIC

This enables McGregor to get forward when required with cover in behind with Bitton whilst simultaneously allows him to drop deeper as the link between defence and attack.
What happens in front doesn’t really affect this key change in shape.
No brainer .

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