Confusion reigns as Celtic chase non-negotiable win against Celta Vigo
What are we to make of Celtic? This was among the first questions on the lips of visiting journalists from Spain crowding the Jock Stein Suite at Celtic Park on Wednesday night.
No one was expecting the Spanish inquisition. Well, that’s not strictly true actually. We all should have been, because it’s the obvious question. However, asking any Scottish reporter for guidance was pointless. We are as confused as anyone. So too are the pundits and many Celtic fans.
Are they the flat-track bullies – Chris Sutton’s description - who swept Hearts away on Sunday, only the fourth time in history that Hearts have lost 7-1? Or are they the team who gave a very strong impression of being unable to cope at Europe’s second-tier level in the first half against Benfica last week?
Even an improved performance in the second half, which Celtic ‘drew’, could not be trusted. After all, the Portuguese side had already done the hard work and were visibly easing off.
If Martin O’Neill has the answers, he wasn’t available to give them at the pre-match briefing. Assistant Shaun Maloney confirmed the manager was dealing with a personal matter but will be fit and able to take his usual place in the Celtic Park dugout for Thursday night's Europa League clash against Celta Vigo.
As happens often these days, O’Neill will greet an opposite number who is almost half his age. The 38-year-old Claudio Giraldez is the current youngest manager in La Liga and has already demonstrated his coaching chops having reached the last eight of the Europa League with Celta last season. They are currently eighth in La Liga.
Celtic are seeking a win that seems non-negotiable if they have ambitions of qualifying for the knockout stage. The Scottish side currently sit 33rd out of 36 teams.
Domestically, of course, it is a different story. Celtic are back leading the pack following that handsome win over Hearts. “Generally, in these competitions, the home games will determine whether you make it into the second stage, like we did last year,” said Maloney.
Celtic have been poor away from home in Europe for a very long time, but they haven’t been great at their supposed fortress of Parkhead either. Ferencvaros did a job on the hosts as recently as last month. It’s why the Green Brigade boycott of home games in Europe as well as the Scottish Cup, which will be implemented for the first time on Thursday, is such a vexed issue. Surely these fans don’t wish to harm their team’s chances of securing a result due to an ongoing argument with the club’s hierarchy. Is Maloney hopeful they might change their minds?
“I can’t really (say that),” he said. “It is a really difficult position. I imagine those guys are the same people who came to support us in Benfica and at Motherwell so no, it is a really difficult moment.
“I hope we get to the stage where we are all united again but no, these guys, if they are missing the game tomorrow then I respect their decision. I respect the guys who are coming to the game.
"I am really hopeful at some point we get back to the feeling we had at the end of the season, and what we had v Hearts. It was a brilliant atmosphere. I don’t think the fans should underestimate how big an impact they have.
“We were coming back from the Benfica defeat and they were brilliant,” he added. “Whoever the key guys are in the supporters’ groups and the club, hopefully we can find a way to get through this.”
Firstly, Celtic need to find a way to get past a very decent Spanish team. Maloney isn’t worried by the view of some pundits, who argued Hearts lost the weekend game 7-1 rather than Celtic winning it 7-1.
“I have no problem with that,” he said. “I have sat and done TV work, I have no problems writing or saying what they saw in the game. There was some really good stuff but there was also stuff we could do better – and we need to get better tomorrow night.
“Celta have a really open midfield and we need to minimise that,” he continued. “When we open the game up we can get hurt. We have been since the start of the season. We have to get better at that. It’s the trick of the job, get the balance right. Some of the stuff the players did …even some of the stuff they did against Benfica…has been very good.”
At this point Maloney mentioned 20-year-old striker Callum Osmand, who was brought in to play out of position on the left wing in Lisbon and was one of very few to impress. Although he was replaced by Jota at half time against Hearts, he looks set to resume in this new role from the start against Celta.
Celtic are light in numbers at the back, where Auston Trusty is unavailable following the death of his father. Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston have returned to training but won’t be considered until this weekend against Hibs. Up front, however, Celtic have options. It’s likely Kasper Hogh will continue to warm the bench which seems a remarkable sentence to write considering this is a must-win game and the Dane was the flagship signing of Celtic’s summer. Camilo Duran is expected to start in the centre-forward position. Although given half an hour against Hearts, Hogh was unable to break his Parkhead duck on an afternoon when goals were raining in. It wasn't a good look.
“At times in football it’s the guy in top form who is in the team,” said Maloney. “It’ll be the same in the No.9 position, centre back or goalkeeper, all of these positions. Sometimes whoever is in form plays.
“There are also moments when the boss wants to play two or three players in a certain game, so someone might come out of the No. 9 and play wide or something completely new like Ossie (Osmand) playing in the wide position.
“It’s a really good issue to have. Kasper is a really good player. He’s definitely been low on confidence recently. I thought he was much better when he came on against Hearts and had a really good assist. On the other side of that, Camilo is absolutely flying right now.” How Celtic desperately need this to continue being the case.