 Having watched the spineless capitulation of the ever-deteriorating Celtic team, I can only come to one inescapable conclusion: Sunday can't come quick enough. Yep, Hibs are in with a great chance of beating the lesser greens for the first time since 2000 when the long since departed Pat McGinlay and Kenny Miller scored in an all too easy 2-1 victory. Celtic were just not very good.
Since 2000 they have actually been quite good, but Tuesday night was pivotal.
Although it was not Martin O’ Neill’s first loss in Europe since he took over
[It was his third, after Bordeaux and Ajax], it was by far the worst. Celtic
were systematically dismantled not by an exceptional team bound to win the
trophy as most Celtic fans would like to believe, but by a good champions
league team. Nothing more, Nothing less. The cracks are showing, and MON
must be realising he has done all he can with Celtic if he is not going to
receive the funding to stengthen the squad.
"MON must be realising he has done all he can with
Celtic"
Celtic were never a one-man team with Henrik Larsson, BUT they are a
completely different proposition without him. Juninho looked ineffective at
Champions league level, the same could never be true about Henrik. So, whilst
they were never a one man team with him, they do a good impression of a one
dimensional team without him. Bereft of ideas and imagination, MON tinkered with
the formation in the hope of making a silk purse from a sow’s ear. Some things
are beyond even his managerial talents.
What of the players that are left? Fair dues the goalkeeper was impressive in
keeping the score down: I think our main problem on Sunday will be getting past
him. He is a big, big improvement on Rab Douglas. Neil Lennon is now looking the
fat pub player we all knew him to be, and failed to exhibit any control over the
marauding Barcelona midfield. Not that he received much support from Stillian "I
go down quicker than Monica Lewinsky" Petrov. And if Didier Agathe is a full
back, then I am a mars bar; if I was Mogga I would have Dean Shiels running at
him from the first minute.
The central defenders fared little better. Varga and Balde [Who was "going to
get you" but never got remotely close enough to get anything or anyone] looked
pedestrian. Juninho and Thompson have to be closed down and denied time and
space to operate. Although if Tuesday night was anything to go by, Juninho wont
do much even if he does get time and space. He certainly did not threaten
Barcelona much from his position in the bath in the second half.
Playing an offside trap might be a good idea too: considering how Celtic’s
dim strike force struggled to stay onside against Barcelona. There is much less
to fear from this Celtic team on the wane. A far cry from the team that beat us
by three clear goals three times on the trot back in 2001.
"There is much less to fear from this Celtic team on the
wane"
Much depends on which Hibs team turns up, will it be the one which outpassed
and outclassed Dundee for 60 minutes. Or the other Hibs team that contrived to
lose a 4-1 lead against Dundee.
Talking to the official club newsletter, the manager and captain had this to
say:
Mogga: "Even although Celtic will have a strike force
consisting of possibly Juninho, Camara, Hartson, or Sutton, with the Hibernian
supporters behind our guys and encouraging them, cheering them on, then
I have to say why not?"
Murray: "We face a real challenge on Sunday
against the league champions and I know that we will have to be at our very
best. But although we are a young side we have several players in our line up
who have played and beaten both sides the Old Firm last year. Since then we have
been listening and absorbing the lessons from Tony and the coaching team and
we can win this game."
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