PRE-MATCH COMMENT:. The early news was exciting………McDonald was injured and Maloney was taking his place but the reality was that Samaras was the man to play up front, with Maloney on the bench. Caldwell was injured, so it was our first chance to see Loovens.
The corresponding game last season saw Celtic win 4-1 with McGeady scoring a hat-trick
BORUC ….…….7 Had a busy day having to save 5 shots and some of those saves were top class.
HINKEL.... ….. 6 A better performance than of late but I still feel that his confidence levels are low and his defensive weaknesses are still all too clear to see.
LOOVENS….…. 6 The type of debut I prefer. Loovens put in a very solid, if unspectacular, performance and settled very easily alongside McManus. He is comfortable on the ball and I couldn’t really tell if he was a right or left footed player.
McMANUS…. …6 In the opening few minutes he hit 2 very good crossfield, long balls and then put his defence under pressure with a dangerous crossfield pass! Has always found Higdon a difficult opponent and so it proved again.
WILSON …….….7 Did not reach the same heights as last week but still put in a very sound performance and might just be making the left back his own.
McGEADY …. …..7 Was a constant thorn to the Falkirk defence, particularly in the second half. Thoroughly enjoyed linking up with Maloney again and some of the moves were top class.
BROWN. ………… 7 Another player who benefited as soon as Maloney came on and, as he is another player with quick feet, the linking play was top class. Was rightly subbed after picking up a booking which no-one, other than the ref, knew why.
HARTLEY ……… 7 Although he started off in his usual holding role as the game moved Celtic’s way, he became more of the attacking midfielder we remember from Hearts. Has a great sense of anticipation and often ‘knicks’ the ball from the toes of his opponents.
NAKA…….. …….. 7 I just love the amazing ability he has when it comes to controlling, passing and linking. Will love the fact that Maloney is back.
SAMARAS.... ….. 7 He’s not a natural leader of the line but he does have good movement and made a couple of great runs, one of which set up his first goal. Another member of the Maloney fan club.
JVOH………………5 Was doing alright until a nasty clash ended his participation.
SUBS
MALONEY …….. MOM 8 Was given a very warm welcome as he ran on to take over from JVOH and then went on to remind us that he is a very talented footballer, full of running and a very quick brain. Set up the 2 goals for Samaras with delightful passes/flicks.
KILLEN…………. 5 Was our poorest player last year and although he was a little better he will never make it at C.P.
CROSAS ………. 6 Only on for about 15 mins but never wasted a pass and looked very composed.
REF…………. (Brines) 5 The ‘wheel of decisions’ that I referred to last week turned a little quicker this weekend, not at C.P., but at Pittodrie. At C.P. Brines as usual continued to baffle the supporters with some strange non-decisions.
THE GAME ……8 After the substitution, Celtic played the type of football I pay my money for. It was kept on the ground and it was fast and positive.
GOALS ………. 1. Don’t know which part of McManus’s body it came off but the ball ended up in the net!
2. A lovely flowing move ended with Maloney spotting Samaras’s great run and slipping through a lovely pass.
3. A quick piece of great close passing set up Samaras to slot the ball past the goalkeeper.
COMMENTS ….. 1. There was a moment late in the second half when Naka got the ball near the corner flag and, with some bewildering footwork, nutmegged the defender and then, tight on the byline, bamboozled him again. It’s what I pay my money for………just great.
2. Sno has gone, Robson might have been injured but what about Donati?
3. The Rangers game next week is an intriguing situation for those of us who like to take on the Manager’s role.
Does Loovens stay in the team? (probably not).
Does he bring the bite of Robson back to the midfield and if he does who drops out?
Will Maloney retain his place if both McDonald and JVOH are fit? (I hope so).
4. Remember, on Thurs the draw is made for the C.L. proper and the possibilities are as follows: (* not qualified yet)
Pot A: Chelsea…….Liverpool ***..FC Barcelona ***…. Arsenal *** Manchester United..Olympique Lyon..Inter..Real Madrid
Pot B: Bayern München, PSV,Villarreal AS Roma Porto Werder Bremen Sporting CP Lisbon
Pot D: Olympiakos Piraeus ***… Fenerbahçe **.. Shakhtar Donetsk ***.. Fiorentina ***.. Spartak Moscow ***.. CFR Cluj.. FBK Kaunas *.. BATE Borisov *
My preference
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