A Jogging Team: Celtic’s Ibrox Capitulation

On this week’s free to all podcast, we pick through the bones of a truly dreadful 3–0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox, with Harry joined by Matthew & Andrew to ask how Celtic could be so comprehensively outfought and outplayed.

The discussion starts with team selection but quickly moves to the bigger problem: a side with no coherent shape, no resilience under pressure and seemingly no clear method of progressing the ball from defence to attack. Celtic’s midfield is repeatedly exposed, the forwards become isolated, and the lack of urgency is summed up by Matthew’s description of a wider “malaise” prompting Andrew’s line that Celtic have gone from a “jobbing team” to a “jogging team.”

The chat from the bhoys turns to whether this is something Martin O’Neill can actually fix with the squad he has. The use of a system that works against weaker domestic opposition but collapses when Celtic face teams capable of pressing with pace and physicality.

With another Rangers game looming, the conclusion is that simply swapping personnel won't be enough: Celtic need more energy in midfield, a clearer structure and, above all, a system that actually suits the players available. As Andrew puts it, the team looks like tissue paper against decent opposition, and after another 3–0 loss at Ibrox, the most positive assessment anyone can muster is - at least it was only three.

Enjoy…

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