Your solutions

Close scrutiny is...today and in Europe and multiple games this season tbh. We've been horribly exposed down the flanks and that's nothing to do with us playing one striker deeper than the other or whatever. All the problems with this system are defensive, re-jigging the attack won't make a bit of difference. Its an easily exposed formation.

 

We weren’t any better defensively at the beginning of the season with 4 at the back. We were arguably worse.

Ultimately, until we start playing 3-5-2 I’m not prepared to write it off wholesale.

 

I'd feel a lot more comfortable with 4 at the back and it allows us to get more of our attacking players in the team and in their preferred positions. 3-5-2 is done for me. If we don't change it we lose the league imo.

 

Managerial shift. I love Lenny and it is not his fault. He is a defensive minded manager inheriting a attacking possession style squad from Rodgers.

That is showing now more clear then ever. Unfortunately


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Solution:

Don’t leave proven goal scorers on the bench

Eradicate “fitness” issues by playing players

Work out how to dominate our own box at set pieces. Every ball that comes in, it’s * panic and has been the case for far too long

Stop trying to fit elyounoussi in to a formation that doesn’t suit him

Accept that, currently, central midfield is a real worry

 

“Fitness” “Raw”

* HATE that excuse. Look at ibra tonight. Not kicked a ball in 3-4 weeks due to being sick in Corona.

Starts vs Inter, scores 2 and plays 90 min winning them the game. Why?

Because it’s HIS * RESPONSIBILITY being fit.


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The players couldnt motivate themselves to play in a champions league qualifier vs Ferencvaros. Which for some of those players, was a bigger game. Edouard, Ajer, Ntcham etc.

Frimpong didnt have a great game, but he has been one of the few this season that id give pass marks to so far. He still, at times, looks our main attacking outlet.

Frimpong ddidnt have anyone outside of him to pass and move off of or overlap. His job was a tough one.

 

If that is the case then its worrying that he hasnt re-stamped his mark on the team again.
He inherited that squad a good while ago now mate. You could argue the same when he took over from Mowbray.

 

They thought they just had to turn up v Ferencvaros. If any of them join Celtic and doesn't know that a huns match is our biggest, then they're in the wrong place.
As before v them, and same happens with Forrest, they just sit a midfielder inside a bit leaving Frimpong nowhere to go. I don't think I could count on one hand how many of his forward passes found a player.

Our two best chances both came from driving through the middle, Elyounoussi in the first half and Griffiths when he rounded McGregor.

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To be honest , this is what worries me. I was ok with Lenny taking over, but him trying to continue working on formations he clearly doesn’t understand is what brought us to this.

To his defence he had no chance rebuilding the squad to suit his tactics because that would mean selling the whole squad.

It’s like appointing a far right leader for a left wing party.


Do I blame him? Orc not. He’s a Celtic man, and would never say no to us. Problem is that every Defensiveminded manager in the world would say no, because they would have nothing to build with.

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Right, if the manager isn't to be (rightfully) shown the door, then we need to get back to basics.

As most are saying, formation is key in regards to the players we have.

We need a sensible shape and a formation that allows us to play to some of our advantages.

Back to a 442 would be nice, since we do know that overloading the defence and middle is wasted in Scotland, and more forward firepower is needed to break down the parked buses we come up against.

Two dynamic fullbacks in Frimpong and Laxalt playing on the flanks with Forrest and Ely should be a wetdream for most, combined with attacking options in Edouard, Ajeti, Griffiths and Klimala as a combination to make a pair.
Get the CB pairing sorted, stop shoehorning them in to a back 3, or shoehorning a RB in to CB and get it settled.
Ajer on the RCB and Julien on the LCB. When one is having a bad day or poor run of form - Duffy and Bitton can come in (or better yet afford time to Welsh).
One of the big issues Ajer has had the past two seasons (even now a third) is the lad is expected to be perfect, every, *, game. He barely ever gets a rest, but once he does he normally comes back looking sharper, only to hit a bad game and forced to play through it. Sub the lad off with a decent backup.
We get a decent backup if we play 2 CB and not 3 CB when we are already limited in numbers for that position in the first place.

Same goes for the CM pairing. Get it sorted so that McGregor and Turnbull long term is the way forward. Have Brown play a key role when needed, but equally if he is starting games and it looks like the game is going by him (as has been the case a lot this season) then at least Turnbull would be ready enough to take over, and not have a * excuse of not being match fit. We have the benefit of 5 subs this season, yet we seem to be determined to stick by the same 3 CB and same 3 CM till they break, then have no one ready to help out.

Partnerships are * key in football, the more the better. Not shoehorning Christie in to a striker role, or Ely.
Not shoehorning Elhamed in to CB, or Taylor to LWB or what ever other nonsense we want to pretend is fancy as *.

Barkas
Frimpong, Ajer, Julien, Laxalt
Forrest, Brown, McGregor, Ely
Ajeti, Edouard

Bain
Elhamed, Bitton, Duffy, Taylor
Dembele, Turnbull, Christie, Johnston
Klimala, Griffiths
​

Wlesh, Connell, Soro, Robertson (he out on loan actually?)

On their day, Brown and McGregor should control most games, but if one or the other is on an off day, Turnbull or Christie should be able to fill in quite fine.
Start getting some game time to guys like Connell, Dembele, Welsh before we end up losing them like we have with others lately.
5 subs allowed, that team should be able to be settled on the most part, but each player able to come in reasonably fluid.
Get the fullbacks overlapping with the two wingers, both of whom can cut in very well to support. Two strikers to learn when to go forward and when to drop in to the channels. The team to learn how to move forward as one unit and not the gapping gap we have lately where we have 5 defenders and Brown sitting behind the ball and the other 4 sitting 30 yards in front with half the opposing team in between. Move with each other - move forward together and move back togehter, the game goes down the left flank, the team should look to support down that side with the formation moving with it and each player having basically at least 2 or 3 options to pass in to.
LB can play to LW CB or even CM.
RW can play to RB if needed, CM or ST...this is basic football that we seem to have very little grasp of as we seem content to allow a gapping chasm between the defensive side of the team which sits with majority possession, while the attacking options are doubled up on.

Simplyfy it and get shot of players who are surplus....Ntcham I am looking at you!

 

Agree with that , but u won't see 4-4-2 much these days

 

Unfortunately not, alas.
But there is a reason it was so common for so long.
Somme teams are returning to it as well.

For me, we try to get 3 CM in (or CB) and pray it works, when it doesnt we have nothing to replace it with. At least if we play with 2 and make that work, the days it fails us we at least have the 3rd option to come off the bench and change one of the pairings. We are our worst enemy for most of these games, not till we play Lazio, Milan, Gladbach etc are we actually up against it, yet we play every domestic game like we are playing a game of chess in a world final.
It's football, it's basic * at times that we * up on.

 

Don’t worry, we’ll send a club employee to make an anonymous account on twitter to troll someone for posting stats about players declining

 

A lot of the stuff said here is reasonable in terms of formation and team selection. But it goes deeper than that. Lenny doesn't and I'll use aLenny word here, "nous" to comprehend u need more than formation to win. You need transitional plays from back to front and vice versa, how to build the play. How to break certain plays and presses. He's not capable or able to understand. Or worse, willing to understand.

Where the lack of fight or tempo comes from is baffling. As a player they should have some professional pride to do their best and play with a certain urgency. But ultimately it's all down to our coach...or lack of.

 

This is why, first and foremost a new manager is needed, IMO.

He's not got that ability (any more) to actually instill the passion, desire, the tempo, the press, the hunger...call it what we want, but that thing that makes the team click, to want to play and win every ball, it is gone. The manager needs to bring that and kick the * out of the players who arent doing it, till they do.

Lennon is far too passive and settled. I think he knows this in himself and is seeing out a comfortable job in the hope of getting the ten and going out as a manager spoken about in the same breath as Stein.

 

11 v 11 we are better I’m pished and gutted

 

Neil Lennon deserves the utmost love and respect but for me him winning the league now is 40-60 in the sevco favour. If we got the right replacement it's 70-30 (covid dependent) in our favour. Lennon Kennedy Strachan have shown absolutely no ability to change things after feverancos , Dundee utd , Killie, Sarajevo , livi (at home)... It actually feels like groundhog Day watching us.

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The easiest solution would be to sack him and kennedy, which I think will happen if we lose next weekend.

When everyone is fully fit, For lineups, I would go a 4-4-2

Barkas
Frimpong Ajer Jullien Laxalt
Mcgregor Christie
Forrest Edouard Ajeti Johnston

I know there are concerns about getting overrun in the midfield with this formation but let's be honest, we get overrun in the midfield with 3-5-2 as well, I think Brown is the issue.

I'd start bain in europe this year but I still want to give Barkas a chance. I think his confidence is low and he had the impossible task of replacing ff. Still, he clearly needs to up his game. I think he did get of undeserved stick before this game but he definitely deserves it now

i'd be looking for another keeper in January to properly challenge him. Wouldn't actually shock me if we go back in for ff next year if Barkas doesn't work out.

Obviously forrest and johnston are still a bit away but I think they start when they're fit.

Allow christie and mcgregor to play alongside each other, and potentially get Turnbull eased into the midfield to replace christie when he leaves next year.

I think Duffy needs to earn his spot back, hes safe for now since Jullien is still out, but he's been a disappointment so far.

Ntcham and Elyounoussi are vastly overrated by our support. Both are decent players but not good enough to start, ntcham will leave in January too.

 

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