2018-08-23: FC Suduva 1-1 Celtic, UEFA Cup

Trivia

• UEFA Cup; 1st leg
• FC Suduva are from Lithuania
• Celtic had dropped down from the Champion League.
• The smallest crowd we'll play against this season. Tiny ground.
• Good game from Mickey Johnston who started.
• Boyata still awol, stayed in Glasgow. Expected to be gone soon.
• Celtic have reportedly had a bid for Aberdeen defender Scott McKenna rejected.
• Celtic have turned down a bid of £13.5 million from Porto for midfielder Olivier Ntcham, according to reports.
• Calvin Miller sent on loan to Dundee.
• Sunderland are weighing up a deal for Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie that would see the Black Cats take the former Inverness Caledonian Thistle starlet on loan before buying him outright in January.
• The Scottish Professional Football League have defended the use of artificial pitches throughout their four divisions, insisting they have the backing of world governing body Fifa.

Review

Rodgers being refreshingly honest. Yeah, hung them out. Fair does, Lenny had occasions when he did that too. We are going to get done in cup competitions and we're going to drop loads of points if this doesnt get sorted very quickly. Too many people associated with Celtic have become complacent.

For whatever reason players are not applying themselves through the 90 mins, working the ball but not being effective.

The most obvious problem is we are extremely fragile at the back, bad as we've seen in a long time. It effects the whole team. Gordon should have claimed that ball, nevermind Gamboa running watching it. Its coming right on top of him and he's flapping in the air. He is not strong enough at the moment. Bain is more limited but Im sure he'll not let us down if we give him the chance.

Another things is we seem to be happy missing a host of chances up front (15 shots, 5 on goal). We shouldnt be effing around. I miss the Dembele of the first season, I miss the bloodthirst.

Teams

Attendance:

Articles

• Match Report (see end of page below)

Pictures

• Match Pictures

Forum

• Pre-match
• Match
• Post Match

MOTM

• Voting Thread
• Result Thread
• Winner –

Stats

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Articles

However, Ovidijus Verbickas levelled in the 13th minute with a headed goal which would have frustrated Brendan Rodgers, the Hoops boss having lamented poor defending in the Champions League qualifying exit at AEK Athens last week.

Home keeper Ivan Kardum pulled off a series of saves, notably from James Forrest and Johnston, as the visitors dominated the first half.

But Craig Gordon had to make a couple of crucial blocks after the break, with the draw leaving the Scottish champions some work to do next week although they should finish the job off in Glasgow.
With Jack Hendry and Dedryck Boyata out through injury, Rodgers paired Kristoffer Ajer and Jozo Simunovic in the heart of his defence with the latter also pulling up injured soon after the break.
Cristian Gamboa retained his place at the expense of regular right-back Mikael Lustig while French striker Moussa Dembele took over from Leigh Griffiths as 19-year-old attacker Johnston was given his first European start.
The picturesque surroundings of a 6,500-capacity stadium which had seats to spare belied the importance of the match to Celtic, keen to re-establish their European credibility.

Many fans were still finding their places when Celtic took the lead with a simple goal, Johnston’s cross from the left picking out Ntcham who headed past Kardum with minimum fuss.
The Parkhead side began to boss the game but were found wanting again in defence in the 13th minute, when an in-swinging free-kick from Vaidas Slavickas, after Kieran Tierney had fouled Andro Svrljuga, was headed in by Verbickas who stole in unmarked at the back post.
Celtic, however, soon regained control.
Forrest’s drive from the edge of the box was pushed round the post by Kardum – the corner came to nothing – before the keeper saved a header from Johnston, who ought to have done better with Forrest’s cross.

On the half-hour mark Ajer tip-toed through the home defence before shooting straight at Kardum from 10 yards, the keeper then thwarting Callum McGregor’s close-range strike before ending the half comfortably gathering a Dembele free-kick.
Rodgers was handed another central defensive problem six minutes after the restart when Simunovic limped off to be replaced by Lustig after landing awkwardly on his ankle.
Celtic wobbled for a while and Gordon made a great finger-tip save from striker Rigina Cicilia’s strike from the edge of the box before diving to his right to parry a powerful drive from substitute Julius Kasparavicius, both times the resultant corner coming to nothing.
Griffiths replaced Johnston and Emilio Izaguirre came on for Gamboa in a double substitution as Rodgers tried to get his side back on track.
The Scottish champions began to press with purpose in the final stages and Ajer headed a Griffiths corner past the post in added time but Suduva held out for the draw which had looked unlikely at the start of the evening.

'Struggling to live up to expectations' – analysis

Most who watched this game will expect Celtic to complete the job in Glasgow, but it was still a fairly frustrating night for Rodgers' side at the end of another frustrating week.
The manager said beforehand that the disappointment of losing out on the Champions League was out of the system but the defensive slip-ups that led them here are clearly not.
This was a night for Celtic to show some flair, but more importantly, solidity against a side who should have been no match. There were certainly positives. Johnston shone down the left and McGregor was at the centre of most of the visitors' creativity but the frustration and focus will once again fall on a shaky defence.
Leaving the Boyata debacle aside, Rodgers knows he has to strengthen. Ajer looked mostly fine but Simunovic once again looked shaky in the face of a forward line that appeared fairly toothless. He's a man clearly lacking confidence but the central area shouldn't be the only concern.
Gamboa is desperate to be given the nod at right back as Lustig continues to struggle but on this showing, few fans will think he is the answer. But if not him, then who? And can that area be the priority when the problems continue to surface centrally?
Much to ponder then for Rodgers as the clock ticks down on the summer transfer window. Progression to the group stages looks probable. If changes aren't made after that, who knows, but Celtic have created an expectation that, for now, they are struggling to live up to. Celtic started confidently, but there was more compelling evidence of the defensive vulnerability that proved so costly as they were knocked out of the Champions League by AEK last week.
When Vaidas Slavickas curled in a deep free-kick, it should have carried little threat. But Cristian Gamboa – preferred over Mikael Lustig at right-back – lost his marker, the rest of the Celtic defence froze, and goalkeeper Gordon was late coming off his line to stop Verbickas nodding in the simplest of goals.
It was a horrendous goal to concede, and a reminder of why Celtic lodged a bid for Aberdeen centre-back Scott McKenna this week, amid continued uncertainty over Dedryck Boyata's future.
Suduva threatened only sporadically, but grew in confidence as Celtic stuttered, and Gordon was forced to field efforts from Rigino Cicilia and Julius Kasparavicius.
Rodgers had earlier raised eyebrows by giving 19-year-old Johnston just his fourth senior start, and first in Europe, ahead of the likes of Scott Sinclair and Leigh Griffiths.
But the teenager showed his quality after barely two minutes, turning his marker on the left before curling a right-footed cross perfectly for Ntcham to head home from close range,
Johnston might have scored himself, but could only direct his header straight at Ivan Kardum, while Forrest and Kieran Tierney also brought saves from the Suduva keeper.
The impressive Callum McGregor was at the heart of much of Celtic's best work.
The Scotland midfielder weaved his way into the box and combined with Kristoffer Ajer, before the Norwegian defender stabbed a final shot at Kardum, and McGregor then combined beautifully with Dembele, whose sumptuous dinked pass over the defence led to the midfielder's volley being touched wide for a corner by Kardum.
Dembele might have scored himself in the 54th minute, but could only lash the ball into the side netting after moving on to Ntcham's sweet pass.