Match Pictures | Matches: 2022 – 2023
Trivia
- KO: 15:00 Saturday
- Last pre season friendly before the first competitive game (league game next Saturday v Aberdeen).
- Debut for new boys Mooy & Jenz, only signed this week.
- Ex Celt Teemu Pukki is with Norwich, currently in English second tier.
- Norwich City boss Dean Smith labelled Celtic a “Premier League team in the making” after seeing his side go down 2-0 to the Scottish champions.
- Celtic and Sevco will play at home on the same day at the same time for the first time ever this weekend. Both kick off at 3pm.
- Injured Carl Starfelt could be ready to return to action for the club’s first away encounter next week.
- Celtic FC Women’s Glasgow Cup debut on Sunday versus Sevco counterparts.
- Hibernian charged by SPFL for breaching rules and regulations in the Premier Sports Cup. Hibs effectively been kicked out of the comp after fielding a suspended player in their penalty shoot-out defeat to Morton. Fair point on Twitter: “Hibs are a mess,but when I see clubs being kicked out of competitions in Scotland for playing a banned player,a player that hasn’t been registered properly and you consider the industrial scale cheating that went on at ibrox,and still going on I fear,you have to laugh.”
- Ex Celtic & Hibs Striker Anthony Stokes arrested and returned to Scotland after evading police for a year
- Cricket: Scots cricket institutionally racist, review finds
- Rugby: Scotland’s rugby sevens team to merge with England and Wales sides into Team GB! Many displeased.
- Sevco banned a Sevco fan from lbrox for making Nazi salutes during their pre-season match against West Ham. Irony overload.
- Passing of Scottish writer Alan Grant, who distinguished himself on Judge Dredd stories in the 1980s, and then on writing numerous Batman stories. Rest in peace.
- Hibs: Lee Johnson set to ‘walk out’ of Hibs following changing room ‘bust-up’ with some first team players following shock League Cup exit. Ron Gordon now on hunt for FIFTH manager under controversial tenure.
- Reports:
- French club target reported Celtic target Ryan Mmaee
- Transfers:
- Two transfers completed earlier in the week, Mooy and Jenz.
Summary
“I encourage it, if big clubs want our players that’s great. It’s means they are going well. I keep saying to the boys they don’t need to worry about their futures if they are the best they can be today. The other kind of stuff doesn’t come on my radar so I don’t worry about it.”
Ange Postecoglou
“It was a great game for us at this stage of pre-season,” Smith told his club’s website. “Celtic are a very good technical team with lots of great movement, who made it really difficult for us at times. I thought we defended really well, although our use of the ball could be a little bit better. Neither goalkeeper was really worked that much, but the tempo that they played at meant our players were having to match that, even without the ball. “Celtic are a good level team, You can see what they have been working on. They have good rotation and movement, full-backs coming inside and the wide players drift onto the outside and try to give overloads in different parts of the pitch. They have really good movement too. “They are probably a Premier League team in the making. A real test because of the way they play, they have really good technicians of the ball and play at speed. I’m happy with it.”
Norwich manager: Dean Smith
Celtic had a good pre-season with high intensity and had a good result today.
Totally dominated a team who have been in the Premier League 2 of the past 3 seasons after winning the championship.
Still think we can be a bit wasteful in the final third at times though. We could easily have scored 5 or 6 if we played a better final ball or made a batter decision.
Club done a great job organising this pre-season to replicate competitive fixtures as much as possible. 2 games against English opponents which will always naturally bring some sort of intensity and 2 away games in full stadiums.
Jenz, looked really comfortable on the ball, athletic and looks promising.
Twitter:
@AgentScotland:
Jovial light hearted atmosphere around Celtic Park and just five miles away its like World War Z… The Brexit Britain derby is an utter embarrassment.
Cameron Carter-Vickers is obviously a sure thing for next week but I thought both Stephen Welsh and Moritz Jenz steaked a fair claim to partner him, Welsh had a good game & Jenz showed real positivity and comfortable on the ball, big presence as well.
@BA: Very much liked the look of Jenz. Perhaps more suited to a ball dominant side. Jullien join the attack instructions have been persistent throughout pre season. Mooy will take like a number of weeks to get match fit. Lots of positives today just need better decision making. Again Celtic are always going to be a level above a Championship as we can all see. With the positions in the final 3rd we are getting we need to be creating chances. To many errors with the last pass or decision making Lots of good movement and link up play just missing goals
Davie McLaughlin@McLaughlin_1888: Reo Hatate’s eagerness and energy is an absolute joy to watch. A real talent.
Teams
Celtic:
Hart, Juranovic (Ralston 60), Carter-Vickers (Jullien 83), Welsh (Jenz 60), Taylor (Bernabei 60), McGregor (McCarthy 83), Hatate (Mooy 77), O’Riley (Turnbull 60), Jota (Abada 60), Kyogo (Giakoumakis 60), Maeda (Forrest 60).
Subs: Bain, Siegrist, Ideguchi
Goals:(Maeda 35, Turnbull 67)
Assists:
Norwich City (4-3-3):Krul (Gunn, 60); Aarons, Omobamidele, Hanley (C – Sorensen, 45), McCallum (Giannoulis, 77); McLean, Cantwell, Sinani; Sargent (Idah, 77), Rashica (Hernandez, 77); Pukki (Hugill, 72). SUBS: McGovern (GK), Rowe, Kamara, Tomkinson, Gibbs, Riley, Hills, Shipley.
Goals:
Assists:
Ref:Willie Collum
Att:
Articles
- Match Report (see below)
Pictures
Match Links
Articles
Celts sign off pre-season with Paradise win over Norwich City
By Paul Cuddihy, Celtic View Editor
https://www.celticfc.com/news/2022/july/23/celts-sign-off-pre-season-with-impressive-win-over-norwich-city/
Pre-season friendly
Saturday, July 23, 2022
Celtic Park, Glasgow
CELTIC… 2
(Maeda 35, Turnbull 67)
NORWICH CITY… 0
Celtic rounded off their pre-season preparations with a 2-0 victory over Norwich City this afternoon. The goals came from Daizen Maeda and David Turnbull, while at the other end Joe Hart produced some impressive saves to deny the visitors a goal.
And there were also debuts for Moritz Jenz and Aaron Mooy, with both players coming on during the second half.
Ange Postecoglou’s side started the game well and were dominating possession, taking the game to their opponents, although clear-cut chances were at a premium.
Callum McGregor was orchestrating things in the middle of the park alongside Reo Hatate and Matt O’Riley, while the Hoops were looking dangerous down either flank.
However, it was the visitors who produced a good chance just before the half-hour mark when Milot Rashica fired in a low shot from the edge of the area. But Joe Hart did well to push the ball away.
However, just over five minutes later Celtic took the lead through a brilliant piece of trickery from Daizen Maeda.
The ball was worked out wide to Josip Juranovic, who fired it low into the area for Maeda, who flicked the ball with a great piece of improvisation beyond Tim Krul and into the net.
The second half saw Norwich push forward in search of an equaliser, with Joe Hart again coming to the rescue, blocking the ball with his face after a shot had spun up off Cameron Carter-Vickers.
Moritz Jenz was one of seven changes for Celtic on the hour mark, and the German defender looked composed on the ball in his first appearance at Paradise.
And seven minutes after the changes, another substitute, David Turnbull, extended Celtic’s lead.
The impressive Reo Hatate intercepted the ball near the edge of the area, working it on to Giorgos Giakoumakis who, in turn, fed Turnbull.
Keeping possession inside the area, he turned past one defender before unleashing a powerful right-foot shot that nestled in the back of the net.
And there was another chance for the Hoops when Giakoumakis shot from the edge of the area, but his effort was pushed round the post.
It was a winning end to the pre-season schedule for Celtic. Now, attention turns to next Sunday and the opening game of the new Scottish Premiership season against Aberdeen.
CELTIC: Hart, Juranovic (Ralston 60), Carter-Vickers (Jullien 83), Welsh (Jenz 60), Taylor (Bernabei 60), McGregor (McCarthy 83), Hatate (Mooy 77), O’Riley (Turnbull 60), Jota (Abada 60), Kyogo (Giakoumakis 60), Maeda (Forrest 60).
Subs: Bain, Siegrist, Ideguchi
Significant Celtic stat from win over Norwich shows major progress
The most notable tally to emerge from Celtic’s win over Norwich City from their final pre-season encounter didn’t involve the scoreline.
By Andrew Smith
Saturday, 23rd July 2022, 6:41 pm
https://www.scotsman.com/sport/football/celtic/significant-celtic-stat-from-win-over-norwich-shows-major-progress-3779710
Even when delightful finishes from Daizen Maeda and David Turnbull ensured a satisfactory 2-0 win over their visitors for Ange Postecoglou’s men, the number that stood out was 21. The figure that detailed the number of players deployed by the Australian as he fine tuned his squad ahead of them beginning their title defence at home to Aberdeen next Sunday. A figure that was racked up with the Celtic manager supplying second-half run-outs to this week’s newest arrivals Moritz Jenz and Aaron Mooy.
It is significant because not one of those performers would represent Postecoglou digging deep into his reserves were he to hand them game-time. At this time last year, even assembling an acceptable first XI was proving an almighty stretch for the Celtic boss. The depth of his playing pool can be evidenced through the challenges presented to the assumption that the line-up he started against Dean Smith’s men, will be his starting team for the club’s flag day.
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Matt O’Riley may have been a name on lips this week with Leicester City reportedly interested in a playmaker who has burnished his reputation with a couple of smart strikes over the summer. He started against Norwich. But it was his deputy for the day Turnbull that proved more of a headline act. Daintily skipping past a couple of markers before steering into the corner after 67 minutes made sure of that.
Owing to direct entry into the Champions League group stages Celtic could conceivably play a half dozen fewer games in the opening stretch of the season. Last season Postecoglou was forced to flog players because he had no alternatives. Now, he has them in every department. Just as Turnbull and O’Riley can share duties, so too can Kyogo Furuhashi and Giorgios Giakoumakis, who replaced the Japanese. Similarly with the others swapped on and off. In the form of Reo Hatate and Mooy, Jota and James Forrest, Greg Taylor and Alexandro Bernabei, Josip Juranovic and Anthony Ralston, Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada, and Stephen Welsh and Jenz. Fewer than half these players were even at the club last July.
Spared midweek games for the month of August because of their Champions League status, Celtic can ease their way into the season in a fashion unheard of for more than a decade, and spread the load as they do so in a manner that has been denied to them for much of that timespan.
These factors allowed Postecoglou to express contentment with his and his team’s lot, and it was understandable he was happy enough with what they produced against opponents regrouping following relegation from the English Premiership.
Celtic looked more cohesive across all areas of the pitch – that Cameron Carterer-Vickers, Juranovic, Taylor and Welsh were all in situ across the backline for one of the few times this close season – and the sharpness of their passing was a feature as they took a grip on a staccato affair. The engagement of the home crowd was as on-off until a curious 37th minute opener that brought that rarity: vindication for referee Willie Collum and his officials. Norwich players were cheesed off that no offside had been called on Juranovic after he received the ball out wide before sending it over to Maeda, who produced street-skill trickery to flick it behind him and through the legs of keeper Tim Krul when taking the ball on the half-spin.
Celtic’s Daizen Maeda turns away after scoring the opener in the 2-0 friendly win over Norwich. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
Celtic’s Daizen Maeda turns away after scoring the opener in the 2-0 friendly win over Norwich. (Photo by Craig Williamson / SNS Group)
The Croatian full-back was in an offside position when the ball that ended up with him was initially played by O’Riley. Replays showed, though, that it had come off Grant Hanley – forced off with injury just afterwards – en route. And because the Scotland international had attempted to cut it out, the rules now state that with the contact, it is at that point a new phase of play begins. So now we know.