February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
When Hartson went towards goal something seemed to be missing. Sutton was there or there abouts, but an out and out striker was missing. Hartson is not a prolific goal scorer. And while Celtic adapted well to their latest attacking plan, it fizzled out in the second half.
Celtic will also have to build on what Alan Thompson brings to the game. He was stretched off the field within five minutes of the starting whistle. But Thompson, whose game improves every year, must raise his performance yet again especially in the Champions League. He darts in at the defense here and there. Celtic needs somebody running off Thompson’s play. At the same time he uses his pace to get out of trouble and dribbles across the field. But once he goes Celtic need something as sharp to run at goal. Sutton and Hartson may lack a yard or two to give Thompson this option. “Larsson we miss you” chanted a Celtic fan.
Neil Lennon connected all over midfield and kept Celtic ticking around the stadium. He didn’t lose concentration in the first half of the game, either with and without the ball. He sits in front of his defense. That’s his position and he plays a little bit like John Giles, though the latter had a far better range in his passing game.
Stilian Petrov plays a little bit in front of Lennon and just behind Hartson and Sutton. Petrov has some magic with the way he moves around the field. He glides with the ball and can be very illusive. Hristo Stoichkov claimed his fellow Bulgarian could be one of the best midfielders around. Stoichkov suggested that Petrov should try playing against better competition.
Jackie McNamara captained the team against United and Celtic seemed to have a better tightness within their team shape. Then again it could have been the arrival of Martin O’Neill that prompted the Bhoys to step up a notch after getting thrashed by Chelsea and Liverpool. The World Championship Series was becoming an embarrassment for the bhoys in green.
For many a Celtic faithful it was a matter of the team looking disorganized in the first games. There has also been a general feeling that this U.S. tournament does not have the pull as expected. But over 55,000 spectators turned up to see Celtic vs. Manchester United. Celtic fans were more than pleased with their team’s first half performance as they sang throughout the entire second half.
However the game itself was not of the greatest order. There were flashes of individual excellence. But at times there was simply not enough at stake to go all out. The game seemed to be going nowhere. United played several reserve players, with Eric Djemba-Djemba shining the most. In the second half he controlled the game from midfield keeping the ball moving for United with simple passes.
United played a 3-5-2 formation, with Roy Keane sweeping. His reading of the game allows him to play his first decision nearly every time. In front of Keane, John O’Shea showed how versatile he is with some very good central play He also showed how well he can touch the ball for such a big man. Up top for United was new Leeds signing, Alan Smith. In the first 30 minutes the feisty forward was struggling with his touch and passing. It was very obvious. Then from a corner Smith rose to the occasion to head the equalizer home. The goal settled him down and he began to show a lot more confidence in his game.
The first half was mostly Celtic as Hartson carried the Hoops attack from midfield to the edge of United’s box. The wings were somewhat even. In central midfield Neil Lennon seemed the most comfortable. Going in at the break the obvious difference between the sides was Celtic’s experience, and Hartson’s creativity.
In the second half United’s Djemba-Djemba was getting on the ball a lot more than Lennon as the Cameroon began to control the tempo of the game. Celtic seemed to have deflated altogether but managed to defend relatively well as United’s attack increased. Then United made some changes taking O’Shea out of the middle and sliding him left full. Celtic pounced as the Reds tried to adjust and down the right the Hoops flew when Hoops sub Craig Beattie pushed the ball under United keeper Tim Howard, making it 2-1 for Celtic.
There were hundreds of Celtic fans at one end of the field who sang all through the game. It was, to say the least, impressive. But at the opposite end one United fan stole the show with his repetoire. When the game lacked in entertainment there was plenty of it in the crowd. One United fan was standing with his back to the game, shouting and singing at fans behind, who looked bemused at his antics. Of course it’s a different world in England when it comes to supporting your team. In fact as the game wore on it was entertaining to see the fan, still with his back to the game, chanting something about Arsenal never doing the treble.
In the closing stages United were threatening Celtic’s box but they never really looked like scoring. It was great for fans on this side of the ocean to see probably the most followed teams in Ireland. For United fans it was a showcase game; for Celtic it was a chance John Hartson used to impress his manager yet again.