SCOTTISH PREMIERSHIP
MATCH OF THE WEEK: ABERDEEN 1-2 CELTIC
An 89th minute strike from Virgil van Dijk secured a crucial three points for Celtic that sends them to the top of the Scottish Premiership table heading into the international break.
The Bhoys suffered a troubled start to their campaign under the management of Neil Lennon’s replacement, Ronny Deila, being knocked out of the Champions League in qualification and suffering losses to both Hamilton and Inverness.
However, their situation had improved in recent weeks; victories against an in-form Kilmarnock and Inverness putting them in touching distance of the top spot.
The visitors had gone behind in the 26th minute thanks to a catalogue of errors from Lukasz Zaluska that led to Adam Rooney finding the net from close range.
The lead was short-lived, however, as Stefan Johansen capitalised on some poor defending from Mark Reynolds and managed to equalise from a difficult position.
The game was more tempered in the second-half, and Deila’s side were reduced to ten-men with ten minutes remaining; skipper Scott Brown seeing an undeserved second yellow after Niall McGinn hit the deck despite not coming into contact with the midfielder.
The Dons pushed for a late winner, but the determined Celtic defence held out, and van Dijk’s late goal snatched the win.
A raucous reception greeted the kick-off as Aberdeen attempted to recapture the performance that had made them the only team to defeat Celtic last season.
The home side started the better, finding space on the left-flank and making an early penalty claim. Peter Pawlett burst into space and tried to cut inside; Brown put him under a small amount of pressure and the Dons attacker fell to the ground under the slightest of contact. Referee Allan Muir called for a goal-kick as the ball ran out.
The Dons suffered an early-blow, as the influential Willo Flood pulled up, meaning he had to be replaced by another former Celtic player: Barry Robson.
Celtic settled into the game and began to control possession, while Aberdeen tried to hit them on the counter-attack, utilising the pace of Jonny Hayes and Pawlett.
Anthony Stokes came close to opening the scoring after some clever movement from John Guidetti opened up space on the left edge of the box. However, Stokes’ tame effort ended up trickling past the far post.
Zaluska has been criticised for being hesitant during his spells between the Celtic sticks, and a couple of errors during a promising spell for the home side ended up gifting the Dons a 26th minute lead.
First he dropped the ball after a simple header that shouldn’t have tested him; then he caught a shot from Andrew Considine, but again he failed to hold onto it, releasing the ball at Adam Rooney’s feet. The imposing Aberdeen striker’s desperate attempt nestled into the corner of the net, and Pittodrie erupted as the Dons took the lead.
Virgil van Dijk almost equalised minutes later, his header forcing a good save from Scott Brown – the Dons keeper; not the Celtic skipper.
As Zaluska handed Aberdeen a goal in the 26th minute, ten minutes later, Reynolds did the same for Celtic. The Dons defender intercepted a through ball from Stokes, expecting it to roll-out for a goal-kick and keeping Johansen trapped behind him. The Celtic midfielder, however, managed to slide-tackle the ball and squeezed it past Brown from a difficult angle.
Johansen had another chance moments later; a thunderous effort that cannoned off the palms of Brown, and one that proved to be the final decent chance of the first-half.
Brown had to save a hard shot from his namesake as the match restarted. Celtic kept Aberdeen pushed back into their half in the opening minutes of the second-half, as the home support demonstrated their frustration at their side’s failure to retain possession.
Niall McGinn capped off a better spell for Aberdeen with a curling effort that just skimmed over the crossbar. The Aberdeen attacker then had another chance minutes later, cutting inside from the left and smacking a shot off the post.
For Celtic’s dominance in possession, and Aberdeen’s brief moments pushing into the visitor’s half, there were opportunities were rare in the second-half. Guidetti, the on-loan Manchester City striker in fine-form, had had no shots on target by the 70th minute, and looked no closer to adding to his impressive tally of five goals.
Aberdeen applied pressure on Celtic around the 75 minute mark. The Dons passed the ball around, looking for an opening, and Zaluska had to be on-guard to push a header out for a corner.
The visitors resorted to some desperate defending in order to attempt to clear the box. David Goodwillie, on for the goal-scorer, Rooney, did well to force another corner from Emilio Izaguirre.
Celtic were reduced to ten men in the 81st minute as Brown brought down Niall McGinn as he attempted to cut inside. The Celtic skipper was rightly frustrated, as he’d not touched the downed McGinn.
The Dons put Celtic under the cosh in the final minutes, and Deila’s side had to block at least four shots on goal in a one-minute spell.
Then, with one minute of normal time remaining, van Dijk entered the Dons’ box for a corner. The former Groningen defender found himself unmarked, and looked comfortable as he side-footed the cross into the net.
ROSS COUNTY CAN TAKE THEIR CHANCES
Ross County’s promising performance against Kilmarnock offered signs of hope to their supporters that the Staggies might be able to stave off relegation. Because while St Mirren are struggling for goals, that doesn’t seem to be the issue for Jim McIntyre’s side. Three goals scored at Rugby Park demonstrated that.
Killie had created more opportunities to take the lead prior to Graham Carey’s 33rd minute strike. Fault for the goal lies at the feet – or the hands – of Craig Samson. The Killie keeper flapped as Carey’s long-range shot bounced off the crossbar, then off his back, and rolled over the line.
The Staggies then increased their lead seven minutes later: Michael Gardyne charged along the left-flank, held off his marker, and remained composed as he slotted in from close-range. And that 40th minute strike wasn’t the final goal of the first-half. Carey’s corner reached the far-post and, unmarked, Paul Quinn volleyed the ball past an infuriated Samson. The second-half was a non-event, as County looked content to keep their comfortable lead.
Ross County didn’t create that many chances against Kilmarnock – 11 shots compared to the 14 their opponents had – yet Jim McIntyre’s side converted half of the shots they had on target. There are also the stats from their 2-2 draw with St Mirren a couple of weeks ago. Against their fellow strugglers the Staggies had just four shots in total – a 50% conversion rate. If County can continue to score against the teams in the bottom-six – although an ill-timed international break could ruin their momentum – they might just avoid the drop.
LA LIGA
BALE NEEDS TO EARN STARTING SPOT
Carlo Ancelotti doesn’t have a huge team. Almost all of the players in the starting eleven have established their places – Ramos, Marcelo, Kroos, Modric, Ronaldo, Benzema and James – but one name that isn’t a certified starter is Gareth Bale. The Welshman struggled to make an impression after his signing – his transfer fee putting him in the same bracket as Cristiano Ronaldo didn’t help – until his magnificent solo-effort against Barcelona in the Copa del Rey final propelled him onto the front-pages of the Spanish papers. He further cemented his position by scoring in the Champions League final, making sure that his name will be remembered as part of that ‘Decima’ side. However, an injury earlier in the season again reminded supporters that Madrid boast another fantastic attacking midfielder: Isco.
The Spanish midfielder arrived at the Bernabeu in 2013 but failed to establish a place in the team. However, during Bale’s spell on the sidelines, Isco has made the most of his time on the pitch and suddenly there seems to be another selection dilemma for Ancelotti – although it is one that most managers would love to have.
Isco is a more versatile attacker than Bale, and can fit into any role in the midfield except a defensive one. And like the former Tottenham star he’s got pace and the dribbling skills to make it count – and perhaps better distribution – and, again, like Bale, the best example of this came against Barcelona. The former Malaga midfielder charged down a clearance, refusing to relent, and forced mistakes from both Dani Alves and Andres Iniesta, before collecting the ball and combining with Ronaldo, James and Benzema to create the third goal – the moment highlighted his best attributes.
There’s also the fact that Isco offers Ancelotti another formation and more balance. With an extra midfielder, the Italian can use a more traditional 4-4-2, with Benzema and Ronaldo as the front pair – this worked wonders against their Catalan rivals. With Bale, however, the team shifts into a 4-3-3, with Ronaldo and himself on the flanks and Benzema in the middle. There’s also the question that, with Ronaldo in such amazing form, is there the need for ‘Ronaldo-light’ in Bale?
Bale made just 24 passes in the 90 minutes and created just one chance (FourFourTwo Statszone)
The returning Welshman started against Rayo Vallecano last weekend, and wasted little time in making his presence felt.
Ronaldo slipped a through ball to Toni Kroos, and the German placed cut a cross through the six-yard-box. Bale burst ahead of his marker and slid the ball into the net to hand Madrid the lead after eight minutes.
He almost created a couple of chances to add a second. The former Spurs midfielder cut back after speeding past his marker and sent a grounded cross into the box that was cleared first-time. He then attempted a long through-ball, with Ronaldo in space, but over-hit his pass and sent it out for a goal-kick. Another attempted cross was blocked and pushed out for a corner minutes later. Sergio Ramos thighed – if that’s a term – the ball into the net (his 50th goal for Madrid) and increased the hosts’ lead.
Bueno reduced the deficit minutes later. Keylor Navas – replacing Iker Casillas – tossed the ball out to James on the edge of his box. The Colombian tried a short back-pass, ignoring the three Rayo players surrounding him. The ball never reached the keeper. Bueno nipped into its path, didn’t rush as he rounded the isolated Navas, and tapped into the empty net.
Isco made his presence felt after the second-half kicked-off. Running around the pitch during his warm-up, the Bernabeu cheered at the sight of their Spanish midfielder.
Isco made 12 passes in his 20 minutes on the pitch and made one assist (FourFourTwo Statszone)
Goals from Kroos and Benzema put Madrid three clear by the time he came on as a substitute just before the 70th minute mark. Isco made an immediate impact as he slid a through-ball ahead of Ronaldo, a pass that became an assist as the latter curled a shot underneath Alvarez for Madrid’s fifth and final goal.
The 5-1 scoreline didn’t represent the match. It wasn’t a classic Madrid performance, and Los Blancos seemed to lack the balance – especially in midfield – that Isco provided during his spell as a starter. Bale offered little contribution outside of his goal, not creating any good chances and at time wasting possession. If the Welshman aims to retain his place in the Madrid team, he needs to improve.
SOCIEDAD ENJOY THE ‘MOTHERWELL’ EFFECT
There aren’t many comparisons to be made between the towns of Motherwell and San Sebastian. The latter is a stunning coastal city in the Basque region of Spain with a history that dates back as far as the Roman times; the former remained a small hamlet until the Industrial Revolution and has been nominated as one of Scotland’s ugliest towns. One thing the areas do have in common, however, is their football clubs and their surprising results at the weekend. The Steelmen have been abject in recent months, leading to Stuart McCall handing in his resignation. Their dismal form came after successive seasons ending in second place – an impressive achievement considering McCall had to replace his better players each summer. Coming up against league leaders – at the time – Dundee United, most expected the Well would be decimated, as they had been in losses to Hamilton and Dundee. Instead, a crucial three points lifted the manager-less club up the league.
About 1000 miles south of Fir Park and Real Sociedad hosted the champions at the Anoeta. Before this weekend, both clubs also shared similar problems.
The atmosphere inside the Anoeta turned hostile during Arrasate’s time in charge, and the match against Getafe exemplified this issue. A thunderous ovation greeted Hervias’s late strike – one that seemed to indicate all three points were heading to Sociedad – but familiar problems resurfaced and the visitors capitalised. The defence didn’t do enough as Yoda found space on the edge of the box and curled in an equaliser. Minutes later he added a second, tapping in from close-range; the Anoeta had descended into silence after the first; the home support were enraged after the second.
There are also the scoring problems. Vela contributed 16 goals last season; so far this season he’s scored once. It’s the same issue at Fir Park, as McCall’s replacement has to solve the issue of John Sutton. The striker notched 22 crucial goals as the Steelmen finished second; this season he’s scored twice.
And then there’s the absence of Claudio Bravo. One problem for teams like Sociedad is that the World Cup is like a commercial for the big clubs. The Costa Rican keeper’s performances during the tournament earned him a transfer to Barcelona and Zubikarai doesn’t look a capable replacement. He looks to be lacking in confidence; an issue that could be applied to the team in general.
Despite these problems, like their Scottish equivalents, Sociedad put in a surprising performance this weekend.
A familiar atmosphere greeted Mario Mandzukic as he opened the scoring – one of frustrated silence. Juan Garcia put in an inch-perfect cross that curled around a pair of outstretched Sociedad defenders and reached the former Munich striker near the far post. Mandzukic converted from close range. Sociedad have crumbled from similar positions, so perhaps it came as an unfamiliar – although pleasing – sight to the home support that the Txuriurdin looked for an immediate reply.
A couple of minutes after Atletico’s opener, Vela reminded fans of the sort of form that alerted Arsenal fans to his development last season. His curled shot from outside the box beat the outstretched Atletico keeper and nestled into the bottom corner.
And it wasn’t just a brief glimpse of their old form. Sociedad pushed straight after the kick-off and should have had a penalty after Diego Godin’s late challenge on Vela – the referee instead awarded a free-kick to Atletico, thinking the winger had dived. The hosts also had the best chance to take the lead.
Imanol Agirretxe intercepted Miranda’s poor back-pass, rounded the keeper, and hit a tame effort at the unprotected goal. Godin, in the nick of time, charged back and just managed to slide the ball off the line.
Sociedad soon found themselves against ten-men after the match restarted. Guilherme Siqueira earned quick back-to-back bookings – it was a feisty performance from the visitors – and Diego Simeone had to take off one of his midfielders in order to replace the left-back. Vela should’ve had another spot-kick moments later – or a red card depending on the referee’s interpretation – as Mandzukic smashed his shoulder into the quick winger’s face as he attempted to burst into the box – the blood inside his mouth confirmed it to be a genuine foul. Atletico continued to target Vela, perhaps aiming to get him a second booking, and it was a shameful performance from the champions, who had seven yellow cards by the 81st minute.
Then came the moment the Sociedad fans had been waiting for. The Anoeta erupted as Agirretxe snuck in front of Miranda and headed a cross past an outstretched Moya. Seven minutes of normal time remaining – almost the same time as their goal against Getafe – and one question reared stuck out: could Sociedad hold on and take all three deserved points? The suspense built as the referee called for four added minutes.
The comparisons, however, continued, as Sociedad took three crucial points against an opposition expected to beat them. Both teams should have managers after the international break, and it’ll be interesting to see if either team can continue to build form and regain their former position.
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