What are the ambitions of Celtic Football Club? One could argue that the club has had an identity crisis in recent seasons, missing out on the Champions League, unable to test themselves against the European giants, and struggling to find competition in Scotland. It’s left them drifting in limbo. It could be said that the return of Rangers fixes this on the domestic front. But is that the limit of Celtic’s ambition? No, and nor should it.
Much has changed since Celtic reached the UEFA Cup final in 2003. European competition is dominated by a few mega-clubs, and the financial success of the English Premier League means that from next season all 20 clubs will feature in the 30 richest in the world. These points in particular effect Celtic. Big clubs from smaller nations, such as Ajax, Benfica, and Celtic, can’t challenge in Europe as once was the case. Teams like Barcelona have a stranglehold on such honours. At the same time, the cash swirling around the Premier League behemoth means smaller English sides like Bournemouth and West Bromwich Albion can afford bigger wages than Ajax and co. It’s the reason Southampton, although often not involved in European competition, attract Virgil van Dijk and Fraser Forster. As depressing as it is, clubs like Celtic are stepping stones. Although this is a sad fact, it can work for the Hoops. It did so under Neil Lennon.
During Lennon’s tenure, Celtic had great success in the Champions League, reaching the last 16 on one occasion and scalping Barcelona. The system worked. Thanks to this, Celtic could attract young prospects, like van Dijk, develop them, get the best out of them for a brief time, have success on domestic and European fronts, and then sell them for profit to English sides. It worked for the club, the fans, and the board. And is where we begin our review of Celtic’s 2015/16 season.
A FIGHT ON FOUR FRONTS
Under Ronny Deila Celtic regressed. It’s not debatable. As I explained above, reaching the Champions League was the most important part of the Celtic system. During a spell without Rangers pushing them for domestic honours, this was going to be the standard Deila had to meet; and he failed to do so. He’s disrupted the mechanics of the club.
The Hoops thumped Stjarnan and then beat Qarabag in a tight tie. The one hurdle blocking Deila from the Champions League was Malmo FF, and Jo Inge Berget. The midfielder had been a bit of a flop at Parkhead, and so it came as a shock when he put in a brilliant performance against his former club and scored twice, including a 90th minute effort which cut Celtic’s lead to one going into the second-leg. Still, Celtic held all the cards. 23 minutes into the second-leg and Malmo snatched a lead on the night and levelled the aggregate score. Markus Rosenberg got in front of van Dijk from a corner and headed the ball past a flapping Craig Gordon. 30 minutes later, Malmo celebrated again. From another corner – defending set-pieces has been a recurring problem in Europe – Dedryck Boyata came rushing back, for reasons known to him, and knocked Felipe Carvalho’s flicked header into the net. Malmo celebrated a second straight Champions League qualification; a dejected Celtic questioned a second straight failure to reach the group stages. Deila’s position was being scrutinised, and the season had barely begun.
For the most part, Celtic had better luck in domestic football. The Hoops lost four times all season: twice at Pittodrie, at home against Motherwell thanks to a Louis Moult double, and at McDiarmid Park in the penultimate match of their campaign. Not a bad record. The club finished on 86 points, six fewer than Deila’s first season in charge, the lowest since Lennon’s second full season at Parkhead – 79 points and seven defeats that season. That’s one advantage Lennon had. During his tenure, after Rangers’ liquidation, Celtic had no challenge. Even when they finished on 79 points, second-place Motherwell finished 16 behind. To put this into perspective, Aberdeen finished on 75 points for 2014/15 and 71 for this season. It highlights that Celtic managers aren’t judged on the league. It’s an absolute minimum. Without Rangers, there’s no reason for the Hoops to come second.
Although Celtic had not been given the chance to fight it out against Europe’s biggest hitters, Deila could have won back some goodwill in the Europa League. Instead, it seemed to make his situation even worse. It began promisingly, as Celtic picked up a 2-2 draw against Ajax, another former European giant struggling to match their former successes. The Hoops then dropped a two goal lead, letting Fenerbahce snatch a point at Parkhead. After that came three defeats. Molde claimed back-to-back victories over the Scottish champions, before Ajax finished off Celtic’s chances of picking up a win at Parkhead. Another draw against Fenerbahce meant the esteemed club exited the Europa League winless. It was getting a tad depressing.
After the exits from Europe, Deila was handed one final task: a domestic treble. Perhaps that could save his job. It was not to be. An energized Celtic emerged for the League Cup semi-final against Ross County. The Highland side were blitzed in the opening minutes. Leigh Griffiths, in particular, terrorised a fumbling Staggies defence. 26 seconds in the clinical striker turned creator, going one-on-one with Scott Fox before cutting the ball back to Gary Mackay-Steven, who redirected the ball into the net. Celtic were coasting on route to another League Cup final. Then Efe Ambrose, as Efe Ambrose does, handed the Highland side a lifeline. The centre-back clipped Alex Schalk as he penetrated the Celtic box, something he didn’t need to do – Gordon was reaching the ball before the Dutch striker. Celtic were reduced to ten men and Martin Woods equalised from the spot. Paul Quinn put the Staggies into the lead in the second-half, and then Alex Schalk went on an excellent run before slotting home to send County to the final. Dreams of a treble were in tatters. Well…let’s call it a double then.
After scalping East Kilbride and Greenock Morton, it was going to be an Old Firm clash for Celtic in their Scottish Cup semi-final. Deila needed a win. Mark Warburton had revitalised an ailing Rangers squad and achieved promotion from the Championship; his season wouldn’t be judged on this match. Deila, on the other hand, had little to hang his hat on. Yes, he’d claimed a second-straight league title, but he needed something else; he needed the Scottish Cup. And he could not lose to Rangers.
Rangers looked more assured the start, handling the pressure of the occasion and controlling possession. 16 minutes in and Rangers struck. Andy Halliday’s free-kick rebounded off Scott Brown and into the path of Kenny Miller; the poacher couldn’t miss. Celtic forged a couple of chances, Patrick Roberts missing one an open goal at one stage – a moment that seemed to sum up Deila’s tenure. The Hoops improved as the match progressed and looked all the more dangerous after the break. The green half of Hampden erupted in the 50th minute, as Erik Sviatchenko rose high and headed the ball past Wes Foderingham. The arch-rivals needed extra-time. Rangers struck first, Barry McKay firing an absolute thunder-bastard into the top corner; Celtic struck back, Tom Rogic drilling a shot in after Kieran Tierney’s cut back. Deila’s Celtic career hung in the balance. Penalties would decide; a Scottish Cup final or a P45? It was to be the latter. Rogic fired into the Hampden crowd. The blue-half shook, the green-half emptied. Deila cut a forlorn figure on the touchline, the horror etched in his face, the slow realisation of what had just happened.
Sure enough, days later it was announced that Deila would be leaving Parkhead at the end of the season.
COLE, BOYATA AND CIFTCI: DEILA’S SIGNINGS
The main issue facing Deila at the beginning of the season was a need to bring in two centre-backs and forge a partnership. Van Dijk, who departed for Southampton, and Jason Denayer, who returned to Manchester City after his loan spell expired, both left the club in quick succession, leaving Deila in a tough position. His first port of call was the Etihad. There he signed Dedryck Boyata. The Belgian centre-back was a different prospect than Denayer; the latter was a teenager in need of experience, the former, however, was already in his mid-twenties, but had made just 32 first-team appearances. It showed. Boyata has the relaxed attitude of van Dijk, but without the skill, concentration or defensive capabilities. And he still needed a partner. As amazing as the idea of a centre-back partnership of Boyata and Efe Ambrose sounds, it came as little surprise that Deila felt the need to again dip into the transfer market. Jozo Simunovic, brought from Dinamo Zagreb for £4 million, looked to be a good acquisition. One problem: he’s been injured…a lot. Deila again needed to plug the gap. He loaned in Tyler Blackett from Manchester United, but the less said about him the better. The same goes for Saidy Janko, the right-back who could neither attack nor defend. During the winter transfer window, Deila finally managed to find a competent centre-back in Erik Sviatchenko. The 24-year-old arrived for £1.5 million and has all the qualities that could earn him a move down south in the future. He’s comfortable on the ball, dominates in the air, and reads the game. If Deila’s successor can manage to keep Simunovic and Sviatchenko fit and able, there might be a good centre-back partnership there.
The second major issue Deila faced during his second season at Parkhead was the need for a second-choice striker, someone who could lift the burden off Leigh Griffiths. In the summer he signed Nadir Ciftci, completing his dismantling of Dundee United’s squad. The Turk, an erratic, skilled, quick-footed striker, had been productive at Tannadice, but there were questions about his temperament and attitude. Deila couldn’t use him for six games, after Ciftci decided to snack on Paul McGowan during the Dundee derby. When he did eventually debut, he proved his doubters right. His looked out of place – six months later he left Parkhead on loan. Six months had passed and Deila still needed to ease the reliance on Griffiths. What about an England international? Perhaps someone with Champions League experience? Of course, I’m speaking about Carlton Cole. The robust striker made his full-debut against Stranraer in the League Cup, a headed goal opening his account for Celtic. He couldn’t be stopped. Months before, when coming off the bench, he’d used his considerable strength and determination to force Danny Devine into scoring an own-goal. Unfortunately, he’s been used sparingly since his appearance at Stair Park. Perhaps Deila’s successor might give him more time? The final attempt at helping Griffiths came in the form of Colin Kazim-Richards. It was at this point Celtic supporters started questioning their transfer dealings. Kazim-Richards had left the Netherlands after being banned for two weeks for threatening a journalist – just the sort of hard-working, right-minded attacker Celtic needed. He marked his debut against Aberdeen by stamping on Aberdeen’s Ash Taylor, the biggest impression he’s left on the Scottish game during his time here. Kazim-Richards hasn’t been as bad as Cole – he’s strong, can be a nuisance in the air, knocks the ball down, and gets the odd goal – but there’s not enough there to warrant him be kept on. Apart from the two-and-a-half-year deal Celtic signed him to. Good job.
TIERNEY, GRIFFITHS AND ROGIC: IT’S NOT ALL BAD
It would be unfair to insinuate that all the players under Deila either regressed or underperformed. You just have to watch their 7-0 demolition of Motherwell to see that’s not the case. Although the game had an end-of-season atmosphere, the Glasgow sun even making a rare appearance, and ‘Well started Marvin Johnson at left-back, some of Celtic’s prospects had stand out games.
Part of Deila’s legacy at Celtic will be Kieran Tierney, and his progression in such a short time. The left-back made his league debut just over a year ago, made sporadic appearances in place of Emilio Izaguirre during the first-half of the campaign, and usurped the Honduran’s position in the second-half. His performances warranted a Scotland call-up and links to Arsenal. He even made it into Marca’s 11 most promising youngsters in Europe. He might be 18-year-old, but he’s as reliable as a seasoned pro. He can often be seen shouting at more experienced team-mates, organising and chastising. These aren’t characteristics usually associated with someone so young; it should be the other way round. Tierney also had an excellent game against Rangers – part of a limited bunch – quietening James Tavernier, who’s terrorised most left-backs he’s come up against. Although he has a size disadvantage, he’s 5ft 10 and slender, something Simon Church and Adam Rooney took advantage of when Aberdeen beat Celtic 2-1 at Pittodrie in February, he’s comfortable on the ball, strong in the challenge, and dangerous pushing up. He grabbed the opener against Motherwell, cutting inside before slotting in from the edge of the box. He’s one for the future, if Celtic can keep hold of him.
There are others as well. Ryan Christie, although often limited to the bench under Deila, looked threatening against ‘Well and should be getting a chance ahead of the inconsistent and unproductive pair of Gary Mackay-Steven and Stuart Armstrong. Patrick Roberts, in on loan from Manchester City until next summer, has proved why he cost the Blues £12 million in the last month. He crucified Graeme Shinnie a couple of weeks ago, grabbing a brace with two excellent long-range efforts. Tom Rogic, if he remains at Parkhead, is another who’s stood out under Deila. The Aussie centre-midfielder has proven himself to be the best in his position in Scotland, looking inventive on the ball, and scoring some cracking, and important, goals. His thunder-bastard against Kilmarnock all but ended Aberdeen’s title challenge. As I mentioned earlier, Sviatchenko looks a solid purchase and a back-four of Lustig, Simunovic, Sviatchenko and Tierney looks decent on paper.
But the most improved player under Deila has to be Leigh Griffiths. The Celtic striker is undoubtedly the best player in Scotland and arguably the most important to his team. During Deila’s tenure, he’s progressed from a talented, one-dimensional and inconsistent striker, who was just as famous for his off-field antics as his goals, into an all-round attacker, who looks bound to score each time he touches the ball. He scored seven in 13 appearances in 13/14, 14 in 24 in 14/15, and 31 in 34 this season. He used to be the sort to hang on the shoulder of the last defender, make those quick runs, and he’d often be caught offside; now he’s threatening on the ball, running into space, running at defenders, in the air. At his best he can’t be stopped. He’s achieving Henrik Larsson figures. Celtic just need him to replicate that form in Europe, against more skilled defences.
FAREWELL, RONNY
It’s been a dismal season for Celtic. Deila achieved the bare minimum in defending the league title, but that’s not enough. He again failed to take the team to the Champions League, crashed out of the Europa League group stage without a single win, was knocked out of both the cups in the semi-finals, suffered defeat to Rangers, and has a questionable transfer record. He came with a roar, left with a whimper.
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