Flip reverse

Followbear93

Well-Known Member
So Jullien, Forrest, Eduard, Bitton, El Hamed and Christie
All out with Covid19 related things.

Scum fans and ex players have their own opinions on if it was us
I get it wasn’t us but let’s discuss if it was ....

Flip reverse
Do we think we could do without
3-4 first team players and 2-3 squad players against them and for a 2 week period to continue our unbeaten form?

Nobody knows but IMHO it would be difficult, hopefully we get some luck, as I think more than any team we are due some.


Just want to hear your thoughts on do you think we could cope?
WATP
 
If were going like for like player wise you'd probably say Goldson Bassey Edmundson Morelos Kent and Hagi we could still line up
McGregor
Tav
Helander
Balogun
Barisic
Kamara/jack
Davis/Zungu
Arfield
Aribo
Jones/barker
Roofe/itten

That's still a strong side and any player that comes in knows there job tactically
 
We've already dealt with a long list of players being out. That's been the most encouraging thing for me so far this season. Not only did we deal with it in terms of results we actually played well as well.
 
Julien and Forrest were injured - nothing to do with Covid!

That aside, the equivalent players in our squad could easily be:
Balogun, Hagi, Roofe, Katic, Patterson, and Aribo

Out of that Aribo only managed a few mins so I think we would have coped just fine.
 
Whilst we are in this pandemic it is always a likelihood that players will miss games as a result.

However squads are there to deal with a number of injuries so while having players test positive is an inconvenience (as an understatement) the practicalities of replacing them is the same.
 
So Jullien, Forrest, Eduard, Bitton, El Hamed and Christie
All out with Covid19 related things.

Scum fans and ex players have their own opinions on if it was us
I get it wasn’t us but let’s discuss if it was ....

Flip reverse
Do we think we could do without
3-4 first team players and 2-3 squad players against them and for a 2 week period to continue our unbeaten form?

Nobody knows but IMHO it would be difficult, hopefully we get some luck, as I think more than any team we are due some.


Just want to hear your thoughts on do you think we could cope?
WATP
It hasn’t happened to us yet but probably will and it will all depends on which players and how many are involved before we could answer the question properly
 
Julien and Forrest were injured - nothing to do with Covid!

That aside, the equivalent players in our squad could easily be:
Balogun, Hagi, Roofe, Katic, Patterson, and Aribo

Out of that Aribo only managed a few mins so I think we would have coped just fine.
There's also some strong rumours that there has been a fall out with Julien. He was on the subs bench for them a couple of times and has now disappeared even from that.
 
We've got 2 very good keepers.

We've got 4 very good centre backs.

We have very good cover in midfield, losing a couple would not be a problem.

We have options up front where we are no longer reliant on one striker.

Our full backs are excellent, but the cover is there. I wouldn't like to lose both full backs though.

We have strength and depth, and we use it, as we often have players injured. Doubtless we will have suspensions too as the league progresses.

What do you think OP?
 
I think we have enough to cover in all areas of the pitch to handle 4 or 5 injuries. The thing is - we have a system that works and any player filling in simply slots into the system. celtic do not have that.



McGregor
1​
McLaughlin
Tavernier
2​
Edmundson / Patterson
Barisic
3​
Katic
Goldson
4​
Balogun
Helander
5​
Bassey
Jack
6​
Davis
Kamara
7​
Hagi
Aribo
8​
Zungu
Kent
9​
Roofe / Barker
Arfield
10​
Defoe
Morelos
11​
Itten / Jones
 
Kent is the player we would miss most, he’s been terrific and we don’t have adequate cover there I don’t think, hopefully we could get a player of similar quality in the near future. Keeping him fit is key this season.
 
Aribo, Roofe were technically first team players at start of season and they have been out.

But, yeah, I do. We have several players capable of covering as back up and not look out of place.
That's been my argument all along, take out like for like.
Morelos/Édouard
Kent/Christie
Helander/Julian Clary
If we started Balogun, Aribo and Roofe we'd absolutely still have strolled that on Saturday.
We were decimated is a false narrative and is the party line being towed by the lickspittle media
 
The one thing that gives me encouragement is that we've had a few injuries recently and managed. It didn't seem to upset the way we played so it seems that we have a system where players can slot in to position if another is out. They all know their roles when they play.

There is no doubt we will be affected by the virus at some point, and the International breaks don't help either.
 
Kent is the player we would miss most, he’s been terrific and we don’t have adequate cover there I don’t think, hopefully we could get a player of similar quality in the near future. Keeping him fit is key this season.
Aribo looked fairly decent pre season/early season don't you think ;)
 
The only players they really had out were Eduard christie and Julien the others are not first-team picks.
Lennon's tactics or lack of them was their downfall as even with a full squad they have looked no better against us.
They are played in the game on the 29th December 2019 and we beat them then.

So, the logical conclusion is....%^*& them
 
The only players they really had out were Eduard christie and Julien the others are not first-team picks.
Lennon's tactics or lack of them was their downfall as even with a full squad they have looked no better against us.
Julien hasnt been a first pick for a good part of this season either.
 
I think we have enough to cover in all areas of the pitch to handle 4 or 5 injuries. The thing is - we have a system that works and any player filling in simply slots into the system. celtic do not have that.



McGregor
1​
McLaughlin
Tavernier
2​
Edmundson / Patterson
Barisic
3​
Katic
Goldson
4​
Balogun
Helander
5​
Bassey
Jack
6​
Davis
Kamara
7​
Hagi
Aribo
8​
Zungu
Kent
9​
Roofe / Barker
Arfield
10​
Defoe
Morelos
11​
Itten / Jones

Good summary although I would not include Katic ... Edmundson would fill cb cover for now.
 
The only players I think we would really struggle without are Kent and Tav IMO. We have good cover for every position.
 
100% mate, do you think he could cover Kent? Possibly, but still think that’s where our cover is weakest!
Listening to Gerrard say Zungu will add 5 to his midfield options means he sees Aribo as 1 of the 2 no.10
Not on the same level as Kent no but we didn't need Kent to win Saturday and still having Aribo, Roofe to come in and Hagi to come onto a game we have enough quality to cover any missing periods of Kent
 
Arguably, roofe and Aribo are first picks. We’ve done well without them.

McGregor is our no. 1 GK and he’s prob played less than half our games so far this season.

Jack is usually a first pick and he never started the game (was also missing for a few weeks at the same time as the players I’ve previously mentioned)

Hagi has been a first pick and he never featured at the weekend.

I’m also confident we’ve got adequate cover for barker (who’s been a regular) without us weakening the team too much. ;)
 
It depends who the players were that we’d be missing.

No one can tell me if Barisic, Tav and Kent were all out at the same time that we have like for like replacements.

Patterson isn’t at Tav’s level; Bassey isn’t at Barisic’s level and Jones/Barker aren’t at Kent’s level
 
The only players they really had out were Eduard christie and Julien the others are not first-team picks.
Lennon's tactics or lack of them was their downfall as even with a full squad they have looked no better against us.


Take morelos out for itten/roofe

Kent out for aribo/hagi/roofe

Goldson our for balogun/edmundson

Then take Jack, Jones and bassey out of our bench

I think we could cope comfortably. For me our squad depth is much better this year, I've not even put defoe on the list for up front

They should be scared
 
I think we have enough to cover in all areas of the pitch to handle 4 or 5 injuries. The thing is - we have a system that works and any player filling in simply slots into the system. celtic do not have that.



McGregor
1​
McLaughlin
Tavernier
2​
Edmundson / Patterson
Barisic
3​
Katic
Goldson
4​
Balogun
Helander
5​
Bassey
Jack
6​
Davis
Kamara
7​
Hagi
Aribo
8​
Zungu
Kent
9​
Roofe / Barker
Arfield
10​
Defoe
Morelos
11​
Itten / Jones

I was trying to think of a simple way of showing this, but you have beat me to it. Not all of them are like for like (Barisic to Katic for example) but this is a good summary.
 
That lot have had 4 shots on target in 3 games.

2 v Sarajevo and 2 v St. Johnstone. Both pretry much full strength teams. 0 shots v us.

I am convinced Helander or Goldson would have nullified Edouard, and Christie would have been marked out by a central midfielder.

The others missing were not automatically first team picks for Lennon as far as I know.
 
We would have still beaten them imo.

For Julien, swap with Helander which would have seen Balogun come into the side. Love big Fil but no issues with Balogun.

For Forrest, see Roofe (assuming wide right). We brought in Barker as Roofe is out for injury. They replaced Forrest with Frimpong. No lover of slagging our own players but I know who's worse off with this swap, and that's even with the mentally challengeds slating Forrest.

For Eduoard, swap with Morelos and we would have went with Defoe or Itten up front.

For Bitton, swap with the fridge coming in, don't let them fool you that he's a first team player. Bitton has played 2 games in the league and wasn't even in the squad at St Johnstone.

For El Hamed, see above. Between being on their bench and starting is probably 50/50. Like losing Balogun after he's been in and out the team for Helander and Goldson.

For Christie, see Aribo. We've brought in Arfield who was been in superb form. I'm guessing they've been using Ntcham instead of Christie. Look who's being offered out to all sorts of Portugese teams and look at who they describe as a bit of a cart horse in Arfield. By their own mental heads, we should be weaker than them for this swap.

I've bolded the ones that we were also missing so cancels each other out essentially.

For their 6 players being out, you can only make a case really for them missing an out of form Eduoard, who's only scored a penalty in his last 6 league games I think it is, and at a push, Julien and Christie. Given they've got 4 first team strikers and 3 of them played on Sunday and Christie was replaced by someone they're wanting 8 figures for, you can only really point to Julien being their biggest miss (even though it's heavily rumoured he's fit and just fallen out with Lennon) and his back ups El Hamed and Bitton being out but they could have started a back 4 of Frimpong Ajer Duffy & Laxalt to combat the issue. Plus Julien HATES playing against Morelos.

Don't let them fool you into thinking they were depleted. Their subs alone tallied over £10m in transfer fees. For all the hearing of this "marvellous squad depth" that they have, it's really shown up the standard outwith their starting XI.

They are terrified and it's showing.

Like a house of cards indeed Mr King.

Edit: Forgot that Katic is injured so that replaces one of their squad player defenders as well, so another like for like member of the squad missing making it 3 out of their 6.
 
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Let them think that it was the players missing that were the problem. Hopefully it will keep Lemmon in a job and make them over confident for the next game if they have all their players available
 
It's not as if they were not aware of the pandemic - they were gifted their 0.75 season because of it. If they failed to plan accordingly that is their own daft fault.

That said, lets check.

Edouard
He has pretty much downed tools this season but fair play he normally steps it up against us. The equivalent for us is Morelos. In comes Itten or Defoe.

Christie
Good player but normally is anonymous against us. Let's say the equivalent for us is ... Aribo? Hagi? Arfield? Plenty of cover here.

Bitton
Not their best player, to be honest. We can be generous and say he is equivalent to one of our three number 6's. Let's say Jack (Jack is miles better). Starting 11 is just as strong.

El Hamed
Let's say equivalent to Balogun. We do not lack for good CB's.


For all four, at the same time, we have enough cover to field a team just as strong.
 
Arfield was only in because Jack was injured, so we were under strength for about 4 matches. Big Joe has been out after showing up very well in pre season, and the new scoring sensation Roffe has been sidelined too.
I’d say Jack, Aribo and Roofe were all starters when fit. Still, let them kid themselves on.
 
No we could not cope with that and we would get beat every game,I honestly hope the Celtic board,management team and their fans believe that shite. As long as they do we will slip under their radar if they think they have a better team/squad than us.We have proven over the last few games against them we are better than them as long as we can keep it going consistently in games against the other teams in the league we will deliver 55 this season
 
We also played them without Roofe, Aribo and Zungu. I'd like to think all 3 of these might be part of our strongest 11.
 
They lorded it when we had guys like Russel Martin. We had a better team and beat them. Simple. I said on another thread that celtic biggest advantage, in the last couple of years, has been strength in depth. The tables have turned in that respect.
 
The only players they really had out were Eduard christie and Julien the others are not first-team picks.
Lennon's tactics or lack of them was their downfall as even with a full squad they have looked no better against us.
Christie has been dropped recently as well and Eduoard off form. Was subbed after an hour at St Johnstone.
 
It depends who the players were that we’d be missing.

No one can tell me if Barisic, Tav and Kent were all out at the same time that we have like for like replacements.

Patterson isn’t at Tav’s level; Bassey isn’t at Barisic’s level and Jones/Barker aren’t at Kent’s level
Tav and Barisic are by far our hardest two to replace as Patterson and Bassey just aren’t tested yet. Everywhere else we now have good cover, no one is as good as Kent but Aribo/Roofe/Hagi/Arfield are all better than almost any other player in the league in that position so I think we could cope.
 
I think the only players we would miss with long term injury’s would be tav and barisic , I think they are the 2 hardest players to replace in the team , with our system we play
 
I would say only really at full back would we be seriously hampered but the rest we have adequate cover.
 
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