A big game at Parkhead tonight, make no mistake.
Our boys will rightly be flush with confidence after Saturday’s boshing of Everton, a team whose ginger manager’s veins are green and white hooped. Arsenal could make it a very bad week for David Moyes.
Question-marks over the fitness of Fabregas, Denilson and Sagna shouldn’t be too much of a problem. If one or two of those three play, I think we’ll be fine. All three out could be tricky, especially in central midfield – I guess we’d be looking at a middle three of Song, Ramsey and Diaby, which could work, but doesn’t quite inspire you just yet.
That said, this is exactly the sort of night where Diaby, (spitefully missed out of our season preview by Grabber last week,) rams the ball into the net having found himself in acres of space due to his highly unorthodox sense of positionality. His roving could pose Celtic an unexpected threat.
My brother is a Rangers fan, which means that tonight he can take time out from goading me with prophesies of the imminent collapse of Arsenal FC, and instead relish the feeling of supporting our great team against his hated foe.
Many of our readers may know very little about Celtic, Arsenal having avoided them thus far in European competition. So here’s the inside story.
Celtic got rid of Gordon Strachan in the summer. Three titles in his four years wasn’t good enough for “the jungle”, who continue to pine for Martin O’Neill (three titles, five years, absolutely no eye contact during interviews). Strachan was slated for the quality of football he produced, though O’Neill’s teams were set-piece experts who relied exclusively on the wonderful Henrik Larsson to get them out of tight spots and crunch games. Not tonight.
Tony Mowbray (last year’s leader of the most principled relegation from the Premiership yet witnessed) is the new man in charge. He was previously at Hibs, where he cut quite the Wenger figure. His teams played the kind of adventurous attacking football which is so rare in the modern game in Scotland, and he brought through a series of superb young players, who are now – inevitably - key men on both sides of the Old Firm.
We all saw what happened at West Brom, and now he’s at Celtic, trying to play the same openly-Wenger-inspired brand of football, but with the players who bored everyone under Strachan.
Arsene picked out Aiden McGeady, a git of a man who is a reasonable footballer on his day, but whose profile is boosted by simply being one of the few players in the SPL with any technique to speak of. Scott Brown is Celtic’s best player, a hustling, snake-faced midfielder raised by Mowbray at Hibs. Apparently Spurs are interested, and it wouldn’t surprise me to see him in the Premiership before long. Think a skinhead Scottish Flamini with less class and a far greater love of violence against his fellow man. That’s Brown. If Cesc plays, expect to see Brown targetting him, especially in the opening stages.
Scott MacDonald up front has turned himself into a useful striker, while his partner Giorgio Samaras (once scouted by Arsenal) isn’t much cop.
Their defence is poor, and will be weakened tonight by the probable absence of Scotland captain Stephen McManus and Glenn Loovens. It’s built to withstand heavy aerial bombardment. Not what they’ll be getting tonight. If we stick to our game, we should be able to play right round them.
We really should win tonight. It’s Arshavin’s European debut, and this team has shown it’s mettle on big nights before.
And when Diaby scores, remember – you heard it here first.
Tags: Abou Diaby, Arsenal, Celtic, Gordon Strachan, Tony Mowbray
August 18th, 2009 at 11:28 am
Thats right. Am glad about every thing you said coz AA and Vermaelen will give them hell. And Diaby is my man any day.
August 18th, 2009 at 12:08 pm
I’m hoping Cesc and Denilson are both fit, though I’d be happy to see Diaby and Ramset feature if things are going well. Expect to see Eduardo start over Bendtner?
August 18th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
Pretty badly informed article there matey. Would be interested to know of your personal connection to Aiden McGeady. Ofcouse I concur that you are favourites but I’m afraid Scott Brown is nowhere near our best player & may not even feature. (hasn’t started a competitive game this season)
I won’t pretend to know much about your team but from what I’ve seen I know enough to know they’re a pretty damn good side & play the right way.
Arshavin I think is deadly as he showed in his 4 goal super show at Anfield.
Enjoy the game
August 18th, 2009 at 1:11 pm
And a pretty badly informed objection from you, Raffaelo.
Scott Brown has been shaking off an injury all summer, hence why he hasn’t started any of Celtic’s 3 competitive games so far. I suspect he was rested at Pittodrie to give him a better chance of starting against Arsenal.
Because he’s your best player.
No personal connection with McGeady (thank God), he just strikes me as a whingeing Ginger git from the Neil Lennon school, who chose to play for Ireland despite being Scottish, and who rates himself way too highly.
Any arguments about your defence being average on the floor? Or MON’s lack of interview eye-contact? Or Samaras (Ha ha) being pretty ordinary?
August 18th, 2009 at 1:34 pm
No arguments about our defence but Scott Brown is a myth & I’m sorry but as a Celtic Supporter who watches everything we do I think I’m in a better position to judge here. He can’t pass to a team-mate & much as we’d love him to succeed he just hasn’t got it. Our best players are Boruc, Maloney & McGeady.
On the McGeady thing, he was actually ignored by Scotland & Pat Bonner scouted him for Ireland. This doesn’t make him unique. You may have noticed Deco plays for Portugal. Not sure why he annoys you but that’s your choice. Some players annoy me too. Didier Drogba for example.
O’Neil’s interviews were excedingly dull (apart from when he lost the plot after we were robbed in the Delle Alpi in the last minute when Amoruso dived for a pen) but he is a hell of a manager. Anyway hope to see a good game tonight I expect us to still be in the tie come tomorrow morning but I do fear Arshavin. Any news on Fabregas yet?
August 18th, 2009 at 2:00 pm
Grabs, wtf are you winding up people for? Its outrageous to be that dismissive to an honourable club like Celtic and honourable people like Scots. I am of the view that we are in for a very big surprise tonight if players go in the game thinking like you do. Very arrogant, dismissive and worst of all disparaging. How dare you? I felt a bit ashamed to be a gooner, reading your article. I am not looking forward to read it again.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:18 pm
@Goonerbeall – sorry if I’ve come across as overly bullish, not my intention to wind anyone up, really, I just think we have a very good chance tonight.
I am Scottish, so this is certainly the first time I’ve been accused of being dismissive to the Scots. I’m pleased you think we’re “honourable”!
I’ve tried to offer an honest, realistic view. I’m a big Scotland fan (midweek in Oslo wasn’t pretty) but I think if you ask most Scots, they’ll say they know how limited a lot of our players are at the moment.
The Old Firm are both big clubs, but their fans will tell you that neither of them are anything like as strong now as they have been. Both have been bitten financially and are having to make do right now with relatively average players.
Again, I’m not being dismissive of Celtic, I just fancy us tonight. And I rate Mowbray. Highly. As I pointed out, his Hibs team was fantastic to watch and the players from it will be hugely important to the national team over the next few years.
Anyway, we value your input on this site, so I hope you’ll keep contributing.
August 18th, 2009 at 2:31 pm
How on Earth can you say Scott Brown is our best player if you watched that Scotland match the other night?? He & Kevin Thomson are the most overrated player to come out of Scotland since Scott Booth & Eoin Jess!! Thomson is better though.
For the record I’m not Scottish.