Celtic had to be near immaculate against Atletico even to contemplate a draw in Madrid. However, losing a very early goal meant it would always be an uphill battle.
However, an unjust and bitter blow handed down by UEFA and their referee meant the task was made almost impossible. Daizen Maeda has made an honest tackle, the two players have gone in for the ball, and Maeda has caught the Atleti player in the leg.
A yellow card at most. However, the theatrics by Madrid and the moaning paid off when the referee was told to go look at VAR. instead of judging the tackle by the whole phase of play, they zoomed in on one screenshot and sent Maeda off.
Celtic down to ten men and gave the home side who already have a massive advantage, another helping hand.
Was the decision to give Daizen a yellow a clear and obvious error? Not a chance!
A despicable team of cheats, divers and actors…
Football is dead.
Repeal VAR.
In todays world it’s a red card.
I am more concerned with Taylor & Turnbull playing, also whenever Forrest is brought on, youngsters are being denied an opportunity to develop.
We have known for some time that left back, keeper & Centre are required but nothing is done, fringe projects are bought to compete against best teams in Europe.
Brendan is also tactically naive, he has become to close & friendly with the players, so is not managing as he should be.
O’Riley gets plaudits in the league but I don’t see what he brings to 80% of matches he is involved in, he can’t run, can’t tackle, can’t jump, can’t shoot, how long do we keep playing mediocre players in Europe.
DD supposedly made Brendan promises of getting players he wanted, not one has been signed, DD has left the building again and it seems Lawell is running the show, we know what happened last time he was given the reigns.
Changes are required, good positional players with height are needed, players who can play a bit.
Anything else is failure.
No one seems to have picked up on the lack of tackles made by Celtic players. They need to look closely in the mirror and be honest with themselves. Inside they had chucked it after the sending off.
Bernardo was treading water after 20 minutes. His half-hearted attempts at closing down should see him heading back to Portugal in the January window. There needs to be a bit of fear put into the dressing room by the manager and he could start there. It’s harsh but it sends a message. Poor play and poor management all round.