Hearts player Andy Halliday recently spoke about the difficulty of defending against the attacking style of play employed by the Celtic team.
According to Halliday, one of the main challenges is dealing with the offside positions of players like Kyogo and Maeda, who stand five to ten yards offside and make it difficult for the defence to mark them.
The former Ibrox player believes that this is a deliberate tactic employed by Celtic, and one that they have worked on extensively. He notes that their ability to threaten in behind and score from these positions has resulted in them finding the back of the net on numerous occasions this season.
Asked about Kyogo and how he manages to get his goals, the Hearts player retorted:
“I’ve told you why. He stands five yards offside. It’s so hard to mark.” Halliday told Open Goal.
“It’s 100% what they work on. Playing against it last week, it’s so hard to deal with, honestly. If the ball is down the right-hand-side, you’ve got Kyogo ten yards offside [in the middle] and Maeda ten yards offside on the left.
“As a back four or a back five, you don’t want to drop because it allows them more space to play.
“What they do really well is they’re always threatening in behind. So it only takes that one movement when Kyogo peels off the shoulder.
“The equaliser they got against us at Celtic Park. It’s just that one ball in behind and Maeda is 20 yards offside so you’re never getting back.
“They’ve scored that kind of goal, without exaggerating, 25 times this season.”
Since taking charge of Celtic, Ange Postecoglou has shaped his team to be incredibly dynamic in attack, making them a challenging team to play against. Under his leadership, the team has adopted an aggressive and expansive style of play, which has resulted in them scoring for fun.
Postecoglou’s tactical approach is centered on quick transitions and the ability to press high up the pitch, which has been instrumental in disrupting the opposition’s rhythm. Additionally, he has introduced a fluid and interchangeable front line that can switch positions seamlessly, making it challenging for defenders to mark them effectively.
The Celtic gaffer has spoken about Kyogo’s movement being ahead of most of people in Scotland, including some of his teammates.
How can players be 20 yards offside and score legitimate goals? Halliday is reported here as having made the statement several times. The 2 culprits are constantly praised for their willingness to chase back and defend. Why am I even commenting on his remarks, better stop I’m getting annoyed with myself. Idiot! (Halliday that is.)