Aberdeen boss Stephen Glass has echoed the sentiments of Bayer Leverkusen’s Gerardo Seoane, in believing he can exploit Celtic and their gung-ho tactics.
Celtic were undone by bad positioning and individual errors on Thursday night. That led to criticism of Ange Postecoglou and his cavalier approach. Inverted full-backs, specifically Anthony Ralston, were caught out trying to get into position.
Gerardo Seoane, Leverkusen’s boss, made it very clear how he exploited Celtic’s tactical weaknesses. Glass, without the players Seoane can rely upon, believes there’s a chance he can do the same.
The Aberdeen boss said [Press and Journal]:
“We are playing a team who will be equally as determined as us to dominate the game, which is a little bit unusual at home but it is something that we will be prepared for.
“We are looking forward to the game and I think it will be a good game of football.”
“[We’re] coming up against one of the strongest groups of players in the country with a manager who has got them playing in a certain way.
“Celtic are difficult to play against and have real quality footballers in their team.
“They have got a certain way of playing that we feel that we can affect.”
Stephen Glass reckons he can “affect” Celtic when we visit Aberdeen tomorrow
Some key things to remember here:
Bayer Leverkusen are second in the Bundesliga. They have some of the best young talents in Germany, and can rely on signings like Paulinho, Lucas Alario, Patrik Schick and Jonathan Tah.
Aberdeen lost to St Mirren last weekend.
This isn’t to say that Celtic can turn up expecting a victory tomorrow. But there’s a very big difference in standards here. The Bhoys need to turn up knowing their system has been good enough to beat teams that are equal to Aberdeen, currently.
However, it is worrying that managers can say “we know what they do, we can exploit it”. It’s the kind of thing you can imagine the resilient Ange Postecoglou loves hearing, but for fans it’s a different story.
A win tomorrow would put Celtic right back in a place of momentum. Aberdeen are just one place behind us in the league, but surely Celtic’s players believe that there’s a gulf in class there.
Glass ought to be careful what he wishes for. Fine, the Celtic system has showed vulnerabilities at the back. But going forward? The Bhoys have Kyogo back, and have created chance upon chance domestically and in Europe.
A strong start might have Glass wondering if he spoke too soon.
Read more: Celtic boss Postecoglou dismisses idea of Aberdeen rest advantage
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