Celtic’s run-in is off to a good start.
Faced with a banana skin in Falkirk, Martin O’Neill’s men stepped up the intensity and showed a clinical edge that has been lacking at points earlier in the season.
But now, the only thing that matters is results. Despite a second-half scare, Celtic deserved their 3-1 win in the Saturday night sun.
Here are our three biggest takeaways from a win that levels the Hoops with league leaders Hearts…
Three points in the Saturday night sun… what are we saying about that?
Daizen Maeda is back
Daizen Maeda never really drops his signature intensity, but sometimes, he simply does not allow the opposition to breathe. This was one of those occasions.
He clearly got in the heads of Falkirk, right from the beginning. As a striker, his main responsibility is the two centre backs and goalkeeper, but at times, he was dispossessing their attackers.
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It’s fair to say that Maeda hasn’t quite hit the heights he did last season, though that is a high bar. If he had shown the version of himself that we saw today all season, however, Celtic would have a good few more points on the board.
His finish for Celtic’s opener was excellent, and showed that he still has the cutting edge that we saw so consistently last campaign.
All about the intensity
We all know that this is far from the most creative Celtic team that we’ve seen, but they say that pressing is better than any number 10. Mark Fotheringham — a man who played that position himself — may be proving that right this season.
For much of the game today, Celtic had five, or even six, players in the final third when Falkirk were trying to play out from the back.
Who was your star player against Falkirk?
This resulted in both of the Hoops’ goals in the first half, and often left John McGlynn’s side choosing to go direct instead.
The presence of Maeda obviously helps, but every Celtic player plays a part. The team’s counterpress was a weapon today. Viva Fozzy.
Sebastian Tounekti: the impact sub
Sebastian Tounekti set up Maeda’s winner with a low cross from the right. Usually a left-winger, we saw something different from him today.
Easily one of the most inconsistent Celtic players of the season, the 23-year-old has made much of his best contributions from the bench — from the start, the frailties have to show.
There is no doubting Tounekti’s talent, but at the moment, it is best used from the bench.
Brendan Rodgers infamously said that the Tunisian “doesn’t play off the right”, and he would “never” consider using him there. Perhaps that was an exaggeration from the Brodge…
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