Neil Lennon justified the decision not to change his Celtic tactics earlier in last night’s defeat to Copenhagen by referring to the team’s first-half display, speaking to BT Sport after the game.
The manager was happy with how things were going in the first 45 minutes, with the score on the night deadlocked at 0-0.
Heading into the interval Celtic were actually due to go through thanks to an away goal in Denmark.
However, as we know, there was a second-half collapse, with the Bhoys crashing out of Europe.
Leigh Griffiths came into the game on the 70th minute, Lennon’s only substitute, with the formation changing.
However, that left Celtic little time to overturn the advantage Copenhagen already had after a 51st-minute opener.
After the match, Lennon was asked whether he felt he should have changed his tactics earlier than he did.
Speaking to BT Sport, he said: “First half no because we were in control, Elyounoussi had chances, Edouard, Rogic played very well.
“So going forward we were fine, we’ve hit the post and we were well on top. So in that aspect, no.
“But then obviously we’re a goal down, we needed to change it and get another striker on. It worked for us and you’re thinking: ‘alright, we’re right back in this tie’.
“Then two minutes later the tie’s gone.”
Rogic was indeed one of our bright sparks in the opening stages of the game. He found himself on the ball plenty and was combining with teammates well in the final third.
His inclusion in the Celtic team is a positive considering his fitness and injury problems this season. If Lennon can keep him fit for domestic challenges ahead then he can be a potent weapon.
However, like the rest of the team, Rogic’s impact fell away and Lennon should perhaps have looked to instigate change in the team before there were only 20 minutes remaining. The manager notes we looked better once that change was made.
Ultimately there’s no excuse for the way the game was thrown away in the last five minutes, which had less to do with tactics than it did game management.
What did you think of Lennon’s tactics last night? Start the discussion below in our new comments section…
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