Ross County man sounds absolutely fuming after being hammered by Celtic

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Given the form Ross County were in when they came to Celtic Park, we had every right to expect a tricky meeting.

Instead, Celtic absolutely dominated. The Bhoys finished with a remarkable 81% of possession, completing nearly 600 (six hundred!) more passes than Mackay’s Staggies [Fotmob]. By the time Ross County were down to 10 men, the game was over.

Understandably, from a Ross County perspective, it was a difficult afternoon. Players like Hungbo and Charles-Cook, so routinely effective in the Scottish Premiership, barely saw the ball. Meanwhile, Giorgos Giakoumakis and Daizen Maeda caused untold havoc at the back for a Ross County side that had built a sturdy enough defence over recent months.

Rather than being the tense battle we assumed it would be, the Hoops were dominant, exciting and, with a fantastic crowd backing them, playing some outrageous stuff.

And Staggies man Jack Baldwin has vented his frustration after the loss.

Speaking to the Ross-shire Journal, Baldwin said: “We gave ourselves an uphill battle so early on.

“We knew the threat that Celtic possessed when we came here, but to concede the way we did was very frustrating.

“We knew they would have a lot of possession, but to concede the goals through set pieces and second phases and crosses into the box was frustrating. When you come to places like this, you need to give yourself every chance.

“In the end we gave ourselves an uphill battle early in the game which was extremely frustrating.”

The manner Celtic blew Ross County away is surely a frustration for Staggies players

Again; a 4-0 doing wasn’t on the script the other day. But just like against Hearts, or Livingston, form teams have come to Celtic Park and left licking their wounds.

At no point at all did Ross County ever look like threatening Celtic. The Hoops pumped the accelerator from the first seconds and didn’t ever look like slowing down. It was as comprehensive as it gets; 4-0, if anything, really flattered Ross County.

There’s an important point there, too; Celtic were able to utilise set-pieces and second phases of play.

That’s precisely what we were concerned about Ross County doing to us. In reality, on the rare occasions Ross County did have a set piece, the scoreline will tell you how effective it was.

Playing against Celtic must feel like a thankless, laborious task at the moment. The Hoops are in red-hot form, at an absolutely pivotal time, too.

So, phrases like “extremely frustrating” and “uphill battle” are no surprise.

And really, Celtic are just getting started.

Read more: Former Ange assistant Kevin Muscat lauds Celtic manager for creating opportunities