There is a lot you can criticise this Celtic board for.
But amid their many weaknesses, one positive and huge step forward to come out of this summer so far is the appointment of Ross Grant from Hearts.
Celtic have a new set-piece coach in town, and hopefully, it will radicalise the team’s qualities in attack and defence, because if it does, then it will be worth a lot of points.
Grant recently sat down with the club’s official channel CelticPlayer to discuss his new role and what he intends to bring to the table.
The boyhood Celtic fan explained that when it comes to home matches, and Martin O’Neill’s side are dominating, the plan is to ‘not allow teams to get a rest’ when the Hoops have a set-play.
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Celtic will use set-plays to suffocate opponents at home
“I think the work that we do in the analysis and the quality of players we have here to be able to bring that to fruition is quite exciting,” said Grant.
“I think there is an opportunity to do so if we have a lot more possession or we are going to dominate the ball.
“Like if we are at home, and we are the dominant team, we have more opportunities to score. We want to be able to use set-plays as a part of that and not allow teams to get a rest when we get a set play. We want to continue to carry a threat from those situations.
“We did very well at Hearts last year, and I am very grateful for all the staff who were at Hearts, who supported that and the players as well.
“But I still think when we come here, a big part of me coming is that I think I can make improvements, work with the staff and work with the squad to make improvements all round.”
One of the best signings of the summer from Celtic
It will take time, but down the line, this move will pay off because it is the way forward in the modern game.
This might not be O’Neill’s cup of tea, but it’s right down Shaun Maloney’s street, and that’s when they both combine their work to help Celtic succeed again.
When it comes to home matches, if the champions of Scotland can get back to controlling matches and having most of the possession, then it will further benefit Grant and his work.
It then adds another layer to Celtic’s play, which will excite the fans, because the attacking threat will be coming from everywhere.
And on the other hand, what a daunting prospect for the opponents.
Not only will they have to deal with Celtic ripping them apart from open play, but the dead-ball quality will be even more difficult to deal with.
Either way, bring it on, and let’s get Celtic Park roaring from the start!
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