St Johnstone manager Callum Davidson has a plan to frustrate an on-form Celtic side on Saturday.
The Bhoys welcome the Saints to Paradise on Saturday for a 3pm kick-off. It’s something of a dress rehearsal for Hampden in November, with the same teams squaring off for a place in the Premier Sports Cup Final.
Celtic, with three wins and two clean sheets in their last three games, are the team on form. St Johnstone, meanwhile, were soundly beaten by Livingston last time out [BBC].
Out of character for his side, and hardly ideal preparation for a trip to Glasgow’s East End, Davidson suggests it’ll be all about defence for his Saints.
Davidson said [Daily Record]:
“I think when you go to Parkhead [a good start is] the most important thing. It’s about how well you start, you try and build the pressure with the supporters.
“So, the first 15-20 minutes will be really important, that we try and be really stuffy and look to get into the game.
“I just think we had too many errors against Livingston. It was very unlike us.
“Hopefully that’s us got them out of the way in the one game. Again, when you play against Livingston and you give them an early goal, they are a tough team to play against.
“We obviously played right into their hands. There are little things we can improve on. I’ve watched the game back and I’ve seen things we can do better as a group, not just the defenders but everybody in the team.
“I’ll be letting the players know and we’ll be working hard towards trying to rectify that.”
St Johnstone aiming to frustrate Celtic could be just want Ange Postecoglou wants
Davidson, no relation, is a more than capable manager. Two cup wins last season removes any doubt of that.
However, inviting pressure and sitting deep against Celtic could be just what Ange Postecoglou wants. One of his major tasks since joining the club will have been figuring out how to beat the low block that Scottish sides will put up against him.
With the pace at Celtic’s disposal, and the goal-scoring options from midfield, it seems inevitable that regardless of how St Johnstone set up, there’ll be chances for us.
Motherwell tried a similar method, but Celtic came out 2-0 winners. Ferencvaros, to an extent, sat deep and invited pressure, only to lose by the same scoreline.
This is a Celtic team that’s proactive rather than reactive. At home, we’ll play it on our terms. Ideally, you’d want Postecoglou’s team to be the kind that managers agonise over.
Do they go for an early goal? Do they try to sit tight and let Celtic have the ball? Do you pressure the Bhoys into losing possession?
Either way, it should be an absolute cracker tomorrow.
Read more: Celtic manager Ange Postecoglou sets lofty target for captain Callum McGregor
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