With Ange Postecoglou putting his stamp on things, it’s no surprise that one particular Celtic tactic is getting supporters talking.
Indeed, the new Hoops boss has noticeably been playing with inverted full-backs over the last couple of weeks. It was most noticeable over the last week in games against Midtjylland and West Ham United respectively.
This is when the fullbacks come into a more central area to receive the ball as opposed to staying out wide. Given our stuttering start in our usage of the tactic, it’s understandable that some may not get the benefits of it.
After all, some may believe that it looks unnatural and that it’s disrupting what Celtic are used to. The latter is true, but that’s anything but a bad thing.
To truly understand why Postecoglou is utilising this tactic, it’s important to be in tune with its benefits.
The pros of the inverted fullback system
Firstly, the idea can be used to create an overload in the middle of the park. This will allow Celtic’s more dangerous players to move higher up the pitch as opposed to collecting the ball deeper.
If the likes of Greg Taylor and Anthony Ralston are collecting the ball ahead of the backline, it can be used to draw the opposition out. This, in theory, would create gaps in the final third for the likes of Ryan Christie and Odsonne Edouard to exploit.
The other main pro is that it can also provide perfect one-v-one opportunities for Celtic’s wide players. This is because playing with inverted fullbacks can draw the opponent’s wide midfield in.
This happened regularly against Midtjylland and West Ham. It was much of the reason our forward play was so promising at times.
However, on too many occasions have Taylor and Ralston been collecting possession and instead choosing a negative pass. It’s clear this is new to both players, because their body language is at times all wrong. Particularly when receiving the ball.
It’s vital that the full-backs are aware of everything around them. Especially if wide midfielders are coming in to close them down.
Celtic don’t yet have the personnel to carry it out successfully
Pep Guardiola’s Bayern Munich were the masters of this. Using Phillip Lahm and David Alaba, the Bavarians caused devastating damage in building from the back.
Taylor and Ralston have struggled to take to the new tactic, and this is exactly why the manager needs to be given the tools. Fullback is an incredibly important position in Postecoglou’s Celtic team. Relying on Taylor and Ralston won’t get us anywhere this season.
Signing players who are ready-made for this particular style would be ideal. Especially considering the Premiership season starts this weekend.
But it’s vital to understand what Postecoglou is trying to achieve. Celtic have looked so dangerous going forward thanks to the inverted full-back system creating space in the final third. However, careless turnovers in our own defensive third remain far too frequent.
Fingers crossed it won’t be the same on Wednesday night.
In other news: Report: Celtic must splash out £4.2m to secure Kristijan Lovric
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