Ahead of Midtjylland vs Celtic on Wednesday night, there are certainly plenty of questions for Ange Postecoglou to answer.
At face value it looks simple. The score is tied at 1-1. With the away-goal rule abolished, a victory is a must and anything less won’t enough to secure progression.
However, since last week’s first leg at Celtic Park, there have been plenty of subplots that have developed. Plenty to give Postecoglou plenty to ponder.
Here, we take a look at his three biggest head-scratchers heading into the contest in Denmark:
1. Vasilis Barkas vs Scott Bain
In pre-season, I was extremely consistent. I stated that Vasilis Barkas was a better goalkeeper than Scott Bain and that it was time to give him another chance.
Like many who may have held the same view, I’m twitching. Barkas has had a troubling last week since the start of competitive action against Midtjylland. His howler from Evander’s free-kick six days ago was followed by shocking positioning for two of West Ham’s goals.
Now, there’s a big question mark over whether we keep him in for the return leg against the Danes. Especially when you take into account these are basic errors he’s making.
The whole attraction surrounding Barkas is that this was meant to be a fresh start. A chance for him to clear his mind and perform like a new signing after a year of getting settled into Scotland. That’s now gone after his recent mistakes.
The concern is that Scott Bain isn’t good enough either. He conceded 30 goals in 23 games last season [Transfermarkt]. His shot-stopping is suspect, but it could be worth bringing him back in for this one at least.
In truth, a new goalkeeper is required. For now, however, Postecoglou has a big decision to make.
2. James Forrest or Liel Abada?
Liel Abada announced himself last week with a competitive debut to remember. He bagged a goal and put in several terrific crosses in a first-half outing against Midtjylland that left fans craving more.
The Israeli summer-signing then started the friendly against West Ham on Saturday. Again, he made his presence known with a superb assist. Operating on the right flank, he’s finally provided Celtic with a legitimate danger in the wide areas.
However, James Forrest is back. The Scotland international played his first minutes of the new season after coming on for the final 25 minutes against West Ham. Given Forrest’s involvement with Scotland at Euro 2020, it shouldn’t take much to get him up to speed.
A month ago it would’ve seemed ludicrous not to start James if he was fit. But there’s a dynamic and in-form alternative ready to make an impact in Denmark too. Postecoglou can’t go wrong with either one, but it’s a decision he’ll need to make.
Perhaps he could even play a wildcard and put Abada or Forrest on the left flank instead. Finally, the Celtic boss has selection issues that leave him with positive dilemmas.
3. Go for Midtjylland or ease into the night?
Yet for all of the selection choices Postecoglou has to make, how he approaches the night will be most important.
A couple of years ago, this would’ve been straightforward. Midtjylland would’ve likely sat in and Celtic would’ve had no choice but to go for broke. Such was the nature of the away-goal rule effectively counting for double.
Now, that’s no longer the case, and Midtjylland will undoubtedly come out and have an instant go at Celtic. They’ll be looking to put us under pressure in front of their own fans and grab the early momentum. The last thing they’ll want is the night dragging out with the tie still level.
But that offers an interesting option for Postecoglou. Celtic can either go for Midtjylland and try to match them up from the off, or we can sit back and look to frustrate. Look to hit on the counter and pick them off with our pace down the wide areas.
Considering our defensive woes, expect the former. Celtic aren’t good enough defensively at the moment to minimise our attacking threat and try to ease into the game. All we would do is invite pressure on to an already confidence-sapped defence.
The best way to keep Midtjylland away from our goal is to ensure the play is up in their end for the most part. Given Postecoglou’s attacking philosophy, this looks like his most plausible road to go down.
In other news: Celtic-linked Kyle Edwards confirms he won’t be joining Reading
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