PLAYING Aberdeen at Pittodrie in their first cinch Premiership game after the Qatar 2022 break was always likely to prove problematic for defending champions and top flight leaders Celtic.
And so it proved – Ange Postecoglou’s side dominated the encounter with Jim Goodwin’s team this afternoon from kick-off.
But they were, despite enjoying 81 per cent possession and having nine shots on target, unable to find the net until three minutes from the end of regulation time.
Returning captain Callum McGregor finally broke the deadlock in the 87th minute to ensure that Celtic recorded a narrow 1-0 win and restored their nine point lead over Rangers at the top of the table. Here are five things which we learned from the match.
CAL-MAC BACK WITH A BANG
The World Cup break disrupted Celtic’s momentum – they had won nine games on the spin domestically - when play stopped four weeks ago.
But there were distinct advantages to the time off for the Parkhead club as it allowed McGregor to regain full fitness after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
The Scotland internationalist, who suffered a knee injury in the Champions League group game against RB Leipzig in Germany back October, came back into the starting line-up in the frozen north-east this afternoon.
Matt O’Riley did well after being moved from his advanced playmaker role to deputise for his skipper in his deep-lying berth in what proved to be a stroke of genius by Postecoglou.
But the Greek-Australian was obviously pleased to see “Cal-Mac” back.
McGregor did not look in the slightest bit rusty after his nine week lay-off. His defence-splitting long ball into the Aberdeen penalty box in the first-half was a thing of beauty even if Kyogo Furuhashi was unable to capitalise on it. He made more passes than any other player in the Premiership this season and was a deserved recipient of the Man of the Match award.
Having the vastly-experienced 29-year-old on the park ultimately proved the difference between the teams. He rifled an unstoppable shot into the net from the edge of the penalty box at the death after being teed up by substitute James Forrest. He will be hugely important for them going forward.
DISCIPLINED DONS
Aberdeen very much went on the offensive when they travelled to Govan to play Rangers at Ibrox in the Premiership back in October.
And taking such a positive approach against the Glasgow giants worked for a while – Goodwin’s side put their hosts under sustained early pressure and took the lead through Connor Barron in the first-half.
But the visitors were unable to maintain their intensity going forward and their opponents capitalised on the gaping holes in their defence and romped to an emphatic 4-1 triumph.
Their Irish manager has obviously learned important lessons from that outing. He was nowhere near as gung-ho for the visit of Celtic today.
He stuck with his usual 3-5-2 formation and played with a five man defence out of possession. Matty Kennedy, Ross McCrorie, Anthony Stewart, Jack Mackenzie and Hayden Coulson were strung out across the back and Barron, Ylber Ramadani and Leighton Clarkson were stationed just ahead of them.
Their rivals bossed possession and kept them camped in their own half. But they also looked a threat on the counter attack. Goodwin's gameplan worked well. They were desperately unlucky not to earn a draw.
Third-placed Aberdeen have a sensational home record in the league; they have won six and lost just two of the eight games they have played at Pittodrie. Rangers will be doing well to pick up all three points there on Tuesday evening.
RELIABLE ROOS
As well as Aberdeen fared, Celtic still created several scoring chances. But Dutch goalkeeper Kelle Roos was equal to them. He denied Jota and Reo Hatate before half-time and Liel Abada after it. He could do nothing about McGregor’s late piledriver.
The former Derby County man has established himself as the first-choice No1 at Pittodrie this term and is unlikely to surrender his place to Joe Lewis on this sort of form.
ABADA BING
Postecoglou had no qualms about selecting Daizen Maeda on the right of his front three today even though the Japanese forward had played in three games for his country at the World Cup in Qatar.
Maeda worked hard to break down the packed Aberdeen defence during the opening 45 minutes. But it was asking a lot of him to play the full game and he was replaced by Liel Abada at the start of the second-half.
The Celtic manager will have to be careful with the versatile forward, United States centre half Cameron Carter-Vickers, Australian midfielder Aaron Mooy and left back Josip Juranovic when the Croatian returns from the Middle East next week, if he is to get the best out of them in the second half of the season. But he showed today that he will be.
Abada made a real impact. He teed up Furuhashi with a chance which his team mate should have buried and then tested Roos after getting on the end of an O’Riley through ball.
FURUHASHI HOWLER
Postecoglou described the criticism of his £4.6m signing Furuhashi back in October as harsh and the Japanese striker promptly netted four times in seven matches to take his tally for the 2022/23 campaign to 11.
But Celtic’s leading scorer was far from his best today. He failed to net from a few yards out following good work by Anthony Ralston and Abada behind him. He sliced his attempt wide of the left post when he just had Roos to beat. He then volleyed a Ralston cross wide with 20 minutes remaining.
Not playing competitively for over a month was perhaps a factor in his out-of-sorts display. He was not the only Celtic player to lack a cutting edge. But the 27-year-old will have to be far more clinical in the final third in future to keep his place.
