Hibernian FC v. Celtic FC

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Marshall Haynes
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Kurtis Byrne, Colin Nish, Valdas Trakys, Kevin McCann, Steven Thicot, Thomas Flynn (Released), Kurtis Byrne (Ross County) Summary Hibs have lost key players and depth.

1 Match Report for St. Mirren Football Club Austin MacPhee, Sunday 24 th July Hibernian FC v. Celtic FC Club: Hibs Changes in playing staff In: Ivan Sproule (Bristol City), Garry O'Connor (Free Agent), Sean O'Hanlon (MK Dons) Out: John Rankin (Dundee United), Derek Riordan, Ricardo Vaz Te, Kurtis Byrne, Colin Nish, Valdas Trakys, Kevin McCann, Steven Thicot, Thomas Flynn (Released), Kurtis Byrne (Ross County) Summary Hibs have lost key players and depth. Assistant Manager has also left and speculation over General instability. Riordan has left and scored 31% of all Hibs goals last season. History of fixture Celtic since 2008, and did not take any points last season. Environmental factors 28 degrees, 12.30pm ko, opening game of the season, small home support. Excellent playing surface. Sproule.17 Palsson.19 Murray.6 Stack.1 Thornhill.15 Stevenson.16 Hanlon 4. Formation Wotherspoon.7 Booth.3

Individual Analysis 1. Graham Stack Position Goalkeeper With the ball Right footed, will play short to defenders if strikers allow them adequate time.

2 Individual Analysis 1. Graham Stack Position Goalkeeper With the ball Right footed, will play short to defenders if strikers allow them adequate time. Looks to play quickly with hands and feet when gaining possession of the ball directly from the opposition. Team with the ball Stays attached to the defence and gives good options behind the back four when they are pressured in possession. Without the ball Dropped a simple cross for the first goal which encouraged Celtic to serve more into the box, although must be complimented from recovering well from the mistake and continued to come for the ball when required and with reasonable success. Went right to save penalty kick from Hooper. 19. Victor Palsson Position Right defender With the ball Offers good options and carries the ball well although does not look to evade with technique in 1 v 1 situations only which physique. Looks to play his way past players and is a good athlete with excellent speed over yards which suits overlaps etc. More in the mould of a wing back than a full back. A young player who prefers central midfield to fullback. Team with the ball Shows for the ball very wide when team is in possession. Palsson splits from the centre backs very early (when ball has just been won and Hibs have not established possession. Due to Palsson splitting wide at all times when the ball is won there is a big gap to exploit (probably with midfield support) between right centre back Hanlon and Palsson shall Hibs lose possession. Without the ball Slightly behind the line of Hibs offside trap on a number of occasions although part of a n Booth (LCB and LB) who push out and appeal without being aware that Palsson is not in sync. See diagram below. Palsson (far right) behind the line when Loovens plays the ball forward.

5. Position Right centre back With the ball Very uncomfortable on the ball, clearly the defender you would want to have in possession although Celtic did not have a strategy to leave any particular

3 5. Position Right centre back With the ball Very uncomfortable on the ball, clearly the defender you would want to have in possession although Celtic did not have a strategy to leave any particular player in possession favouring pressing them all. Right footed and will only clear on left when pressured to do so. If you can get him on his left foot possession will be returned. Panics when he has time although Stack still gave him the ball regularly. Team with the ball Does not get involved and prefers to organise the defence when without the ball rather than participate in any phases of possession unless essential. Without the ball Experienced defender who contained Stokes and Hooper well. Stokes and Hooper were both very central, playing within the lines of the box and Hanlon a both mark tightly and not pull in a fullback to give additional cover. This led to the centre backs being 2 and preferred to go into the midfield himself to prevent Hooper turning. This creates space in the zone Developed good partnership with Hanlon and a successful offside trap catching Hooper and Stokes offside 8 times in the first half forcing Celtic to alter their strategy at halftime. 4. Paul Hanlon Position Left centre back With the ball Good on the ball, comfortable with both feet. Instigates the forward support of Booth from left back with good use of the ball to Wotherspoon (LM) or Stevenson (LCM). Hibs have longer ball. Hanlon, Stevenson, Wotherspoon and Booth are all good on the ball but do not have the pace of Sproule or Palsson resulting in their attacking strategy being very different on each side of the pitch but unsure whether this is by design or default. Team with the ball Confident on the ball when pressed and rarely clears aimlessly, rather trying to to lead the defence, where as Hanlon would lead when Hibs have possession. Never got the opportunity to carry into the midfield area due to the pressure of Hooper and Stokes. Without the ball h both centre backs marking and not relying on a fullback coming in to pick up and leave them spare. Kept a high line well Abov comfortable in doing so (see suggested strategy).

3. Callum Booth Position Left back With the ball Very left footed but confident and comfortable in possession. Intelligent in linking up with Stevenson, Wotherspoon & Thornhill.

4 3. Callum Booth Position Left back With the ball Very left footed but confident and comfortable in possession. Intelligent in linking up with Stevenson, Wotherspoon & Thornhill. Drives inside from left back allowing Stevenson to overlap from the middle of the pitch, or Wotherspoon to progress higher or drift inside. Key member of left side over- load which was part of Hibs attacking strategy and they delivered a number of crosses from here in the first half through Stevenson, Booth or Wotherspoon. Hibs left side overload often getting a 3v2 or 4v3 in this area resulting in space and time to and driving runs inside a trigger for this. Team with the ball Prefers to go further in possession of the ball rather than run off the ball. Plays forward rather than runs forward and enjoys possession. When Palsson attacks Booth gives cover. Without the ball Tactically sound, lacks a bit of speed but positions himself well to avoid a race tending to jockey and delay. Has more cover than Palsson at right back as Wotherspoon tracks back much more than Sproule, attacking threat. 6. Ian Murray Position Central midfield (defensive) With the ball Simple and steady. No frills prefers to play square than forward. Team with the ball Playing beside Stevenson and Thornhill, rarely goes beyond the ball, and the team looks very exposed when he does leave the central role, especially when the attack has come from Palsson at the right hand side.

show for the ball often leads to Murray filling a right back role when possession is lost and Palsson is so far detached from the centrebacks.

5 Ian Murray (cont.) Without the ball Gets caught between filling the space infront of the centre backs and filling for the fullback sometimes doing neither and caught between the two ly movement to the touchline to show for the ball often leads to Murray filling a right back role when possession is lost and Palsson is so far detached from the centrebacks. If in turn Stevenson does not then protect the space that Murray has come from Hibs are very exposed in the middle of the pitch and there is a lack of This was further highlighted by committed to go forward and the ball is lost. Below is a still from the game and this is slightly different as Stokes has tracked back, but it clearly shows Palsson committed forward when the ball has been lost. This also happens higher up the pitch exposing the centre backs especially if the striker runs into the space left by Palsson. Hibs would also lose possession when the centre backs were 2 v 2 taking Murray further back to cover and leaving Ki lots of room to pick up the ball centrally.

6 7. David Wotherspoon Position Left Midfield With the ball Although plays wide is more a linking player than an offensive 1 v 1 player. Had success by linking with the movement of Stevenson, Thornhill and Booth in previously shown passing patterns. Comfortable drifting inside to allow over lap and to play with midfield three. Delivery rarely beat the of delivery was superior from left back. Team with the ball Comfortable to take possession although does not have dribbling belief. Good relationship with players around him and is important to attacking strategy on the left, although individual threat is minimal based on this performance. Without the ball Conscientious defensively, much more so than Sproule on the opposite flank although Hibs defensive strategy may have involved Sproule staying high to occupy Izaguirre and prevent his involvement in attacks. Drifted inside to provide cover when required if Stevenson had broken lines from the middle of the pitch. Offered good cover to Booth when faced with overload on the inside and outside. Replaced and made intelligent runs and finished the game strongly. Good physical condition. 16. Lewis Stevenson Position Central Midfield (left sided) With the ball Good in possession, sharp accurate passing and dynamic movement. Hibs favoured ball carrier in midfield and passing pattern illustrates this. Very left sided. See positive and negative below. Team with the ball Shows for the ball well although tends to play back into the area of the first pass rather than change point of attack, especially when receiving the ball from the left. Offensive strategy may also influence this choice but Celtic forced more turnovers of Hibs possession once they dictated where and when they would press Stevenson to force turnovers. Stevenson/Murray Successful Midfield Rotation Hibs had success with pre- planned Murray (6) and Stevenson (16) rotation in central midfield. would show for the ball before vacating the space for Stevenson to come and received the ball on his favoured left foot and switch to Booth. Stevenson (16) would advance as the ball was in to receive when Murray (6) vacated the space with Ki (18).

Stevenson Possession and Weak Foot Problems Although competent and key to Hibs changing the point of attack from the rotation with Murray (above), Stevenson struggled when receiving the ball from

7 Stevenson Possession and Weak Foot Problems Although competent and key to Hibs changing the point of attack from the rotation with Murray (above), Stevenson struggled when receiving the ball from Booth at left back when Hibs had set- up for the switch. His inability to set and switch within two touches when Palsson (19) and Sproule (17) were already splitting led to many to the same side as the ball to provide an additional option. If this situation had been replicated on the opposite side by him receiving the ball from Palsson he could easily set and switch in two touches thus allowing Booth to progress. ond half. Without the ball Fit, aggressive and tenacious. The compromise between the protection of Murray and the offensive central runs from Wotherspoon. Replaced by Galbraith after 70 minutes. 17. Ivan Sproule Position Right Midfield/Right Wing With the ball Speed more of an asset than skill. Simple player who relies on pace. He is very, very quick. Struggles technically and decision making is poor it. When forced inside by Izaguirre failed to link with other players or play intelligent passes to help to release Palsson who was overlapping. Team with the ball cohesion. Never broke defensive line inside the fullback, always on the outside. Runs and direction very predictable. Without the ball Hibs defensive strategy involved occupying & tracking Izaguirre so Sproule played until the last 20 minutes due to the diligence and tracking of Sproule.

8 15. Matt Thornhill Position With the ball Good technician who showed more promise when he was moved to central midfield for the last 20 minutes and could enjoy time on the ball and playmake. Thornhill worked tirelessly in frequent supporting runs in the first half but grew frustrated by the poor, and the poor service to some intelligent runs he made through the Celtic lines. Team with the ball he rarely received the ball. Although Hibs never had a shot on goal or a corner the whole game they did show neat rotational patterns on the left hand side, especially when Thornhill drifted between the lines on the left where Hibs had longer periods of possession and showed better patience and ball retention. This differs to the right where they seem to attack or lose the ball through Palsson and Sproule. Without the ball Dropped back into midfield to try and prevent passing lane to either Kayal or Ki and give Hibs a central numerical advantage. Part of Hibs defensive strategy to force Celtic to play longer which worked early in the game due to the work of Thornhill. Distance grew between midfield line and Although Hibs have a numerical advantage in the middle of the pitch Ki and Kayal still find space to play. Thornhill gradually gave up his job of blocking the passing lane to Ki or Kayal as the game got stretched & 9. Position Centre Forward With the ball Very poor, gave the ball away on most occasions, rarely linked up an attack and stopped showing for the ball preferring to go to the opposite side from possession for the eventual cross or diagonal ball. Team with the ball Lazy and static, not the pace to break the line behind Celtic nor the creativity to link the play cleverly. Showed few options and hardly won any aerial balls. Did not have a shot at goal Without the ball possession or pressurise the back four. Offered nothing.

Hibs Offensive Strategy Left sided overload, combinations, and passing patterns v.

On the left they have Booth, Stevenson, Wotherspoon and Thornhill who look to create overloads in wide areas to cross into the box.

Wotherspoon drifts inside in possession allowing the overlap to happen and a connecting pass to create the triangle from the other player.

9 Hibs Offensive Strategy Left sided overload, combinations, and passing patterns v. right sided pace and evasion Due to individual skill set and design Hibs are a very different attacking team down each side of the pitch. On the left they have Booth, Stevenson, Wotherspoon and Thornhill who look to create overloads in wide areas to cross into the box. This can be through overlaps from the fullback area from Booth or Stevenson/Thornhill from the left of the pitch. Wotherspoon drifts inside in possession allowing the overlap to happen and a connecting pass to create the triangle from the other player. Their triggers are unclear as they are happy to keep relatively controled possession prior to setting up the overlap or overload. This is in contrast to their right hand side where the pace of Sproule and athleticism of Palsson are the threat in themselves without any specific patterns or coaching design. Hibs are more likely to evade on the right although with this run the risk (and do) of giving up possession and being open. Hibs attacking threat differs on each side of the pitch as shown below. Sproule gets the ball and goes and Palsson tends to join him leaving them very open to the counter on their right. Left side does not have the pace but they offer an intelligent overload after longer periods of possession. How movement, runs, delivery differs from left and right? who has moved away to the back post area from the left side, and for Thornhill to commit to the supporting run for the knock down. From the right where the delivery come from Thornhill or Wotherspoon at the back.

Hibs Defensive Strategy was effective early on where the team managed to restrict the space infront of the back four thus and the midfield Celtic took control of the game.

Thornhill was not in no- mans- land due to the defensive line being high and the other midfielders picking up quickly and marking tightly and aggressively.

preventing the passes between the centre impossible as Celtic moved the ball quickly between their defensive four. As Thornhill one to Ki or Kayal was impossible.

10 Hibs Defensive Strategy was effective early on where the team managed to restrict the space infront of the back four thus and the midfield Celtic took control of the game. Hibs success in restricting space and flow or initially shaped attacking side which allowed Thornhill to front screen either Kayal or Ki and begin to threaten the player on the ball. Thornhill was not in no- mans- land due to the defensive line being high and the other midfielders picking up quickly and marking tightly and aggressively. This was successful for the majority of the first half until the gap between Hibs failure in restricting space and flow Failure to maintain the maintain their success ing focus and not preventing the passes between the centre impossible as Celtic moved the ball quickly between their defensive four. As Thornhill one to Ki or Kayal was impossible. As they turned the defence began to deepen and the strategy collapsed and Celtic controlled the game with longer spells of central possession and a more effective transition to attack. On the left Hibs have a good shape with their strategy in place to restrict possession & space for Celtic. As the game

Attacking Set Pieces Hibs had a number of free kicks in attacking areas and their movement was the same

5 - e of the box so they are in position to win the defence naturally deepens even though Hibs do not run

Mirren will have to be aware of given their defending of free kicks from wide areas where they seem to

Defending Set- pieces Hibs defend corners with 5 markers, one player up the field (same side as the ball),

11 Attacking Set Pieces Hibs had a number of free kicks in attacking areas and their movement was the same irrespective of side. 5 - e of the box so they are in position to win the defence naturally deepens even though Hibs do not run towards the goal. This is an issue St. Mirren will have to be aware of given their defending of free kicks from wide areas where they seem to deepen as a line and mark zonally (v. Dunfermline). There were no attacking corners. Defending Set- pieces Hibs defend corners with 5 markers, one player up the field (same side as the ball), two front zone protectors, one picking up the man on the keeper and a player on the back post if the corner is out- swinging and near post if in- swinging. They replicate this for free kicks in wide areas although nobody is on the post and they have this player in- front of the ball.

12 Hibs v. St. Mirren predicted flows based on both teams replicating tactics and personnel - What do Hibs do about playing v. three strikers? If Teale (21) joins Hasselbank (11) and Thompson (9) more centrally do they correct by pulling in a fullback (19) or withdrawing Murray (6)?

13 - When Palsson commits to support/attack and the ball is lost (eg. Lee Mair gains possession at number 5) outlined in the match report. a) Do Thomson (8) or McGowan (10) burst into the right back space from a deep run and the strategy involves finding the space infront of them with a few direct passes (red lines)? b) Does the strategy mean that when Palsson or Sproule over commit do St. Mirren target Van Zanten (3) as quickly as possible for his cross or pass to find Thomson (8) or McGowan (10) or the strikers with the second phase ball (green lines)? - through Mair, McGr The St. Mirren goalkeeper has grown in confidence in regard to ball playing within the first two games so if this continues this may be a mute point as he will be comfortable in being the extra man in the possession phase such as today against Aberdeen. St. Mirren enjoyed longer phases of possession building, and therefore control, due to Samson being more comfortable in the 3v2 and 4v3 way out when Mair, McGregor and Goodwin are pressed. If Samson ability to possess with his central back three continues to improve this could be significant as this will allow the first stage of pressure to be broken and further time for Thomson and McGowan in attacking central midfield.

14 - Can a high central three allow McGowan and Thomson more space to play with the withdrawl of Murray for additional cover? If this happens how can the extra space/time be turned into an influence greater than good possession? - - thus resulting in yet more space in midfield? I think the playing of Teale more centrally will force the withdrawl of Murray and St. Mirren to dominate central midfield possession. In possession if St. l be further problems for Hibs as their wide midfielders will need to track back even further. If St. Mirren can slightly improve their transition from their GK/CB/CB/Goodwin diamond into the Thomson and McGowan this will cause many problems for Hibs due overload both high and wide (Van Zanten & Tesselaar) and with three central strikers. Report by Austin MacPhee amsports@amsportstours.com

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