The Huddle Breakdown

Celtic finally get off the mark in the Europa League with a chaotic 3-2 win over Besiktas, and on The Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin, James and Alan break it all down. Was Martin O’Neill’s controversial lineup a planned rope-a-dope: stay compact in a 4-4-2 mid-block for an hour, then let Osman and Duran’s pace loose on a tired Besiktas? The guys use StatsBomb shot maps and heat maps to show why teams keep attacking Celtic’s right side. They look at how Mika Bauer’s left-sided game differs from Arne Engels’, and why James thinks it’s time to give Bauer the keys in place of Callum McGregor. They also ask what kind of midfielder Celtic really need in the January transfer window and whether the Johnstone-for-Sinisalo goalkeeper switch makes any sense, and they share their verdicts on Lotomba, Kieran Tierney, Carter-Vickers and Hugh. Alan’s Speedboat League (the xG table) shows Kilmarnock are better than bottom of the Scottish Premiership suggests, ahead of Sunday’s match at Celtic Park against Neil McCann’s side. Plus Poetry Corner and a first look at that pitch in Portugal. Hail Hail! Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Falkirk 2-0 Celtic, and the xG debate has exploded. On this week’s Huddle Breakdown, James and Alan dig into the Celtic FC data to explain why the Hoops’ big xG total at the Falkirk Stadium doesn’t tell the real story. They cover game state, post-shot xG, and how John McGlynn’s Falkirk earned their two-goal lead before sitting deep to protect it, helped by 10 saves from man of the match Scott Bain. They also get into Celtic’s exposed right-hand side, the decision to bring Cameron Carter-Vickers back on the artificial pitch, Bauer’s heat map, the half-time switch to James Forrest, Kieran Tierney’s clearances, Falkirk’s long throws, and the Luke McCowan subs. Finally, they look ahead to Martin O’Neill’s Celtic hosting Besiktas in the Europa League. The visitors have just sacked their coach, they rank among Europe’s most intense pressing sides, and the one thing that matters for Celtic is to stop the bleeding. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celtic dropped points at home to Dundee United, and Callum McGregor and Cameron Carter-Vickers have both suggested the team isn’t organised enough. On this week’s Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, James and Alan use the data to test that claim. The opposition is getting about 15 shots a game against Celtic and more than double the touches in the Celtic box of the 2019/20 side. xG conceded has gone up from around 1.0 a game to 1.5. One stat suggests McGregor’s struggles are about the team’s structure rather than his age: he’s being taken out of the game by opposition passes twice as often as before. They also look at how Celtic’s front players and midfield pairings fit together (Duran and Hogh, McGregor and Bauer), including a 4-4-1-1 idea. They give credit to two young players: Dane Murray, who is on his first run of consecutive starts, and Colby Donovan, who has just signed a five-year deal and stands up well against Kieran Tierney at the same age. There’s a round-up of the SPFL after Hearts 2-2 Rangers, and the projections still have Celtic winning the Scottish Premiership by around six points. Finally, they preview Falkirk: John McGlynn’s high line and pressing, a run of good luck (four own goals in their favour) and bad set-piece defending that Celtic could take advantage of. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celtic came from behind to bag 3 points against Hibs in 50–60mph Edinburgh winds. Alan and James get into whether there’s anything to learn from a game that chaotic, the Grant Hanley-up-front gamble, Martin O’Neill’s “best performance” comments, and why finishers like Duran and Nygren are so valuable when the ball drops. They look at Alistair Johnston’s latest hamstring setback and what it says about rest, recovery and soft-tissue injuries at Celtic. They also cover the young right side of the defence, with a new five-year deal for Donovan. Then the stats come out for a Dundee United preview. Jim Goodwin’s side are well-organised and press smartly. They shoot from range, are kings of the long throw and sit high in the Speedboat League, which raises the question: should Celtic go with an Osmand, Duran, Hassan front three? Scottish Premiership analysis, xG and data-led Celtic FC talk from The Huddle Breakdown. Want to support the channel? - https://huddlebreakdown.com Like this video and want more content like it? Subscribe to the channel below and hit the bell to get notified every time a new video goes live. Follow us on Twitter: @huddlebreakdown @Alan_Morrison67 @jucojames Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Celtic fell to another Europa League defeat, losing to Celta Vigo at Celtic Park, and on this Huddle Breakdown Extra Time, Martin, James and Alan get into why the Hoops keep hammering teams in the Scottish Premiership and then get carved open in Europe. James reports from his first European night at Paradise. He also shares UEFA tracking data showing Callum McGregor has covered 37.4km in three Europa League games, the second most in the whole competition. Alan breaks down the structural issues behind Celtic giving up more shots than they take, a lopsided left side, and the “Engels-sized hole” on the right. He also says Oliver Sorensen is being set up to fail. The panel discusses board accountability, the roughly £300m in missed Champions League money, the SPFL TV rights tender, and the Conference League coefficient problem facing Scottish football. They finish by previewing Sunday’s lunchtime trip to Easter Road to face bottom-of-the-table Hibs under their new manager, after David Gray’s sacking. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.