Defensive Deila turns to stats

It’s never reassuring when a manager turns to stats.

Craig Brown was a master of deflection, coming up with the number of corners or free kicks to mask the fact that Scotland had been given a chasing.

Football is about opinions not power-points. When Celtic beat Barcelona in 2012 no-one bothered with stats other than the scoreline, it’s how league tables are measured, points and goals.

Since the 2-2 draw at Kilmarnock Celtic’s form has been concerning. On it’s own an individual performance can be dismissed, when there are four or five such matches in a short spell it becomes the form, it’s worrying.

Following the draw at Rugby Park two late goals were shipped at home to Inverness Caley Thistle, the same happened at home to Malmo while in the return match there was no reply to the goals lost.

Celtic have lost plenty of matches at Aberdeen down the years but not many in the manner they showed on Saturday. Other than Leigh Griffiths there wasn’t a player close to the form that they showed in the second half of last season.

With that depressing run behind them Ronny Deila is under incredible scrutiny on an on-going basis.

A heavy defeat in a Europa League tie or falling further than five points behind Aberdeen in the title race will become difficult to talk around.

Deep down Deila knows it, since the weekend he has looked shaken. His Celtic TV appearance wasn’t convincing, yesterday’s pre-match media conference for the Ajax match seemed full of deflection tactics.

Shaping a new look defence under these circumstances is testing, the centre of last season’s defence is gone with question marks now spreading to Craig Gordon who was untouchable last term.

A point against Ajax will be viewed as a step in the right direction, three domestic wins over a seven day period against Dundee, Raith Rovers and Hearts are essential. Then Fenerbahce visit.

Speaking last night the Celtic boss said: “You don’t go through a career without setbacks. No road is going straight to heaven. Everyone loses games, you just have to deal with it.

“We had a bad performance on Saturday, we know. All the players are disappointed, I’m disappointed but you have to move on. All teams lose games.

“If you look back on the history of Celtic, you will see that. It seems like they won all their matches for the last 50 years. But please go back – please go back and check!”

No group of supporters knows their history better than Celtic fans. They know the unique circumstances that the club faces, the honest mistakes on Saturday from Craig Thomson and Steven McLean in last season’s Scottish Cup semi-final.

Celtic fans also know when players are giving 100% and when a manager is making the most of his squad. In recent weeks it’s been hard to be positive on both of those matters.

“In the last six years, Celtic have won only three games away from home in Europe out of 25,” Deila added turning to the comfort of more statistics. “I’m not talking about Reykjavik and Stjarnan, because they are games you have to win.

“Out of 25 games since 2009, you have won three away from home. Now you are talking about a team who are going to win everything. That is just not true. Ninety per cent of Celtic fans understand – they know the history. They are thinking the right thing.

“So it’s about winners. It’s not about finding excuses. Thursday night will be a very hard game but with hard work and the skills we have, we can definitely get a result. If we get a point in Amsterdam, it will be a very good start to the Europa League.

“I feel pressure all the time. I really want to get through in the Europa League and do better than last year when we reached the last 32.”

Tonight the pressure is in Amsterdam, it won’t ease up over the remainder of the month. Not many expect a win tonight against Ajax, a lifeless defeat in the manner of Malmo or Aberdeen will be difficult to take.

The stats that matter will be on the pitch at the Amsterdam ArenA, defeat tonight and the attention and scrutiny of the supporters will increase, win tonight by any means and the stats are kicked into touch- until Sunday.