Cluj Culture Clash
Celtic face Romanian champions CFR Cluj in Glasgow with the Champions League Play off round at stake (sorry!). It is fair to say Celtic rarely come across a team that play like Cluj.
The away leg in Transylvania was, in some respects, the classic European away experience:
Opposition mind games
Grass left long
Pitch not watered
Exotic and unusual style of play
That is not to diminish the Romanians. Theirs is a very experienced and disciplined outfit. Six of their starters were 30 years or over. The average age of their 31-man squad is 28.2 compared to 25.1 for Celtic. They are well-motivated and organised. Coached in a very particular style.
They remain a threat. But how to characterise that threat?
The Cluj Conundrum
They actually completed more open play passes (190) than any team Celtic have faced this season. Yet they didn’t seem to care whether they kept possession or not.
They were incomplete with 119 passes, 18 more than Nomme Kalju and higher than any team Celtic faced last season, bar one. Can you guess which one?
Strangely, the style of football this Cluj team has most in common with are the Red Bull franchises of Salzburg and Leipzig. I showed last season that Salzburg were not far behind some of the elite sides Celtic have faced in recent years. But it was Leipzig that gave up 125 passes at Celtic Park in the Hoops best performance of the season.
Cluj have nowhere near the standard of players of those aforementioned teams. However, there is danger to the way they play – up to a point.
Strategy is to get the ball forward as quickly as possible. In fact, it looks like Lennon is tuning this Celtic side in a slightly similar way. Setting up 4-3-3 that becomes a more traditional 4-5-1 out of possession, the Romanians tried to make the game a mess. That is, minimise the amount of time Celtic had settled, controlled possession.
This kind of worked as Celtic were limited to 231 open play passes – nearly 300 less than any other game this season! It is fewer open play passes than ANY game last season.
They were energetic in deploying a high press wherever possible. It is noticeable that this tired off towards the end, after about 70 minutes. Celtic Park is the same length but 8 yards wider.
It is more the Klopp school or footballing philosophy than Guardiola. I think Lennon has similar leanings, whilst Rodgers is a firm acolyte of the Guardiola school.
There are also echoes of 1980’s era Wimbledon. Whereas that involved launching high balls onto a big target man and the fighting for second balls, this was a little more nuanced. The favoured ploy was to disrupt Celtic’s shape with long diagonals to switch the play. Then to get crosses into the box as early as possible, especially from the left foot of Deac.
Limitations
I am not sure whether they had a bad night or whether they just aren’t very good at implementing their strategy.
Cluj managed to attempt 20 crosses, 7 more than any other opponent so far this season. They didn’t connect with any of them. Only 1 pass connected into the Danger Zone all match. They were not concerned with playing through Celtic’s lines – only 14 Celtic defenders Packed and 38 Pack Passes is the highest Celtic have faced this season, but not high by the standards of top sides.
Indeed, they created 9 chances all match. The respective xG was0.863 Celtic to 0.923 Cluj. A very tight game with few good chances.
And this was the surprise given how stretched and open the match seemed from the first whistle. Despite the openness and ease with which both sides got the ball through the attacking and midfield lines, the chances didn’t follow.
The reason for this, I believe, is that playing long high balls does not allow your midfield or full backs to get into position for second balls. There were not sufficient teammates around to profit from the challenge, interception or clearance following a long pass. Cluj’s older team, whilst imbued with considerable work rate, didn’t have the pace to get past the strikers or sufficiently support the front three.
Celtic didn’t create too much either – 8 chances, but 3 were from corners.
Danger Remains
Cluj are utterly committed to playing the way they play and their approach will not change.
Where Celtic need to be careful is in second balls. The Recoveries stat is very useful in this regard to highlight the point.
So far this season, Celtic opponents average 69 recoveries per match. Cluj recovered the ball 104 times. There game is built on it. They don’t care if the first pass does not connect. Their goal is to secure the second ball with superior field position. In essence they are playing for lucky breaks – rather than playing through sides with passing and movement – throw the ball in and be prepared to get on the end of what happens next.
They did not create much using this approach in the first match, but it only takes a second and all that.
Celtic need to be extra vigilant to secure those second balls. Celtic have recovered it an average of 83 times in each match this season. It will need to be higher in the return leg.
Conclusion
Cluj are dangerous but predictable in their unpredictability. They will look to make the game a mess of unstructured play. Celtic’s home advantage, a slick and wider pitch, will assist, as will conditions hostile to the Romanians.
Celtic need to be vigilant to ensure winning the header or clearing the initial long pass diagonal is just the precursor to securing possession. I’d have Christie back as an 8 for this game as he excelled versus Leipzig in a similar styled match against far superior players. Ntcham can continue as 10.
Anticipation, speed and aggression to secure loose balls will be paramount. Celtic’s superior speed and fitness should then tell.