Slow or Fast, Forward or Backwards

How can we objectively gauge playing styles?

I will admit that the sort of bruhaha that has commenced following Brendan Rodgers’ post-match comments on Sunday is not very interesting to me from the perspective of drama - i.e. social media bickering amongst the support, etc.

It is normal for people to revert to their tribal biases at times of heightened emotional sensitivities, and it is usually not anchored in objectivity. We are all human, of course!

So rather than delving into the potential hurt feelings and biases of various interested parties, an analytical question that struck me amongst it all was:

Has there been a material change in how we are playing?

Also:

One of the topics raised was passing backwards and the tempo with which Celtic played on Sunday, as well as recently. This is a good example of how Rodgers’ first tenure likely created some anchoring bias amongst some.

The following graphic has a lot within it, so I will reference sections to try and explore these questions, as well as attempt to establish an objective basis with which to consider them.