Celtic FC 2007/08 Season Preview

By: JT | August 2nd, 2007

Its hard to believe that the long, hot days of summer without meaningful Celtic football are finally over. The two-time SPL & reigning Scottish Cup Champs are about 48 hours away from raising the Championship flag and kicking off the season against Kilmarnock. That makes this the right time for a preview of the upcoming campaign. As always, we start at the back.

Keepers

Artur Boruc is the undisputed #1, and one of the top dozen keepers in Europe. He’s out injured for the first few matches of the season, and should be ready to return for the second leg of the Champions League qualifying tie. His deputy is former Caley Thistle stopper Mark Brown who’ll be in net until The King is fit. Brown should get a good run in the cup competitions, which could prime him for top billing should Boruc depart Parkhead for a richer club in the near future as is expected. Overall, this is an outstanding combo and one of the strengths of the squad.

Defenders

Mark Wilson is an injury concern for the opener, and if he can’t go, 18 year-old Paul Caddis will take his place. PSG’s Bernard Mendy is a rumored transfer target. You’d have to say this right back is Celtic’s weakest position at the moment.

In the center of defense, the new captain Stephen McManus is the man. John Kennedy, back from three years of injury hell, looks set to be his partner. Bobo Balde and Steven Pressley will be kept around, though Balde is the more likely to be shipped out before the transfer window closes. Darren O’Dea is getting fit, but word is Strachan is reluctant to play him with McManus because they are both best suited to the left side of the center. Gary Caldwell provides experienced cover at both right back and in the center.

Last year’s runner-up as SPL Player of the Year was left-back Lee Naylor. He’s an ever present in the first team, and if he went down O’Dea would be his replacement.

What the defense lacks in pace it makes up for in guile and determination. There is the danger of a speedy strike duo exposing the Celts here, and it would not be a surprise if WGS brought in some new faces this August.

Midfielders

Any discussion of the midfield starts with the reigning SPL Player of the Year, Shunsuke Nakamura. He’s the creative force behind the Bhoys’ attack, deadly at set pieces, and undoubtedly the key to any success Celtic has this campaign. New Bhoys Massimo Donati and Scott Brown form the new look central midfield. Donati, who arrived from AC Milan, is just getting acclimatized to the Scottish game and looks a great buy. Brown, who joined from Hibernian, is all action, all energy, all the time. He’s going to be a legend at Celtic and a huge favorite of the supporters. Aiden McGeady is like a little bug buzzing around annoying the hell out of the defense. This is going to be his year to really break through, in my opinion.

Paul Hartley and Evander Sno are the next in line in the center, as Jiri Jarosik and Thomas Gravesen look to be on the way out. The sooner the better, I say. Teddy Bjarnason appeared to be part of the plan in the early preseason matches, but he got less and less playing time as the season got closer. Hopefully he’ll get a run sometime, because he’s a talent.

Once this midfield gets some time together, they are going to be awesome. Believe it. The regular quartet have everything you could ask for.

Attackers

Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink is the number one guy up front. He’s a prototype, big #9. Chris Killen is the backup for Jan, and is struggling to gain full fitness after his transfer from Hibs.

The battle to be JVoH’s partner is complex, and no one has really stepped up. Kenny Miller is willing, but not able. Maciej Zurawski is a good player, but he and Jan the Man just don’t seem to mesh quite right on the pitch. Scott McDonald, of Motherwell fame, is the best bet here. His energy and pace should complement Jan well.

Shaun Maloney will return to Celtic or Stephen Naismith will transfer in from Kilmarnock within the next week to ten days. That should mean the end of Derek Riordan’s grouchy stint in the green and white.

The strikers as a group need to work hard and find a way to consistently create chances. There is potential within this group, especially if Maloney comes home, but until the onion bag bulges from week to week, there remains serious questions about Celtic’s firepower up front.

Gaffer

As I’ve stated many times, this will be the defining year of Wee Gordon Strachan’s tenure at Celtic and probably his career as a manager. No Celtic manager has won three titles in a row since the legendary Jock Stein. WGS’s stamp is authoritatively on this team. All the players are either from the academy or guys that he’s brought in except for Bobo Balde. Its time for him to lead the way to another title and another knockout round appearance in the Champions League.

The League

Celtic are the class of the Scottish Premier League. Rangers have closed the gap, and there is no doubt that the competition will be tighter this year. As ever, it comes down to away draws. Taking only one point out of three against inferior teams is what could keep Rangers closer than they should be. Last year, Celtic had the knack for finding a goal when they needed it, and that’s the sign of a championship team. Hopefully this season won’t be so nerve wracking, and we get back to the days where the Bhoys routinely handled the likes of St. Mirren and Falkirk 5-1. This year’s race will not be over by Christmas, but the Hoops will still prevail by a good 8-12 points.

Champions League

After the Artmedia Bratislava debacle of two years ago, I’m not going to be making any predictions. Qualifying for the group stages has to be all that’s on the Bhoys’ minds at the moment, and then we can talk about how that stage shapes up. With AEK Athens, Fenerbahce, and Spartak Moscow among other strong clubs as potential opponents, nothing is guaranteed. The Celts find out who they’ll line up against tomorrow.

Domestic Cups

It really is impossible to make any intelligent predictions here. So much depends to the draw, and the strength of the squad that WGS puts out there. An under strength side against a full Premiership side that’s motivated to take an Old Firm scalp is always a dangerous proposition. One of the cups will end up at Celtic Park, but I couldn’t tell you which one.

Final Analysis

This squad has the potential to be great. If the kinks can be worked out of the defense, and the strikers get with the program, this team will virtually be impossible to beat in the league and will be able to give any rich club in Europe a real run for its money. Overall, this is a relatively young team with a few veteran players, and there is promise across the board. Celtic will be fun to watch during the campaign and they may well end up with three titles and trip to the CL quarterfinals. That would be extraordinary. The prediction here though, is the league and one of the cups. I’m not touching the CL with a ten foot pole.