Although John Collins, Celtic’s assistant manager, was castigated in some quarters for his recent remarks on how challenging they find many of their assignments in Scotland, this match suggested that sometimes the truth hurts. Celtic made nine changes from the side that started against Malmo in midweek and still comfortably dealt with opponents whose confidence was clearly in the red after last week’s 4-0 humiliation at Hamilton.
Ronny Deila has come a cropper before when making such wholesale alterations. Exactly a year ago, in fact, when he made 10 changes between the two legs of the Champions League playoff against Maribor, lost 1-0 at Inverness and was widely criticised. Yet the Norwegian clearly felt that a year down the line his side could absorb the reshuffle better and perhaps factored United’s fragile state into his calculations, too.
“We took some risks today, but I had a better feeling than I had last year, that we had a better squad and players that understand the task on the pitch,” he said afterwards. “It just shows how many good players we have and we get the perfect scenario — win, confidence, energy and we can have the best preparation going into Tuesday.”
The only variable he could not have foreseen was how well Luis Zwick would play. Without the interventions of United’s German goalkeeper, Celtic would have been out of sight by half-time. As it was, a penalty in the final minute of the first half allowed United to pretend they were still in contention as they headed inside.
“I feel sorry for Luis because he’s had some fantastic saves and the goals he has conceded today he can’t do anything about,” said Jackie McNamara, United’s manager. “He looks the part, we just need to make sure we protect him a bit better.”
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McNamara has been installed as the favourite to become the first managerial casualty of the season and his side’s sluggish start did little to lengthen those odds.
Only Leigh Griffiths and Emilio Izaguirre were not given the afternoon off by Deila and they combined for Celtic’s first goal after 17 minutes. The Honduras international threaded a pass through and when Mark Durnan missed his attempt to intercept, Griffiths rounded Zwick to score his seventh goal of the season. The striker certainly cannot be accused of failing to state his own case while Nadir Ciftci, formerly of United, serves a six-match domestic ban for snacking on Dundee’s Jim McAlister last season before his move to Celtic.
Kris Commons was another who took the opportunity to remind Deila of his worth and, at times, the first half seemed an extended duel between him and Zwick. The former Scotland international had already seen a shot deflected onto the bar and away by Durnan’s knee before Griffiths’ goal and after it he was denied three times by fine saves as he found the target with his usual guile and venom.
Zwick also denied Griffiths a second with his outstretched left foot, after Gary Mackay-Steven slid a perfect pass into Celtic’s top scorer. It must have been galling for Zwick that when he was finally beaten again it was by one of his own. Durnan’s attempt to cut out a pass from Commons to Griffiths rolled agonisingly into his own net.
United’s moments of menace were isolated by comparison but when Efe Ambrose brought down Scott Fraser right on half-time, Willie Collum, the referee, awarded a penalty and Chris Erskine made no mistake from the spot. It was compensation for United, who felt they had been denied one earlier when Logan Bailly manhandled Aaron Muirhead on the edge of his box.
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“I don’t think it was his actual sliding-in challenge but he’s pulled his jersey,” reflected McNamara. “Willie’s not seen it. Again. But no complaints because they were dominant in the first half and we were slow in starting and lacking a bit of belief with our passing. When we do pass it, we’re a good side.”
The one fluent passage United did produce in the first half should have yielded a goal. Blair Spittal sparked a one-two off Erskine and then fed a pass into Ryan McGowan. The Australian was in the box with only Bailly to beat but pulled his finish marginally wide.
If the first half was lively, the second was far less eventful, apart from Celtic’s fans serenading Scott Allan on his first appearance for the club and the midfielder announcing himself with an impudent, if futile, attempt to lob Zwick. United didn’t look like equalising and Celtic didn’t look like adding to their lead, until they fortuitously did so with 16 minutes left. Commons with a crossfield pass and Mackay-Steven with a sound first touch assembled a counter-attack well before Callum McGregor’s shot deflected off Coll Donaldson and past the stranded Zwick.
Star man: Kris Commons (Celtic)
Dundee United: Zwick 8, Dillon 6, Donaldson 5, Durnan 4, Dixon 5, Souttar 7, Erskine 7 (Connolly 76min, 7), McGowan 6, Fraser 6 (Dow 55min, 6), Spittal 6, Muirhead 5 (Murray 67min, 5)
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Celtic: Bailly 7, Janko 6, Ambrose 6, O’Connell 6, Izaguirre 6, Mackay-Steven 6, Rogic 7 (Thomson 79min, 5), Mulgrew 6 (McGregor 61min, 7), Stokes 6, Commons 8, Griffiths 7 (Allan 68min, 6)