Attack the best form of defence as Celtic look for Champions League glory

For the first time since 2002, Celtic have scored four goals or more in three successive games, stats which bear out well when consideration is given to the £20m bounty they will chase tomorrow night in Israel.

The only fly in the ointment, though, is the manner in which they continue to indulge in mid-game shenanigans to gee things up a little.

Just as they did against Hapoel Be’er Sheva last week, Celtic let it slip then pulled themselves together to finish off the job.

Read more: Kolo Toure: Celtic are ready to finish the battle

They will need that same sense of conviction as they head into tomorrow night’s conclusive UEFA Champions League playoff against the Israelis.

Going forward this is a cavalier Celtic team which are easy on the eye; there is movement, energy, penetration and, most importantly, goals. The odds are that they will find the net tomorrow night as they chase the £20m jackpot.

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While there is an argument to say this in the final third Celtic are clinical, there is a necessity that it is so given the soft centre that remains.

Kolo Toure, the veteran defender, has added some balance to what is a youthful backline – Brendan Rodgers was quick to point out that he is playing alongside two 20-year-olds and a 19-year-old – but there is still something to say that Celtic do not possess quite the same assurance at the back as they do at the front.

The fact that Erik Sviatchenko did not chart any game time at Perth on Saturday afternoon suggests that Eoghan O’Connell will remain where he is as partner to the former Arsenal man at the heart of the Celtic defence, although Mikael Lustig will be expected to be back in for Saidy Janko.

That experience will be vital of Celtic are to hold their nerve and ensure that Hapoel don’t get the early goal which would undermine the upper-hand that the Parkhead side hold.

And yet, while a solid backline and sensible strategy will be necessary, this is a Celtic side who are best served not when trying to hold the ball but when trying to get the ball forward.

In that respect, while Brendan Rodgers will look for common-sense, the Celtic’s manager’s recent decisions in games when he tends to favour the bolder substitutions suggests that he will encourage his side to play to their strengths and go for the away goal that would surely tip the balance of the tie firmly to their favour.

Leigh Griffiths netted Celtic’s opener against St Johnstone at Perth which follow-ups from Scott Sinclair and James Forrest before Danny Swanson and Steven MacLean threatened to spoil their day. Ryan Christie’s late goal re-applied some of the gloss to what had been an impressive opening 45 minutes.

In Sinclair Celtic have found a player who has made an immediate impact since arriving. The diminutive former Aston Villa midfielder has brought pace to the Celtic midfield and his return of three goals from his opening four games suggests a profitable season awaits.

Griffiths was taken off early in the second period, with one eye on tomorrow night’s game and while the striker didn’t seem overly pleased with the decision he believes that if Celtic maintain their momentum teams will struggle to live with them.

“The first 45 minutes we were very good,” said Griffiths after the game. “If we keep starting like that we will blow teams away.” As for what was said between him and Rodgers, Griffiths would only add: “That is between me and the gaffer. We have a massive game on Tuesday and that is what we’ll focus on.”

Griffiths was in the midst of a diving controversy when he was booked by Craig Thomson for going down in the box when under pressure from Richard Forster. TV pictures suggest there was contact, although it did not look like a penalty. Griffiths remained adamant that he did not go down too easily.

“There was contact in the box,” he said. “I am not going to down unless there is contact. I said that to the ref – he has refereed a lot of games I have played and he hasn’t seen me dive once. He told me he booked me because I thought I dived. I’ll take it on the chin.

“Hopefully now we will go to Israel on the back of three points and hopefully we’ll come back on Tuesday night in the group stages of the Champions League.”

Rodgers himself felt that the two St Johnstone goals gave a skewed look to the game on paper.

“It leaves a bittersweet taste in the mouth when you lose two goals like that but for 99 per cent of the game we were outstanding,” he said. “To put that energy and attitude into the game, while the quality of our football in the first half was excellent, along with the speed of our game. It was very good.

“We were in total control of the game and we gave a soft penalty, and it was a penalty, and then we lost a goal when we were down to 10 men, so all of sudden the scoreline is nowhere near the actual game and it gives them a little bit of hope.

“The scoreline didn’t reflect the game if I’m being totally honest but to get the four goals and play how we did for three quarters of the game was really impressive.”