It won't be 2 - 3
- 5
Eck giving nothing away on his formation
by John Campbell
ANY TEAM THAT GOES to Parkhead or
Ibrox is automatically expected by the media and the home fans to do so with the sole
intention of defending in depth and no doubt that's what will be expected of Hibs on
Saturday when they visit the East End of Glasgow.
Whilst not giving anything at all away
about his likely tactics and team selection, Alex McLeish did confirm, tongue in cheek,
that it will not be a 2 - 3 - 5 line up as displayed during the days when match programmes
described a team as having a keeper, two full-backs, three half-backs and five forwards!
Paul Fenwick
Back training on Monday (sns)
What he did confirm,
however, is that the same 18 players on duty for the Dundee United game on Tuesday night
will be retained which means that Paul Fenwick has not yet recovered from his ankle
injury. Eck advised that Fenwick has, though, made good progress and will resume
training on Monday.
This squad
announcement was defined in terms of who will actually play, only in respect of the
goalkeeper as McLeish confirmed that Tony Caig will retain his place in the side.
Asked what effect this was having on Nick Colgan he was able to confirm that the
former first choice has been hugely supportive of Caig and has reacted to being dropped by
working all the harder in training and showing a very professional attitude.
Visiting Parkhead is
a daunting prospect at the best of times and with Celtic fresh off the back of a victory
over Rangers, confidence will be high in the Parkhead dressing room but McLeish feels this
is the sort of challenge his players should relish. "Going there is something players
should relish and not be apprehensive about. It's a fantastic arena and with a sell
out crowd virtually guaranteed you have to demonstrate a strong mentality and a physical
toughness. We know we are not favourites as Celtic have beaten Valencia, Juventus,
Rosenborg and Rangers at Parkhead in recent times so its a tough but not impossible
task."
Last season, albeit
that things were going somewhat better for Hibs, the record in Glasgow against the Old
Firm was not too bad, excepting the last game against Rangers when Hibs very firmly had
their minds on the Cup Final and McLeish will be looking for his players to perform at
their best. "I
recall in the game we drew 1 - 1 at Parkhead that we were a bit negative in the first half
but came out in the second and got about them with big Marc Libbra hitting a late
equaliser for a deserved point. We need that same positive approach from individuals
this time around and we need to have full concentration from start to finish as Celtic
play the full 90 minutes in all games."
Libbra slots home that equaliser (sns)
Whilst McLeish was
giving nothing away about his starting line up he was very positive about the fact that
the team which started against Dundee United on Tuesday was compact and effective and
there must be every chance that the 4 - 4 - 2 line up from the CIS Cup tie will actually
start the match at Parkhead. One huge plus point from Tuesday was the clean sheet
kept by a very confident and competent defence.
Star of the show was
Ulrik Laursen, whose form should not just be attracting other Clubs but that of the Danish
Manager who has steered his side to World Cup Qualification. "Ulrik is in fine form in the left
centre of the defence. We moved him there earlier in the season when injuries forced
change and he has gone from strength to strength. I accept that meant we lost a
little bit of the flair from his wide left runs when he was playing wing-back but whilst
some might say that part of the team is weakened it is equally justifiable to say the
centre of the defence has benefited from his form and presence. Another plus factor
from this has been the emergence of Ian Murray, whose form has been consistently good.
Big Ulrik will do his cap claim chances no harm at all by playing to the same level
against the likes of Larsson or Mols; Sutton or Flo."
This view on
Laursen's ability as a player was echoed by Ian Murray who said of the Dane "I reckon Ulrik is the best left
sided defender in the Country and that includes those at the Old Firm. I know there
has been some speculation about Ulrik but I believe he is worth £3m to £4m and if Hibs
got that kind of offer they could not turn it down. He's not letting the talk upset
him though and I don't reckon he's going anywhere. He's still only 25 so he's a good
few years left in him yet but he will be thinking about the World Cup rather than any move
away from Hibs."
Alex McLeish will
have been concentrating the minds of his players all week and for once will have had the
luxury of being able to work with all the parts of the unit he eventually decides upon,
given that Ulises and Paul Fenwick have not been away on International duty. The
task is daunting for sure but Celtic might just have the proverbial one eye on Europe with
them due to play Valencia in midweek and so Hibs might just benefit from that.
Laursen - enjoying good form (sns)
I take Hibs to get a
point via a 1 - 1 draw. If they display the grit and determination they showed at
Ibrox earlier this season and combine that with a willingness to close down the player
with the ball as they did against Dundee United then the supply of ball to Larsson might
well be suitably restricted.
A full match
report will appear here on Saturday evening |
