FM20 Celtic Tactic under Neil Lennon

Celtic have been the dominant force in Scottish football for the past 9 years, more so the past 3. Recording 3 years of domestic treble's. Under Brendan Rodgers, they were a well oiled machine in getting wins but, towards the end of his tenure, there was complacency and a weakness to his system in terms of attacking. In February 2019, he left the club to go down south and left the club 9 points clear of second place Rangers. In came Neil Lennon and while he didn't have much impact last year, he has certainly put his stamp on the team this year. Sitting comfortable at the top by 12 points, with one trophy in the cabinet and a cup semi final on the Horizon, Neil Lennon has turned Celtic into a ruthless side and has taken the defensive complacency from the team, other than in their recent Europe disappointment against Copenhagen. From this, i decided to attempt both systems that have been used this season.

A Tale of Two Systems

Neil Lennon has shown his metal as a coach this season by reacting to a 2-1 loss at home to their rivals, Rangers. Previously to this, he almost exclusively lined up in a 4-2-3-1, beating Lazio home and away, Unbeaten against Rennes home and away and getting revenge over Cluj. They were relentless in the way they played whether they were attacking or being pressured, they almost always found a way. Since the end of 2019, they have predominantly lined up in a 3-5-2, using mainly the same style but with 2 strikers, have changed the entire dynamic of their attacking play. Since returning from the winter break, they have won every domestic game with only the hiccup in Europe being a negative.

Building From the Back

Celtic, like most top teams now, build from the back but not exclusively. The two main CBs, Ajer and Jullien, are very comfortable with the ball at their feet performing two roles. Ajer is a roaming player, as going from a midfielder to a defender. He has scored a few times this season from breaking a press by dribbling past the opposition attackers, laying it off and carrying on. Jullien is more of a traditional centre half although has an excellent passing range. He regularly switches from his position on the right to Greg Taylor on the left to set the team on attack. In a 3, Nir Bitton has been the more effective player coming in, again a midfielder to trade, dribbles forward and is an excellent ball player. In FM, this works as you would expect, with Ajer being the only exception, having the dribble more instruction on him.

"Lennyball"

Under Rodgers, Celtic looked to a patient build up while waiting on an opening and being clinical in this. This is partly why it became almost ineffective against stubborn defenses who were set up well. Lennon has developed the attack into a faster paced way of attacking, looking to force the issue when they see an opening rather than waiting for the best opportunity. This allows Celtic to almost always be on the attack. When using the 4-2-3-1, Celtic would build up around Christie in the 10 position. He would drop into pockets in between the midfield and attack to be as effective as possible. The main man at Celtic, Edouard, was then aloud to drop next to him to receive the ball to feet and run at the defence, where he was most effective. The wide players, Johnston and Forrest, would stay wide when possession was on their side of the field and cut in when not. This allowed the opposite player to arrive at the back post where, Forrest especially, has benefited from this with their goal and assist number. Celtic have a double pivot of McGregor and Brown, the latter sitting deeper than the other to free up space for McGregor to switch play at any point. This works the same in the 3-5-2  where Brown, McGregor and Christie force the issue and provide quick vertical passing to progress the play.

I Wanna be Edouard.... and Griff

Edouard has taken his game to a new level this season, being Celtic and the Leagues top scorer. His influence is unparalleled in the team and Scottish football, with some saying he is the best player in the league. By dropping deep, drifting wide and taking on any player in sight, a Complete Forward role suits him perfectly on FM and has been excellent in the test season i have done. With the introduction of a 3-5-2 system, followed the reintroduction of Leigh Griffiths to the team. After some time out through mental health and injury issues, he has came back in great form and the partnership they have formed has been excellent. This is replicated in FM with both assisting each other very well in the system.

Celtic this season have been a ruthless outfit that have taken their game from slow to high intensity attacking play. The transition play of a vertical tiki taka style, has led to some great performances against top European sides. The lead at the top of the premiership has shown just how good they have been under both systems and with a 4th consecutive domestic treble on the way, which can be replicated with this tactic on FM20 

CELTIC TACTIC VIDEO