Celtic returned to winning ways on Saturday afternoon, putting Livingston to the sword in a deserved 2-0 win. In comparison to last week, the football The Bhoys played was much better and noticeably improved.
Their opponents, however, sat in the whole game. Usually, one expects teams to come to Parkhead and offer little going forward but Livi took things to another level.
According to stats provider Fotmob, the side from West Lothian had no shots on goal throughout the entirety of the match. Resultantly, they accumulated an expected goals (xG), of zero.
In the whole of the Scottish Premiership season to date, this is the first time any team has failed to even have a pop at the opposition goal in a match.
This shows what Celtic are up against regularly domestically. Although it allows them to have complete dominance of the ball and thus the game, it can be difficult for them to break down such systems where ten, or even eleven, men are behind the ball.
Livi’s low block was eventually broken on Saturday, but their tactics offer a little challenge in terms of footballing IQ and ability. It is hard to argue against the point that David Martindale employs anti-football on certain occasions.
He is not alone, however, and several managers across Scotland are in a similar position. Granted, it is tough for these teams to play out against the likes of Celtic when their players’ levels are in no way comparable, but it would make for a better spectacle, and they would do themselves proud if they brought the game to the big teams.
