Five things we learned in Sarajevo last night.
CELTIC ARE STILL WEAK FROM SET-PLAYS
Sarajevo’s opening goal was down to the shambolic nature of Celtic’s marking and the lack of bravery from Odsonne Edouard to put his body on the line to then block the goal-bound effort, and was in-keeping with goals Celtic have conceded in Europe over the last few years, no matter who their manager is.
They were able to recover from this aberration, but manager Neil Lennon will be drilling it into his players that they can’t afford to gift the opposition such cheap goals as the qualifiers progress, as they found to their cost last year in Athens.
He will hope that once the imposing Christopher Jullien is up to speed, he will toughen up Celtic’s soft centre at the heart of their rearguard.
READ MORE: Sarajevo 1 Celtic 3: How the Celtic players rated
MIKEY JOHNSTON HAS SUBSTANCE TO GO WITH THE STYLE
It has the feeling of a big season ahead for the 20-year-old, whose ability has never been in question. His end product, however, has been doubted, but he had an emphatic answer to any critics of his finishing here.
Not only did he prove that he can produce in the final third, but also in the big moments, as his 25-yard stunner hauled Celtic level just as they were rocking a little in the raucous atmosphere that had exploded since the Sarajevo opener.
Johnston was the outstanding player in Celtic’s pre-season tour of Austria and Switzerland, and he stood out again here before being forced off with a knock. A hugely exciting prospect, and Celtic will be hoping the knock he took to his quad is only minor so as not to halt his momentum.
BOLI BOLINGOLI SHOWED HE IS ABLE DEPUTY/REPLACEMENT FOR KIERAN TIERNEY
Until his bow in a Celtic jersey was halted by injury not long after half-time, Bolingoli had shown that he can certainly prove a valuable asset at full-back.
Whether that is as an able deputy to Kieran Tierney once the undisputed number one left-back returns, or whether the £3m signing is viewed as a replacement for Tierney in the long-term should he be prised away, there was enough in this initial showing to suggest that the former Rapid Vienna man can prove a hit in the Hoops.
READ MORE: Neil Lennon refutes Sergio Quintero link: 'I've never heard of him'
There may be something of a sweat for Celtic ahead of the second leg after he limped off before the hour having rolled his ankle, and it would be a blow if the new signing joined Tierney on the treatment table.
NEIL LENNON NEEDS A RIGHT BACK, ASAP
If there is a little less concern over the left-back area now with the arrival of Bolingoli – injury permitting of course – then the same cannot be said on the opposite flank.
Kristoffer Ajer did well in the circumstances considering the central defender isn’t at all accustomed to the role, but there were times when his discomfort highlighted starkly the need for Neil Lennon to bring in a natural alternative as soon as he possibly can.
CELTIC HAVE FORTITUDE
This may have been the first competitive outing for Celtic this season, but it was the third time in four games since the start of pre-season that they have fallen behind. On all three occasions they have recovered to win the game, and while manager Lennon will no doubt prefer his men to start a little sharper, he will be encouraged that they don’t panic or become disheartened when they do fall behind.
Here, there was a real danger that any side could have retreated inside their shells after going a goal down, with the deafening atmosphere all around and the treacherous conditions underfoot, but Celtic steeled themselves. Eventually their greater quality showed.
Why are you making commenting on The Herald only available to subscribers?
It should have been a safe space for informed debate, somewhere for readers to discuss issues around the biggest stories of the day, but all too often the below the line comments on most websites have become bogged down by off-topic discussions and abuse.
heraldscotland.com is tackling this problem by allowing only subscribers to comment.
We are doing this to improve the experience for our loyal readers and we believe it will reduce the ability of trolls and troublemakers, who occasionally find their way onto our site, to abuse our journalists and readers. We also hope it will help the comments section fulfil its promise as a part of Scotland's conversation with itself.
We are lucky at The Herald. We are read by an informed, educated readership who can add their knowledge and insights to our stories.
That is invaluable.
We are making the subscriber-only change to support our valued readers, who tell us they don't want the site cluttered up with irrelevant comments, untruths and abuse.
In the past, the journalist’s job was to collect and distribute information to the audience. Technology means that readers can shape a discussion. We look forward to hearing from you on heraldscotland.com
Comments & Moderation
Readers’ comments: You are personally liable for the content of any comments you upload to this website, so please act responsibly. We do not pre-moderate or monitor readers’ comments appearing on our websites, but we do post-moderate in response to complaints we receive or otherwise when a potential problem comes to our attention. You can make a complaint by using the ‘report this post’ link . We may then apply our discretion under the user terms to amend or delete comments.
Post moderation is undertaken full-time 9am-6pm on weekdays, and on a part-time basis outwith those hours.
Read the rules hereLast Updated:
Report this comment Cancel