Martin O'Neill has talked about making subtle changes within the style of play at Celtic. The Parkhead manager speaks of marrying together some recent traits with aspects of his work from 25 years ago. Implementing new ideas is crucial, but if the club's latest appointment also happens to take the squad back two-and-a-half decades at the same time, it'll be a massive step forward.
Ross Grant appointment aims to revive set-piece dominance
In a season which could again be decided on small margins, the capture of Ross Grant is fascinating. O'Neill was clear that his heroes of the past "played with a dash". But what they also did so superbly well during his tenure was dominate teams at set pieces. Often in the modern game, stats are allowed to dominate eyes. Numbers are put ahead of instincts. Style judged over substance. But in the final analysis, and no one knows it more than O'Neill, it's about winning.
Yet, even given the volume of analytics which infiltrate the game nowadays can seem overpowering, the value of the set piece has never been as evident. O'Neill's first Celtic teams were masters at them. To be fair, when there is a wand of a left peg possessed by Alan Thompson standing over dead-balls and the desire, power and instinct of Chris Sutton, Henrik Larsson, John Hartson, Johan Mjallby, Joos Valgaeren and Bobo Balde to go and attack his vicious deliveries into the box, it didn't need much homework.
Recent Celtic teams have underperformed from set pieces
O'Neill's teams of the 2000s could play stylishly, but if not at their flowing best, they had this other constant weapon in their armoury. In recent times, it's been less evident within the Celtic teams. Of course they've scored some, but not as many as they should given the amount of territory they have which constantly earns corners and free-kicks in dangerous positions. And, crucially, nowhere near as many as the rivals that they are likely to be scrapping with for the title again in the months ahead.
Hearts and Rangers far outweighed the champions in that department last season. Given the capture of Grant from Tynecastle, it's the output from Gorgie which acts as most prudent. No team scored more than Derek McInnes' last term when it came to set-piece goals and that won't come as any surprise to the Celtic supporters who saw their side undone by them time and again during that unforgettable flag fight.
Hearts exposed Celtic's set-piece vulnerability
Wiifried Nancy's first match in charge saw Hearts win 2-1 in Glasgow's East End. The winner that day came from Hearts' Oisin McEntee being left free to head home a Harry Milne corner. O'Neill was back in charge for the next clash at Tynecastle and, with his team leading 1-0 in the crunch clash, another corner saw Stuart Findlay nod home. Even on the day the title was won for Celtic, it had to be done after the concession of yet another corner-kick goal to Hearts. This time it was Lawrence Shankland who stole around the back stick unnoticed to head past Viljami Sinisalo.
Not all of that was ingenuity. Findlay, for example, outjumped two players at the back stick to win his header. That was desire as much as design. Nonetheless, the threat was constant. Grant will work on that defensive side for Celtic, but it's the attacking aspect which O'Neill's team has to improve.
Arne Engels' potential exit threatens progress
Arne Engels is the best at the club at delivering dead balls. There's just one snag there. There's every chance he could be leaving. Benjamin Nygren, along with Liam Scales, was probably Celtic's best hope of putting one in the net, yet, bizarrely, when Engels was absent from the side, it was the Swede who often took the dead-balls. Far too often corners would hit the first man or be floated without genuine purpose, unlike Engels' classy, whipped shells of destruction.
O'Neill's buys could influence. He could sign some burly boys to get on the end of things but, even if not, Grant's education suggests he might have plenty up his sleeve. Upon taking the job at Hearts last summer, he spoke about being "excited to develop innovation and creativity" from set-pieces.
Grant's pedigree inspired by Austin MacPhee
Intriguingly, Grant worked closely with Austin MacPhee, the former Hearts interim boss turned set-piece coach at Aston Villa and Scotland. Said his understanding of their importance came from the man who is currently working with Portugal at the World Cup. There's plenty cynicism around individuals such as MacPhee, but you don't get lauded by someone like Unai Emery for nothing.
Villa conjured some set-piece magic last term, none more so than when one of McCann's ploys landed a brilliant goal for Youri Tielemans as Freiburg were dispatched in the Europa League Final to end a 30-year trophy drought. Emery said: "Austin is a really fantastic creator. We must be so so demanding in our details. Everything we are working on makes sense. The hours in each training session each day to try to get as best as possible our challenges in set-pieces. When we are scoring like that, of course, we are proud of what we're doing. Austin and I believe a lot in set pieces. You can win a lot of matches through it."
Celtic will, first and foremost, be looking to build a squad capable of playing fluent football and opening teams up from open play. But every extra edge these days is valuable. And, if Grant can get Celtic bossing opponents in both boxes like his O'Neill's heroes of the past did, it's a perfect blast from the past moving into the modern day.
