Source: Team_Talk
Lennon: Hoops made me nervous
Celtic manager Neil Lennon felt his team overplayed in the final third before Anthony Stokes earned them a 1-0 SPL victory at Aberdeen.[LNB] Celtic struggled to create a clear opening before right winger Kris Commons dispossessed Richard Foster and set up Stokes to sweep home the only goal from 10 yards in the 74th minute.[LNB]Lennon started with a 4-1-4-1 formation with Stokes on the left and Ki Sung-yueng and Joe Ledley supporting centre-forward Gary Hooper.[LNB]Ki in particular found a lot of space in front of Aberdeen's back four but the Dons frustrated the visitors before Foster lost the ball in his own half.[LNB]The Celtic manager said: "We made it nervous for ourselves because we had so many chances and our decision-making on the final bit was poor.[LNB]"We worked the ball great, kept getting in between their midfield and back four and then we tried to walk the ball in the net at times.[LNB]"It's a bad habit to have and we have to get out of it. I said at half-time we needed to be patient, we would take 1-0 and that happened to be the case.[LNB]"But I felt our play deserved better, overall we were very, very good."[LNB]Lennon, who lost left-back Emilio Izaguirre to a broken leg in the first half, added: "I didn't think we toiled, we were just wasteful in the final third.[LNB]"We worked the ball to Kris in good positions on numerous occasions and we kept failing.[LNB]"But we kept going and Kris is always a threat and he did brilliantly for the goal."[LNB]Lennon claimed his players were guilty of over-elaborating in training too but he added: "I'm not overly concerned, we always felt we would score with the players we have in the team."[LNB]The Irishman had just moved Stokes into the middle before his goal after bringing on James Forrest for Joe Ledley, but he was planning another change.[LNB]Lennon said: "We were thinking of taking Stokesy off, believe it or not, so it shows you how much I know, and maybe getting Paddy (McCourt) in a wider area.[LNB]"We worked the ball really well into the wider areas and just needed an eliminator to pick the right option, and Paddy is very good at that.[LNB]"But thankfully we got the goal before we made the substitution."[LNB]Foster thought he was fouled when Commons slid in to make the crucial challenge, although it looked a fair challenge and referee Calum Murray generally allowed play to flow.[LNB]Aberdeen manager Craig Brown said: "I think we did enough to get at least a point.[LNB]"We actually just committed suicide towards the end of the game, it was a careless error that cost us the game.[LNB]"Some think it might have been an infringement but I would need to see it again."[LNB]When asked if Foster claimed the challenge was illegal, Brown said: "He thought it was a foul but he would think that."[LNB]Scott Vernon had a good chance in either half, Lukasz Zaluska blocking his first effort following a counter-attack, before the Englishman failed to make meaningful contact with Darren Mackie's low cross.[LNB]"I think we actually made the best chance of the game when (Josh) Magennis headed on to Mackie who crossed across the face of goal and if Scott Vernon had got a touch it might have been a different result," Brown said.[LNB]"We were a bit depleted and I thought the lads who played gave us a shift and didn't deserve to lose."
