Caldwell: New 4-3-3 formation worked well despite result

Last updated : 22 February 2009 By Mikbhoy

Gary Caldwell put in a man-of-the-match performance today in his secondary midfield role but the Heid was left downcast by Motherwell's late equaliser in the 1-1 draw at Fir Park.

Gordon Strachan - tried out a new formation at Fir Park today.
"We're disappointed." said Caldwell "We controlled the game for long spells and had some great chances in the first half and got our noses in front second half so we're all bitterly disappointed. I thought we controlled the whole game and we weren't in any real danger in any spell. We conceded a sloppy goal which has ultimately cost us"

Manager Strachan had elected to go with an unusual 4-3-3 formation and Caldwell thought that, despite the result, the new formation was a success. "It worked well because we dominated the game." said Celtic's number five. "If you pass the ball better and compete better and do all the things right then you're always going to be on top for most of that game and it's disappointing to drop two points."

The playing conditions were pretty atrocious but Caldwell didn't blame the awful Fir Park surface for the dropped points. "I don't imagine it was a great game to watch for attractive football." he said "It was tight and it was end to end and people were just clearing their lines but we tried at times to pass on a pitch that wasn't really conducive for that and we played some good stuff considering."

"It was disappointing." he added "We knew we had to win to stay in front. We've got a title race on now and we have to pick ourselves up and be ready for it. It's never over, that was proved last year that even with a big lead it's never enough. This year we'll have to keep on plugging away, keep on battling and I'm sure we'll be there at the end."