RONNY Deila, the Celtic manager, has warned his players that vast improvements are required on the defensive slackness that contributed to them being taken apart by Dukla Prague, ahead of their opening Champions League qualifying match against Stjarnan in 10 days.

 

Deila's men were comprehensively beaten by the sharpness, movement and clinical finishing of their visitors from the Czech Republic with midfielder Marek Hanousek scoring a hat-trick before Jakub Mares and Tomas Prikyl rounded off the victory.

A Leigh Griffiths penalty and efforts from Gary Mackay-Steven and Virgil van Dijk made the scoreline more respectable, but Celtic never held the lead with Dukla having another goal disallowed for offside during the second half.

Runar Pall Sigmundsson, the Stjarnan head coach, watched the action from the back of the Main Stand at St Mirren Park and will have taken particular note of the ease with which Dukla carved their way through Deila's rearguard.

With van Dijk suspended for the first leg against the Icelandic side on July 15, Celtic started with Dedryck Boyata and Charlie Mulgrew as their defensive partnership. They made way for Efe Ambrose and van Dijk at half-time with the match balanced at 2-2 and things got even worse after that.

"Defensively, we didn't play well as a team," conceded Deila. "We lost the ball too easily and they got past us. We can't play like this or we will have big problems whoever we play whether it is St Johnstone, Stjarnan or Barcelona.

"We scored a couple of nice goals and created some chances, but, defensively, we were a big distance from where we normally are. We were always half-a-metre behind. I have to fix these problems in 10 days and, of course, we can do that.

"I think the Stjarnan coach saw some possibilities today, but he will see a different Celtic team. I am happy with what we have defensively. It's not about quality. It's about sharpness. We need to win the ball more quickly."

Deila fielded a strong side, but the outstanding performances came from two members of the visiting team. Hanousek, an attacking midfielder with a most cultured left foot, was a constant threat with his intelligent and forceful play, aided and abetted by the technically gifted Tomas Berger on the right-hand side.

After Griffiths had flashed an early effort into the side netting, they linked up to give Dukla the lead in the 13th minute. Berger produced a delightful first-time lay-off from a Jakub Povzanec cross and the ball sat up perfectly for Hanousek to lash it low to Craig Gordon's left from the edge of the penalty area.

Celtic got themselves back on level terms when Matej Hanousek, no relation to his more talented team-mate, inexplicably barged Griffiths from behind. The former Hibernian forward dusted himself down and took the resultant penalty kick, squeezing his effort just between the glove of goalkeeper Filip Rada and his right-hand post.

Marek Hanousek, meanwhile, was simply having one of those afternoons. Nine minutes before the interval, Berger controlled a long ball falling out of the sky like a stone and spun past the hapless Emilio Izaguirre in one, fluid movement. His pass inside picked out Hanousek and, after his first shot had been blocked by Boyata, he gave Gordon no chance with another lethal finish.

Hanousek then hit the crossbar with a thunderous drive before Mackay-Steven got Celtic back on level terms two minutes before the break.

Stefan Johansen was Celtic's main creative force in the game and produced one of many incisive passes, chipping the ball over the visiting defence and allowing the former Dundee United winger to score his second goal in two pre-season fixtures.

Dukla were not to be denied, though, and took the lead again after referee, John Beaton, had correctly awarded a penalty for a Mulgrew foul on substitute Daniel Tetour. Hanousek demanded the ball from Berger to complete his hat-trick. It was the first time they had not been on the same wavelength all afternoon.

Gordon certainly didn't know how to read him, diving the wrong way from the spot.

Dukla extended their advantage on the hour. This time, Hanousek would be the provider, flighting a dangerous curling cross into the area and punching the air in delight when Mares guided it into the far corner with a glancing header.

Hanousek, still aged just 23, is in the process of rebuilding his career after leaving Dukla for Viktoria Plzen and suffering a bad knee injury there. On the basis of one game, it is impossible to say how his fitness is, but there is no question that he is a player of real ability, surely capable of playing at a higher level.

Dukla had a goal disallowed for offside with quarter-of-an-hour to play - a glancing header from Jean-David Beauguel that crept into the corner - with van Dijk bringing Celtic back into things when heading home a Johansen free-kick from close-range with seven minutes to play.

Hopes of salvaging a draw did not last long, though.

On 86 minutes, substitute Tomas Prikryl curled a terrific shot into Gordon's left-hand corner to wrap things up.