CELTIC HEARTS POINT UNDERSCORES HOW CRUCIAL THIS WEEK WILL BE
- By LIAM McBRIDE
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
ACSOM's Liam McBride looks reflects on the Celtic Hearts draw yesterday as fans ask: was this a point gained or two dropped?
Celtic failed to close the gap to Hearts, with a scrappy 2-2 draw in the capital meaning they remain six points behind. Goals from Benjamin Nygren and Yang weren’t enough to secure all three points and with Rangers beating Dundee 3-0, the Hoops now sit third in the pack.
Celtic Hearts Draw Only Benefits Rangers
This highlights just how important the last week of the transfer window will be, with a central midfielder and centre-back a real necessity. It’s been mentioned so many times, but the fact that Celtic are even in this position is a symptom of terrible management from the hierarchy.
Nevertheless, there is a game to focus on, so let’s dissect how every individual fared.
Kasper Schmeichel- 7
Questions have been asked of him from some and I include myself in that group. However, the Dane came up with two really crucial saves today. Was it not for him, the Champions could find themselves nine points behind in the title race. Firstly, a horrific mishap from Auston Trusty set Kyziridis through on goal, only for the Dane to excellently stop with his left foot. Later, a ball found its way through the crowd with Braga snapping a shot at close range before a last-ditch reflex saw his right hand bat it away.
Julian Araujo- 6.5
One of the few good performances in green and white. With Yang on the right hand side, they did a solid job defensively. Down to ten men and drawing 2-2, he was one of a handful of players to stand up, take the ball and progress it. He is proving to be a good loan singing.
Auston Trusty - 5
The Canadian had a really mixed performance. His aerial defending was solid throughout the first half, but a moment of madness nearly gifted Hearts an earlier equaliser. With little pressure, he gave Kyziridis a free one-on-one, which he would luckily squander. It's a moment that will ultimately cloud his afternoon, even if there were some good moments in there.
Liam Scales- 7.5
The Irishman was the best of the Celtic back four. Throughout the afternoon, he was reliable when called upon. His best moment of all was a world class block for another Kyziridis chance. One-on-one and near the six yard box, a left footed, perfectly timed tackle flicked the ball away at the last opportunity.
Kieran Tierney- 5.5
He was never able to have an attacking influence on the left hand side. Moreover, the 28-year-old was slack in the Kzyiridis chance just mentioned. He ended the afternoon with the all too familiar sight of an injury.
Callum McGregor- 4
In games of this magnitude, you need your captain to step up. In the periods of raggedness, the Bhoys needed to get their foot on the ball and keep possession for a sustained period. However, at goal kicks and moments of deep possession, McGregor simply never showed for the ball. Instead, he pointed to Scales and Trusty to play long. It’s difficult to be too critical about this, as it could have simply been tactical instructions. Nevertheless, his influence on the match was non existent.
Arne Engels-4
Just a really poor showing. The Belgian lost Stuart Findlay for the first equaliser and showed a lack of desire to track him down and go for the ball. In other moments, his in possession play was slack and often went into hiding.
Benjamin Nygren- 5
The Swede became the first man since David Turnbull to score a domestic free kick when his wonderful strike found the back of the net in the seventh minute. However, like the rest of the midfield, after that, he was simply anonymous. The skill is there but he needs to find a way to have a greater overall influence.
Yang-6.5
He did excellently to give the hoops the lead. He showed real striker-like movement to get in the right place at the right time and net his sixth of the season. With other strikes against Feyenoord and Rangers, he is proving to be a real big game player and one of the few shining lights of this season. His defensive work was also useful, particularly in the first half. Yet, at times, he does give away needless fouls.
Tomas Cvancara- 6.5
It was a tale of two halves from the recently signed striker. In the first half, he really struggled. Celtic aimed to use him as a focal point, often playing long to him. Yet, the 25-year-old looked like a rabbit in the headlights, often failing to even look at the ball. However, in the second half, he came alive. In the sixtieth minute, his looping header came so close, passing Craig Gordon and hitting the post. Soon after, he showed the pace and running power that made him such an asset at Sparta Prague. On the left side, he showed great composure to find Yang. Unfortunately, he was substituted off just as it seemed he was finding his groove.
Daizen Maeda- 4.5
A really poor showing. The Japanese international was slack in possession, gifting the Hearts midfield a really dangerous chance at the start of the second half. However, some slack can be cut after the shift he did midweek. Simply, he was dead on his feet, which, for Maeda’s standards, says a lot. Nevertheless, he offered very little.
Its not the result we wanted, but the title race is still very much alive. Next up is a massive match at home against Utrecht. Three points confirms a place in the play offs.
