CELTIC ST MIRREN, PLAYER BY PLAYER BREAKDOWN
- By LIAM McBRIDE
- Aug 6
- 4 min read
ACSOM's Liam McBride is back from his summer travels and once again provides an in-depth analysis for us on Celtic's latest match.
Here is a rundown of all the action from Sunday's flag day, Celtic St Mirren games are sometimes a rough watch, and their latest encounter was no different.
Celtic St Mirren Player Ratings
Celtic left it late to secure all three points on flag day, with an 87th minute goal from Luke McCowan setting the green and white faithful into a frenzy. It looked as though it was panning out to be one of those frustrating days, with multiple missed chances and nothing to show for it, especially when Callum McGregor’s strike was disallowed for handball.
Nevertheless, in a week when Rangers threw away two points in the dying ebbs, Brendan Rodgers’ men gained as many, and now sit level at the summit with Hibernian.
How They Rated
Kasper Schmeichel - 7
The Dane had very little to do all afternoon. However, in the moments he was called upon, he made saves that you would expect of him. At times, he punched balls away that could have been easily caught, although that seems to be a Celtic-coaching-oriented characteristic, with countless goalkeepers in Green and White having opted to do the same.
Alistair Johnson - 6
The Canadian will likely not be up to full-speed fitness-wise after a reduced pre-season following international duty. Last season, we saw his relationship with Nicolas Kuhn blossom, with incredible chemistry present between the two.
Johnson would continually overlap, with the German either using his services to play him through for a crossing opportunity or as a decoy and cut inside. Playing with Yang, there was little of that. In the moments where Johnson did get forward, his crossing was often wayward.
Cameron Carter-Vickers - 7.5
Carter-Vickers was as solid as ever at the back, showing great composure frequently in the first half to deal with any balls over the top by St Mirren. In possession, he was typically
comfortable.
Liam Scales - 7
There were many groans at the sight of Scales’ name on the teamsheet, but the Irishman put in one of his better Celtic performances. Defensively, he was solid, often dealing with the physicality of Mikael Mandron and Roland Idowu. In possession, he sometimes lacked decisiveness, while he looked rather uncomfortable as a makeshift left-back. Yet, these are areas of his game we know aren’t his strengths and from a defensive point of view, he can be pleased with his display.
Kieran Tierney - 8
In his first game back, he reminded Celtic exactly what they have been missing. He frequently got to the byeline and showed an excellent range of crossing, which a more clinical forward would have been able to benefit from. He left the pitch early in the second half, although Rodgers assured afterwards that it was just a precaution.
Callum McGregor - 8
The captain played an ever-reliable game and thought he had taken the lead before VAR chopped off his strike for a handball offence. Nevertheless, you could see how much that strike meant, especially after the tears of the Scottish Cup final. In a game that was so tightly contested in the central areas, he really excelled in moving the team forward, especially in the second half.
Benjamin Nygren - 7
On his first competitive game in green and white, there were positive signs. The Swedish international was a whisker away from taking the lead on the stroke of half-time and had it not been for inept refereeing from Don Robertson, he would have had an excellent opportunity on the right edge of the box earlier. His touches and positioning were tidy; however, as the game wore on, he tired and his influence waned.
Reo Hatate - 7
The man that many feared was leaving this Summer had one of his quieter games in Celtic colours. Typically, he orchestrated much of the work in the Celtic final third and dictated the pace of play. In a congested match, though, he often found himself too far out wide and couldn’t get into his favourite central areas, which he excelled in.
Yang - 6
He was the to be subbed after a largely uneventful display. He wasn’t poor by any means, but neither did he provide much on the right-hand side. There was a stark contrast between the speed and tenacity on the left-hand side of Daizen Maeda and the lack of pace and influence that Yang brought.
Adam Idah - 5
The 24-year-old struggled. While he has never been the most orthodox of players, Idah seems incredibly low on confidence currently. He was all too often caught offside, his link-up play was inconsistent, as was his touch and passing range. He provided very little as a vocal point and emphasised why there is still work to do in the striker market this August.
Daizen Maeda - 7
Of the front three, it was Maeda who was causing the most problems, with his runs in behind stretching a resolute St Mirren structure. Early on, he also frequently tracked back, reminding us of his incredible engine. It looked as though he was set to make the breakthrough in the first half after dribbling around Shamal George, but opted to try and set up Yang instead.