CELTIC WIN, BUT QUESTIONS REMAIN
- By LIAM McBRIDE
- 26 minutes ago
- 4 min read
ACSOM's Liam McBride gives us the tactical breakdown of Wilfried Nancy's first Celtic win.
Celtic produced one of their best footballing performances of the season, with a 3-1 score line utterly flattering Jimmy Thelin’s men. It brought a real sense of relief as goals from Benjamin Nygren, Kieran Tierney and James Forrest ended a four game losing streak and gave Wilfried Nancy his first win in charge.
After Hearts' 2-1 victory over Rangers, Celtic sit six points behind the Jambos and five above third placed Motherwell, with a game in hand over both.
Now, it’s time to analyze the individual performances.
The Good, The Bad and The Bizarre from Wilfried Nancy's First Celtic Win
Kasper Schmeichel- 5.5
In the first half, he saved expertly from Topi Keskinen’s effort. Once the visitors went down to ten men, he had very little to do. However, the one time he was called into action, Kenan Bilalovic finished past him all too easily. With rumours of senior player unrest behind the scenes, dropping Schmeichel would be a risky move. However, there are real questions to be asked concerning his deservedness of a starting place.
Anthony Ralston-7
Very little was asked of him defensively. Five minutes after Aberdeen drew level, Ralston had an uncharacteristically flashy shot at goal, showing great technique on the volley and forcing a save out of Dimitar Mitov. Apart from that, it was ultimately a quiet but decent performance in an unfamiliar centre back role.
Auston Trusty - 7
Trusty proved pivotal in the first half at suppressing any Aberdeen counterattacks, his pace and recovery ability both on show. Moreover, he made 3 blocks and 2 interceptions in this period. Early on in the second half, he also came incredibly close to doubling Celtic’s lead, with a header well saved.
However, the American could have done better for Bilalovic’s equalizer. Through allowing the Swede to get the wrong side of him, he offered him a head start and was unable to catch him.
Kieran Tierney- 8.5
For all the frustrations under Wilfried Nancy, one man who hasn’t underperformed is Kieran Tierney. His defensive work was solid in the first half and he really flourished later on when he was moved into the more advanced wide role.
His cross for Arne Engels was first class, while he showed great positioning at the back post to put Celtic back into the lead. With right back Dylan Lobban being sent off before half time, the one v one with Nicky Devlin was always going to be a mismatch.
Arne Engels- 8
The Belgian enjoyed a really strong performance and was incredibly unlucky not to get on the score sheet. Early on, his half volley flashed just over the bar. Throughout the first half, he linked up nicely with Yang on the right hand side, with a clean backheel exchange the main highlight.
His crossing was also on point, so much so that one chance nearly found the back of the net in the second half, only for the bar to deny him. Midway through the second half, he showed good movement to get on the end of a cross, but his header ultimately found the post. There were other positive moments, such as a one-two with Yang leading to a nicely weighted cross, plus a positive forward pass on the half volley into Daizen Maeda’s path late on.
Callum McGregor-8
McGregor set the tempo in the first half with his quick passing and also showed commitment to advance into the forward positions. In the second half, he forced one of the saves of the season as his left-footed effort seemed certain to find the back of the net. Overall, he did the basics well and is starting to form a solid partnership with Engels.
Benjamin Nygren-8.5
Nygren marked the opener with his eighth goal of the season. It was a chance that he ultimately couldn’t miss. He finds himself in the correct position time and time again and there is a skill in doing just that.
His pass through to Maeda earlier on was perfect, playing between the right back and centre-back position of Aberdeen. He also played a wonderful one-two before hitting Mitov in the face with a near-post effort. In the second half, he showed great movement on the left hand side, taking up similar positions for McGregor’s effort and James Forrest’s goal.
Luke McCowan-7
The boyhood fan started brightly, finding the space in the central areas and playing penetrating passes aplenty. A low drilled shot to the left hand corner tested the opposition keeper. In the second half, he continued to find the pockets but was less of an attacking influence. For a player who has seen his performances criticised, this solid performance will do him the world of good.
Yang-7.5
Yang is really warming to the wingback role. His off the ball work hasn’t gone unnoticed and was front and centre of Nygren’s opener. Playing on the right side, he refused to give up pressing and tenaciously ran to the left hand side, dispossessing Lobban. In offence, he dribbled excellently. His confidence is at an all time high and is well worth his spot in the starting eleven right now.
Johnny Kenny-4.5
There is a relatively small sample size of Johnny Kenny minutes over the past year; however, the pointers seem to be that he isn’t the quality required for a starting striker. Under Martin O’Neill, he excelled briefly, netting a brace against Falkirk before heading a Glasgow Derby opener.
Yet, this has proved the exception rather than the norm. To put it simply, he misses too many chances. While his movement is excellent, his touch, dribbling and all-around footballing ability are nowhere near the grade.
Daizen Maeda-7.5
Maeda started brightly again, frequently running in behind the Aberdeen backline. He assisted Nygren and was unlucky not to do so for Kenny beforehand. His off the ball work, as always, was exemplary. The facts are clear, the Champions look a much better outfit with his presence on the left hand side.