WHAT NEXT AFTER ANOTHER CHAOTIC CELTIC WIN?
- By LIAM McBRIDE
- 32 minutes ago
- 4 min read
A chaotic Celtic side closed the gap behind Hearts to three points thanks to a frantic 4-2 victory over Livingston. Four goals shared a piece in the opening 11 minutes, it took a Benjamin Nygren wonder strike and an Arne Engels penalty to ensure back to back victories.
A colossal week awaits with a trip to Motherwell on Wednesday night and the welcoming of Rangers at Saturday lunchtime. However, before that, let's analyse how each individual fared in this afternoon's victory.
Chaotic Celtic Get the Job Done But Tougher Tests Await
Viljami Sinisalo- 7
Livingston scored two early goals that the Finn could do nothing to stop. Apart from that, he had one save to make in the 70th minute, which was straight down his throat. He was mostly calm and competent in distribution during his first appearance since August.
Anthony Ralston - 4
The Scot showed a complete lack of game awareness for the first goal, moving forward and leaving space for Cristian Montano to run into. As well as this, his on the ball performance was shaky at best, frequently playing back to Sinisalo in a frenzy and struggling to keep it under control at times. However, he did make a crucial clearing header to stop Livingston halving the deficit before the break.
Auston Trusty - 7
Trusty finds himself in a tough position as the only natural central defender in the back three. Early on, he bailed out Ralston losing the ball with a speedy recovery run. It’s an element of his game which is vital to the system functioning, with Celtic looking incredibly shaky when they lose possession.
Kieran Tierney- 6
The 28-year-old played a poor pass which gave away possession in the lead-up to Livi’s opener. Although the fact that the Bhoys were so vulnerable after that is maybe more of a reflection of the defensive setup and individual decision making. Outside of this, he was composed on the ball, frequently pressured on the left side of defence and played through the home side’s press. Overall though, despite registering an assist, he had less of an attacking impact than usual.
Yang - 7
The wide-man took his goal with great composure, chopping it past Mo Sylla and Cristian Monatano to pass into an open net with the outside of his foot. He nearly gave Celtic the lead with a header flashing just past the post. However, his defensive side of the game continues to be a concern, considering the position he is playing. While his one-on-one tackling is solid and his running effort can’t be faulted, as Montano’s second goal showed - when he should have been marking him - his defensive reading of the game simply isn’t satisfactory. In the coming games, the right hand side of Celtic will be exploited.
Callum McGregor - 6.5
The Captain was slack in possession a few times midway through the second half. Apart from that though, there was very little of note. Used to playing the deep lying role by himself and dictating the game, he now has a man beside him. Since this change, his influence in the game has somewhat wavered.
Arne Engels - 7.5
Engels has looked much more comfortable in Nancy’s system - with a man beside him in defensive midfield - than he ever looked as a number eight in the 4-3-3 system. The Belgian took his penalty with composure and had an all round classy game, with a really neat left-footed pass through to Yang in particular coming to mind.
Luke McCowan - 7
The Scot started really well on the left hand side, frequently creating through his quick feet. In the nineteenth minute, he was incredibly unlucky not to register an assist as an excellent nutmeg landed at the head of Yang, only for the South Korean to push it wide. He also tested Jerome Pior in the 64th minute with an effort down the middle of the back of some clean skill.
Benjamin Nyrgen - 8
His double today takes his season’s goalscoring tally up to 10 and the contribution tally up to 15. His first goal was similar to many of the goals we have seen: being at the right place at the right time. Moreover, it marked Celtic’s first league goal from a corner this season. His second goal, though, was just sheer class, clipping the inside of the post and leaving the supporters behind the net in awe. It’s back-to-back quality performances now for the Swede.
Johnny Kenny - 4
Low on confidence, the Irishman failed to get involved again. He found himself in positions at times but was unable to make the all-important touch. He often dropped deep to try and get involved. Yet, it was ultimately a quiet afternoon.
Daizen Maeda- 4
The Japanese international was frustratingly poor. His first touch was non-existent as was his all-around link-up play and passing. At one point in the opening half, with an opening goal gaping, all he had to do was make contact. Instead, he swung and missed.