Celtic Player Ratings v Real Betis


Celtic’s return to Seville didn’t come with the result Ange Postecoglou would’ve strived for. Celtic suffered a narrow 4-3 defeat and were unfortunate not to take anything from an enthralling game for the neutral. Let’s get into the Celtic player ratings from this evening. 

Joe Hart - 8/10

The Englishman captained the side this evening and made some splendid saves in the first half. Hart cannot really be blamed for any of the Celtic goals conceded tonight. 


Anthony Ralston - 8/10

Anthony Ralston scored his third goal of the campaign with a header that gave Celtic a glimmer of hope in the closing stages. Even towards the end of the match, Ralston continued to give his all. He was fairly quiet up until the end of the game and has no outstanding defensive contributions. 


Cameron Carter-Vickers - 7/10

The American made a number of crunching tackles in the first half and was harshly, at least in my opinion, booked when he was adjudged to be too physical with Borja Iglesias near the half way line. Carter-Vickers could be partly to blame for Real Betis’ equaliser, the decision he made to try and play the offside turned out to be the erroneous one. We must remember this is only the Tottenham loanee’s second game in a Celtic shirt. 


Carl Starfelt - 6/10

Starfelt’s was the quieter of the two centre backs tonight. The Swede’s passing extended to be of an adequate level and the 26 year old won many headers in defence. 


Josip Juranovic - 8/10

I believe Josip Juranovic is Celtic’s best full back. The Croatian is predominantly a right back but was deployed on the opposite side of defence tonight. This disclosed his versatility and valuableness. Juranovic converted the penalty which saw go two up; a peculiar decision for a defender to be on spot kicks. I believe Juranovic is nailed full back in the Celtic side. 


Ismaila Soro - 5/10

Soro was arguably fortunate not be sent off after he was booked in the first ten minutes. The Ivorian was guilty of committing a number of fouls and the 23 year old took a while to make decisions on passes a couple of times. The reason for his substitution on the 56th minute is clear. 


Tom Rogic - 8/10

One of Rogic’s trademarks is his close control and use of his body. These characteristics were on display this evening, especially in the lead up to Celtic’s opener. The Australian played a full 90 minutes and his performance tonight was a significant upgrade than that of his on Saturday. 


David Turnbull - 7/10

Turnbull made the pass which saw Albian Ajeti win a penalty and also whipped in an inviting free kick which Anthony Ralston got on the end of for Celtic’s third. The Scot made yet more intuitive passes throughout the game and had just the one effort on goal which went straight down the throat Claudio Bravo. 


Adam Montgomery - 7/10

Montgomery started for only the second time for Celtic tonight; the 19 year old didn’t look out of place either. Montgomery has played at left back previously but was in a more advanced, left wing role this evening. I touched on it at the weekend, but I am of the opinion there is a sizeable future for Montgomery at Celtic. 


Albian Ajeti - 8/10

Once again, Albian Ajeti was in the right place at the right time to get himself on the score sheet. The Swiss striker also won the penalty which saw Celtic make it 2-0 on the 27th minute. Ajeti made the net bulge with a header in the second 45 but was in an offside position hence the goal was disallowed. Three goals in two games now for Ajeti who has grasped his opportunity in the Celtic lineup. 


Jota - 7/10

A seven out of ten may be slightly harsh for Jota but I thought the Portuguese dropped off slightly towards the end of the match. The Benfica loanee though, made Celtic’s opener with a fizzing cross that met Albian Ajeti’s midriff. His trickery and directness caused the Betis defence issues and I believe Jota will maintain his place in the Celtic eleven on Sunday in West Lothian. 


Substitutes 


James McCarthy - 5/10

The Irishman registered his fourth Celtic appearance in Seville when he replaced Ismaila Soro on the 56th minute. McCarthy didn’t make many forward passes and I think it says a lot that Soro started ahead of the experienced Premier League midfielder. 


The next match for Celtic in the Europa League is a home one against Bayer Leverkusen who won 2-1 against Ferencvaros this evening. That will be an even more onerous task although the backing of a full Celtic Park will surely give the Bhoys a spring in their step. 


Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, I’d appreciated if you gave me a follow on Twitter @Josh_Footblog. 

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