Celtic Player Ratings v Motherwell


It was yet another home victory with a one goal margin for Celtic as Motherwell were defeated 1-0 in Glasgow’s east end. The Steelmen didn’t offer much in the game yet a 1-0 score line was probably justifiable. 

Here’s my player ratings from the match. 


Joe Hart - 7/10

The Englishman made a great save in the opening half to stop Motherwell from taking the lead but certainly took a risk when he came to punch the ball clear after Greg Taylor made an uncertain header back to his keeper. In the second half, Hart was relatively untested but ultimately helped Celtic to another clean sheet. 


Josip Juranovic - 6/10

It is fair to say Josip Juranovic didn’t have his best game in Hoops today. However, the Croatian was moved to right wing when Anthony Ralston replaced Mikey Johnston and put it on a plate for Tom Rogic who fired wide. It will be intriguing to see if Juranovic is able to keep his place in the team with the aforementioned return of Ralston. 


Cameron Carter-Vickers - 8/10

Cameron Carter-Vickers wasn’t the most commanding in the first half but was utterly solid in the second. The American won headers, shielded the ball and won numerous duels as well as playing several passes. The reported six million option to buy on Carter-Vickers’ loan deal looks like one Celtic should be taking up as the season progresses. 


Carl Starfelt - 7/10

Starfelt undoubtedly looked unconvincing at times but had an overall well founded display to help Celtic to another clean sheet. 


Greg Taylor - 7/10

It was another acceptable performance from Greg Taylor at left back today who currently looks like Ange Postecoglou’s preferred option in said position. Taylor covered the left hand side very well and almost scored after a quickly worked corner kick presented him with the opportunity.  


Nir Bitton - 5/10

I don’t believe Nir Bitton had the greatest performance today. The Israeli misplaced several passes and also committed some clumsy fouls. Maybe I’m being too harsh on  Bitton but I certainly believe the holding midfield role suits Callum McGregor more than the thirty year old. 


Callum McGregor - 6/10

Linking to my previous point, Callum McGregor is best suited to the traditional number six role, which he did not take up today. The Celtic captain was deployed slightly more forward and thus was unable to be more involved in the game than he normally is. 


Tom Rogic - 8/10

The match winner was not afraid to throw himself about in the midfield and finished wonderfully into the top corner to give Celtic the lead right on half time. One of the only criticisms of Rogic’s game was the fact he missed nothing short of a sitter in the second half which would’ve made the closing stages of the game much more comfortable for Celtic than they were. 


James Forrest - 4/10

James Forrest’s injury woes continued as he was forced off on the eighteenth minute through injury after being relatively uninvolved in the game. 


David Turnbull - 7/10

Facing his former club, David Turnbull was able to create numerous chances for his teammates, including Celtic’s goal. The Scot was deployed in an unnatural position for him in the Celtic attack yet still managed to put in a thorough performance. 


Liel Abada - 6/10

The young Israeli winger didn’t have many opportunities in terms of clear cut chances. In addition, some of his final balls were questionable however we must remember that Abada is just twenty years old and continuing to adapt to a new country and culture. 


Substitutes

Ange Postecoglou used just two of the three available substitutes today. Mikey Johnston came on to replace the injured James Forrest early in the first half but had little impact on the game. This was proved with the fact he was hooked on the twelve minutes to play for Celtic’s other substitute, Anthony Ralston. It was pleasing to see the right back return after an injury lay off and hopefully Ralston can get back to his best in the coming weeks. 


In the midst of a gruelling fixture schedule, Celtic will head to Dingwall to face Ross County on Wednesday evening. It is a cup final after that although I’m sure the focus will be on the Highlands for Ange Postecoglou and his side. 


Thank you for reading this article. If you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, don’t forget to follow me on Twitter @Josh_Footblog where re-Tweets and likes are all greatly appreciated. 

Comments

  1. Unknown12 December 2021 at 12:15

    7/10 for Turnball? Who's marking this,the Icelandic jury?

    ReplyDelete

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