Celtic Player Ratings v St. Johnstone


With a decimated squad, Celtic travelled to Perth to take on a St. Johnstone side who lost their last seven going into the match.  Two early goals from Liel Abada put Celtic comfortably in front at the break however Chris Kane’s header made for a nervy finale. This was banished by Nir Bitton though who made it St. Johnstone 1-3 Celtic with an impressive finish. 

Let’s get into my player ratings from the match. 


Vasilis Barkas - 7/10

It was rather surprising to see Vasilis Barkas’ name on the team sheet, never mind the squad. However, the Greek keeper collected a number of cross balls and was adequate with the ball at his feet. Barkas could do nothing about St. Johnstone’s goal though. 


Stephen Welsh - 6/10

It looked as though Stephen Welsh was filling in at right back today. The young defender done well and put in another ample display. 


Cameron Carter-Vickers - 7/10

Cameron Carter-Vickers strengthened his case for Celtic to bring him in permanently today. The American helped keep the Hoops backline relatively rigid and was a calming presence at centre back. 


Carl Starfelt - 6/10

The Swedish defender was somewhat characteristically uneasy in his performance. Starfelt gave away the ball which led to St. Johnstone’s only goal of the game but other than that, was relatively sound. 


Liam Scales - 7/10

Liam Scales covered the whole left hand side adroitly. The Irishman flashed a number of dangerous balls across goal and was replaced by Adam Montgomery with a nominal amount of time to go. 


James McCarthy - 7/10

The former Crystal Palace midfielder earned an unexpected start in the Celtic midfield today. McCarthy didn’t do much wrong yet didn’t stand out either.  


Nir Bitton - 8/10

Nir Bitton’s rating may be slightly affected by his goal however the Israeli was sufficient in midfield. Bitton won several balls in the engine room although he did make some stray passes. As alluded to, the thirty year old got his name on the scoresheet late on, firing into the bottom left corner to score his maiden goal of the season. 


Tom Rogic - 9/10

It was another dazzling display from Tom Rogic in the Celtic midfield today. The Australian was at the centre of most moves, setting up two goals. His lovely through ball was put away by Liel Abada for Celtic’s second and he also assisted Nir Bitton to give Celtic a comfortable final ten minutes or so. In addition, the twenty nine year old was unfortunate not to get a goal for himself. 


Josip Juranovic - 7/10

The full back was once again playing at right wing. Josip Juranovic was adequate in his performance and could’ve easily scored late on when the ball fell to him in the penalty box late on. 


Liel Abada - 9/10 

Liel Abada bagged himself a brace in Perthshire this afternoon. The Israeli’s first goal was when his initial shot was saved by Elliott Parish and he pounced to head in on the rebound although in reflection, it did look like it came off his arm. There was no doubt about Abada’s second though; he was played through by Tom Rogic and finished clinically into the back of the net. Going forward, the twenty year old could’ve easily had himself a hat trick although I’m sure he’ll be more than delighted with a double. 


Kyogo Furuhashi - 4/10

Seeing the Japanese striker come off injured on the fifteenth minute was a sore sight for Celtic fans. Kyogo seemed to be holding his hamstring once again. The good news is though that the winter break is now upon us and Kyogo will most likely not miss any games. 


Substitutes 

Two changes were made in today’s game by Ange Postecoglou. Eighteen year old forward Joey Dawson replaced Kyogo Furuhashi fifteen minutes in. The Englishman was consistent in his link up play and was unfortunate not to grab a goal on his Celtic debut with his late effort being cleared off the line. Dawson certainly showed a lot of promise today. Adam Montgomery was the other substitute that came on but there is little to report on the teenager’s performance due to the fact he played just five or so minutes. 


The main thing for Celtic today was to secure the three points. That is precisely what the Hoops achieved and the Bhoys can now re-group and go again after the winter break with a presumably much improved squad. 


Thank you for reading this article, if you have any thoughts or opinions, leave a comment below. Also, I’d appreciate it if you gave me a follow on Twitter @Josh_Footblog for more Celtic and Scottish football content. 

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