Celtic Player Ratings v St. Mirren

Celtic bounced back from their goalless draw with Hibs at the weekend with a 2-0 victory over St. Mirren on Wednesday evening. 

After a frustrating first half, the Hoops were on song in the second to make sure they came away with all three points against a St. Mirren side who had lost just one game in 2022 going into this one. 

Here are my player ratings from the match. 

Joe Hart - 6/10

The Englishman was relatively untroubled in the Celtic goal this evening apart from an instance in the first half where he had to be sharp off his line to collect a low cross. Hart racked up another clean sheet as he continues to play his part in the soundest defence in the league. 

Josip Juranovic - 7/10

Juranovic constantly got down the right hand side and was tidy in his overall play. The twenty six year old is certainly Ange Postecoglou’s right back of choice after playing ninety minutes in the last three consecutive league matches. 

Cameron Carter-Vickers - 9/10

Celtic’s loanee centre back had an exceptional performance tonight. Carter-Vickers continually won duels, headers and was solid defensively. He also combined stability at the back with a threat going forward, opening the scoring with a powerful finish after the ball broke to him in the box. The case for Celtic to purchase Carter-Vickers permanently is undoubtedly cogent but his display tonight would’ve further strengthened this notion. 

Carl Starfelt - 7/10

The former Rubin Kazan defender continued his long standing partnership alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of the Celtic defence this evening. Starfelt was confident on the ball yet well founded defensively at the same time. 

Greg Taylor - 6/10

I feel as though I mention it every week although left back is firmly one of the most debatable positions in the Celtic team. However, it cannot be denied that having a left footed player there, such like Greg Taylor tonight, is much more beneficial than someone of the opposite foot in terms of creativity going forward. Ultimately though, Greg Taylor doesn’t particularly stand out in the Celtic side and tonight was no exception. 

Callum McGregor - 8/10

The Celtic captain was energetic in the traditional six role in midfield and was also able to threaten going forward, scoring Celtic’s second goal of the night. McGregor latched on to a loose ball in the box to calmly slot home into the bottom corner to make sure of a vital three points for Celtic. There will be no doubts surrounding McGregor’s place in the starting eleven at the Tony Macaroni Arena on Sunday as Celtic look to overcome one of their domestic nemesis’ in recent times.  

Reo Hatate - 5/10

Reo Hatate didn’t show the best version of himself in the Celtic midfield this evening, misplacing numerous passes and being sloppy in his overall play. Hatate has played an abundance of football lately and resting the midfielder for Sunday’s match could be beneficial. 

Matt O’Riley - 6/10

The only change in the Celtic lineup saw Matt O’Riley come in for Tom Rogic. The young midfielder had a fairly quiet game and didn’t really get the opportunity to impose himself on the match. O’Riley though, remains a more than sufficient option in the Celtic engine room. 

Liel Abada - 6/10

Abada’s foremost opportunity came early in the first half when the ball fell to him at the back post however Jak Alnwick was there to make a fine save. In the second forty five, the Israeli wasn’t afraid to take his man on and showed great vitality before being hooked with twenty five to play. 

Daizen Maeda - 7/10

The striker’s off the ball movement was excellent although it seems Maeda just can’t get the rub of the green. It will be intriguing to see if the Japanese will keep his place in the Celtic starting eleven come Sunday with Ange Postecoglou confirming Giorgos Giakoumakis will be back available for the clash in West Lothian. 

Jota - 6/10

It was another frustrating night for Jota as the winger failed to catch the eye once more. The Portuguese appears to be going through a rough patch and hopefully he can recapture the form that saw him dubbed Celtic’s ‘superstar from Portugal’ sooner, rather than later. 

Substitutes 

With twenty five minutes to play, Ange Postecoglou introduced all of James Forrest, Tom Rogic and Nir Bitton. The latter was composed as ever on the ball with Tom Rogic having one of his better displays in recent times. Furthermore, James Forrest looked lively which will bring additional encouragement. Young Karamoko Dembele was introduced to an enticed Celtic Park with just over five minutes to play and Yosuke Ideguchi also played a few minutes from the bench. 

After showing resilience in their play to secure victory on Wednesday, Celtic will now look to Sunday’s clash with Livingston to make it two wins on the bounce. 

However, we are all aware that the Tony Macaroni Arena has not been a happy hunting ground for the Bhoys in recent times and it will be intriguing to see if the Hoops can break their hoodoo come Sunday at noon. 

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 for more Celtic and Scottish football content.