BREAKING NEWS: Branden Rodgers Announce Drastic Replacement of Key player….
Celtic were given a timely reminder that they still have areas to improve on after they were beaten 3-2 by their city rivals in the Scottish Premiership in the last match before the international break.
The Hoops came from 2-0 down against Rangers to bring the score back to 2-2 at Parkhead last weekend, only for Hamza Igamane to deliver a crushing blow with two minutes to go.
Brendan Rodgers will surely have been disappointed with the performance of his side in the loss, despite it only cutting the gap between the two teams to 13 points in the table.
The performance, however, was mitigated by the absence of club captain Callum McGregor in the middle of the park, as he missed out on the game through injury.
Why Callum McGregor is important to Celtic
The former Scotland international is an important player to Celtic and Rodgers because he sits in the number six position and dictates the flow of matches for the club.
He can control the game as a metronomic midfield presence for the Hoops, speeding it up or slowing it down with the pace of his passes and his decisions in possession.
McGregor leads the club’s midfielders for passes made per game (78) and pass accuracy (94%) in the Premiership this season, which illustrates just how important he is to the team.
Arne Engels, in his absence, only completed 51 passes – with a success rate of 88% – in an unfamiliar role, as the Belgian ace is usually more advanced as one of the two number eights.
Celtic do not appear to have a natural successor to the 31-year-old McGregor in the squad, but they could find a dream long-term replacement in Odin Thiago Holm – who is currently out on loan.
Why Odin Thiago Holm could replace Callum McGregor
It is fair to say that Holm’s time with Celtic has not gone as expected since Rodgers claimed that he could “make a big impact” at Parkhead upon his move to the club from Valerenga in the summer of 2023.
Be the first to comment