Steve Clarke is missing the perfect Celtic solution to problem Scotland position – opinion

After watching Scotland in this international break it is clear that Steve Clarke has glaring issues within his team that could be solved if he utilised one of Celtic’s most trusted players.

The 1-0 defeat to Northern Ireland could be classed as an embarrassing result for Clarke. Especially as the Irish are undergoing a rebuild under Michael O’Neill and Clarke has a Scotland squad full of players from the English Premier League and the top clubs in Scotland.

Northern Ireland’s goal came from a mistake by Everton fullback, Nathan Patterson. The youngster did well to recover when Scotland lost possession in the middle of midfield but gifted it back to young Conor Bradley whose deflected shot found its way into Angus Gunn’s top left-hand corner.

Patterson never really recovered and now the right fullback position has come under scrutiny as the Euros get ever closer for Scotland.

So how can Steve Clarke address this issue? Well, the answer is rally simple.

Anthony Ralston deserves his Scotland chance

The Celtic fullback was an unused sub in last night’s defeat. He had to watch from the sidelines even though he did ok when he came on as a sub in the 4-0 defeat to the Netherlands.

With 986 first-team Celtic minutes this season, the argument could be posed that he hasn’t played enough football to earn a place in Clarke’s starting lineup. [Transfermarkt]

That may well be the case but when you see that Patterson has only managed 1367 minutes himself, then that’s not really an argument you can use.

With Ralston what you have is a player who is a winner, knows what it takes to play under pressure and he barely makes any mistakes in defence.

Used by Ange Postecoglou in his double-winning season, Ralston performed brilliantly for Celtic in that season under immense pressure. Ralston won over 74% of his tackles, and 59% of his duels, created 1.45 chances per game and even scored four goals with the most memorable being that 97th-minute Ross County winner. [Fotmob]

This season Ralston’s stats remain almost the same despite his lack of first-team minutes. His tackling success rate is still over 71%, duels won is over 58% ground and over 61% aerial and he’s still creating over 2 chances per game for Celtic.

With his experience of winning titles and cups at Paradise, maybe it’s time to give Ralston a go in the next international break because he has proven time and again that when it comes to performing under pressure (which Clarke us under after a seven-game winless streak), he is more than up to the task.

‘I’m ready’ – What Matt O’Riley has said about Celtic future amid Leeds United transfer links

Celtic midfielder Matt O’Riley is claimed to be a transfer target for Leeds United, with the Whites previously reported to have had a bid rejected last summer

Celtic star Matt O’Riley has already spoken about his future amid fresh links with a move to Leeds United.

The 23-year-old midfielder has been a standout player for Celtic since signing from MK Dons in January 2022. This season has been significant for O’Riley, who has registered 26 goal contributions across 39 games in all competitions, as he has made his Champions League debut and earned his first cap for Denmark.

Leeds were previously touted with a £10m bid for O’Riley last summer while Atletico Madrid saw a bid rejected in January. However, a fresh report from Give Me Sport has claimed that Leeds will be ‘tempted’ to make a new offer for O’Riley, should Daniel Farke’s side achieve promotion to the Premier League.

The report claims that O’Riley is valued at £25m and has also attracted interest from Brighton and Brentford. The midfielder has previously commented on his Celtic future as he continues to impress for the Scottish giant.

“Celtic received an offer from them (Atletico Madrid), and that was cool. I wasn’t really close to leaving because Celtic wanted more money. I’m not upset about it,” he told Danish outlet Tipsbladet.

“For me, it was just cool that a club like them would want me. It’s not often you receive an offer from Atletico Madrid, so of course, it’s great, we have to see what happens (next).”

Before the January window, O’Riley spoke of his pride at playing in the Champions League, where he recorded three assists in six group games, including against Atletico Madrid. Having successfully made the step up, O’Riley admitted that he wanted to stay at the highest level.

“I have played in the Champions League against many good teams, and I feel I am ready (to take the next step), but I am already playing for a good team. It’s hard to say what is going to happen,” O’Riley admitted.

Manager Brendan Rodgers revealed Celtic’s stance on O’Riley’s immediate future during the January transfer window. The former Leicester City boss took charge of Celtic for the second time in the summer and has enjoyed working with the midfielder.

“There was that, but Matt is a player we don’t want to lose and he won’t be going anywhere in January,” Rodgers told Sky Sports. “It’s a great testament to him and what the club can do for a player.

“He won his first international cap this season and Atletico Madrid are a big club in European football. He is very much part of what we are doing. He has been a joy to work with.”

Rodgers could brutally ditch Iwata by unleashing Celtic’s “outrageous” £16k-p/w dynamo – opinion

 

Celtic are currently sat at the top of the Scottish Premiership table during the international break after their 3-1 win over St. Johnstone last weekend.

Goals from Kyogo Furuhashi, Nicolas Kuhn, and James Forrest put the Hoops 3-0 up before a late consolation strike from Connor Smith for the away side finished off the scoring.

They are now one point clear of rivals Rangers, whose game at Dundee was postponed due to a waterlogged pitch, having played one more match.

After the international break, Celtic should be hoping for a strong end to the season in order to win the SFA Cup and Premiership title, rather than enduring a trophyless campaign.

The national team matches may have come at the perfect time for Brendan Rodgers, who could have a couple of key players back fit by next week.

Latest Celtic injury news

Captain Callum McGregor has been absent in recent weeks with an Achilles injury but could be back in action after the break, with the manager hopeful that he will be available to face Livingston.

There is no guarantee that the Scotland international, who was not in contention to feature for his country this month, will be ready to return for that match but the ex-Liverpool tactician will assess the midfielder’s fitness ahead of that game.

Central defender Maik Nawrocki suffered a hamstring injury last month and there has been no timescale given on his return to first-team involvement, which means that it remains to be seen whether or not he will be available to face Livi.

One player who looks set to be in contention to feature against Livingston, however, is central midfielder Reo Hatate after he made his return in a friendly earlier this week.

The Japan international played 45 minutes in a bounce game against St Mirren on Wednesday, a match in which Gustaf Lagerbielke and Hyeon-gyu Oh also took part.

Hatate has been out of action since the winter break after he suffered injuries to both of his calves whilst playing for his country back in January.

His appearance in the friendly clash earlier this week suggests that the terrific midfielder could have a chance of being in the squad to face Livingston when the Hoops return to Premiership action next Sunday.

With this in mind, Rodgers could brutally ditch Tomoki Iwata, who has emerged as a regular this year, from the starting XI to make way for Hatate, whether that is in the next game, or whenever the Japanese star is ready to be selected from the start.

Tomoki Iwata’s Celtic emergence

The 26-year-old battler has worked his way into the starting line-up for the Hoops during the second half of the campaign, after a difficult start to the season.

Nine of his 11 appearances in the Premiership have come since the start of November, and all six of his starts in the division have come since the start of December.

The Japan international has provided a calm presence on the ball at the base of the midfield set-up for Rodgers, with a pass completion rate of 92% across those 11 top-flight clashes.

However, Iwata has left a little bit to be desired with his lack of quality out of possession for the Scottish giants. He has lost 56% of his duels, including 62% of his battles on the ground, and only made 1.1 tackles and interceptions combined per match in the Premiership.

This suggests that opposition players have found it too easy to outmuscle and get the better of him in the middle of the park at times, whilst the midfielder has also struggled to make multiple defensive interventions per game.

Whilst his pass accuracy speaks to his reliability and composure on the ball, the statistics in the table above show that Iwata has not made a big impact in possession at the top end of the pitch.

Why Reo Hatate should replace Tomoki Iwata

If Hatate is back fit and available, Rodgers must brutally ditch Iwata to unleash the “outrageous” – as described by Scotland international John McGinn – whiz in his place.

The £16k-per-week dynamo has scored two goals and provided two assists – twice as many of each compared to his compatriot – in just eight league appearances in an injury-disrupted campaign so far.

Last season, the 26-year-old magician was a regular starter under Ange Postecoglou and caught the eye with both his contributions in and out of possession for the Bhoys.

Hatate averaged 1.5 tackles and interceptions per match, which was marginally more than Iwata has managed this term, but his strength in his duels stood out. The impressive gem won 56% of his battles on the ground and 59% of his aerial contests across 32 league matches.

This suggests that he could offer more than the current starter in terms of his strength off the ball, as he can dominate opposition players in duels – rather than being dominated.

As you can see in the table above, the recently injured Celtic star also has the edge over Iwata when it comes to making things happen at the top end of the pitch.

He has the quality to score and create goals at an impressive rate – with more Premiership goals than any other central midfielder in the squad last season – and could provide the team with another threat in possession over the coming weeks and months.

Therefore, Rodgers should brutally ditch Iwata from the starting line-up as soon as Hatate is fit enough to start, due to his superior qualities on and off the ball in the middle of the park.

Daizen Maeda Celtic impact hailed as ‘one of the best in world’ as Greg Taylor lifts lid on Japan ace

Daizen Maeda may have been dealt a brutal put down for his ability on the ball by one of his country’s most famous players.

But Celtic team-mate Greg Taylor insists when it comes to qualities OFF it, the Hoops have one of the best in the world. Maeda’s non-stop work rate and pressing has seen him dubbed the ‘Duracell Bunny’ at Parkhead. And even though Taylor reckons the Japan ace likes to recharge his batteries during the week, he says his energy on matchday is vital to powering Celtic’s charge into the business end of a frenetic title race.

Maeda was the only member of the Japanese contingent at Parkhead to get the call for international duty this week and played a full 90 minutes as the Samurai Blue defeated North Korea 1-0 in Thursday’s World Cup qualifier. But he was hardly given the warmest of welcomes home when former Japan hero Marcus Tanaka called for him to be dumped and branded him “terrible with the ball”.

Taylor, though, insists there’s no way he’d ever be under-valued among his colleagues in the east end of Glasgow. He said: “Not within this building, and certainly not by me. I’m Daizen’s biggest fan and I’ll never under-appreciate him as a player.

“He’s a breath of fresh air, he works ever so hard for the team and is always willing to do that bit more. His pressing, I think he’s genuinely one of the best at pressing in the world. I think his presses and his numbers are right up there. In training I actually think he recharges the battery through the week at times!

“There’s a couple of days out there where you think Daizen’s just getting ready for the weekend, and sure enough, when the weekend comes he normally doesn’t stop. That’s a good way to be, he knows his body.”

Earlier in the season Maeda was clocked as the fourth quickest player in the entire Champions League after scurrying around at 35.6km/h. But there’s more than just being a pest to opposition defenders that sets the Hoops hassler apart.

A first hat-trick in Scotland as Livingston were dumped out the Scottish Cup a fortnight ago suggested he was hitting top form in front of goal at the right time of the season too. Whether that’s down to his new hairdo is anyone’s guess. But Taylor said: “He said he was growing it for his daughter, so that’s quite a nice touch and it’s worked for him, he’s notched a few goals since!

“He’s got many strengths and adding goals to his game will only improve him. Our relationship is really good, I think you can see that going back through the last few seasons, we work really well together.

“His strengths complement mine really well and it’s a relationship that’s been pretty strong through different circumstances. He’s been on the left, he’s been on the right, he’s been playing up front at times as has happened this season, but that’s part and parcel and it’s nice to have that relationship back.”

If Maeda is a key man for the Hoops launching into the final leg of the title race then Joe Hart is providing a solid platform at the back. The veteran goalkeeper has already revealed he will hang the gloves up in the summer.

And Taylor – who dubbed the 36-year-old one of England’s greatest ever keepers – is determined to ensure he goes out a champion. He said: “Harty has been a massive part of our success in the last few years. He’s great on the pitch and an amazing guy off it.

“We want to finish it the right way for him, But that is just one of many reasons. We want to give the supporters a trophy to celebrate and you also want to do it for yourself and your own personal pride.

“We also want to do it for the manager as you know the sacrifices he makes and the belief he has in us as a squad. But doing it for Joe is also one of them.

“Joe is the perfect professional. He’s always willing to put an arm round a player if he needs it and if someone needs a bit of firing up he is there as well.

“He really reads every situation well and carries himself like the top professional that he is. How humble he is after everything he has done in the game is unbelievable. He’s arguably one of England’s greatest goalkeepers, Man City’s as well, he’s just a real credit to himself.”

Hart has turned the clock back with a string of huge saves at key times. And Taylor said: “He’s been massive. Certainly since Christmas, it’s been picked up on some of the massive saves that Harty has made for us, it’s been vital in some of the games.

“I think that has been pretty consistent throughout his time here, he’s made big saves when he’s been needed and we’ll miss him of course when he goes.

“But he wants to go out when he’s feeling good, he doesn’t want to carry on any longer than he feels is necessary. As I said, and also he believes, he wants to try and finish the season right.”

The Astounding Pep Guardiola Stat Heading into Celtic Friendly

Pep Guardiola’s tenure as one of football’s most decorated managers includes remarkable achievements and innovative tactics that have influenced the modern game.

Yet, amidst his numerous victories, Celtic stands out as a rare stumbling block in his otherwise illustrious career.

Having faced the Scottish giants twice in the 2016/17 Champions League group stages without a win, Guardiola finds Celtic alongside Wigan as the only two teams he has not managed to defeat in his managerial career.

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The first encounter between Guardiola’s Manchester City and Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic ended in a thrilling 3-3 draw. Notably, Celtic never trailed in the match. Moussa Dembele’s memorable performance, highlighted by an overhead kick, alongside a Kieran Tierney goal that deflected off Raheem Sterling, showcased Celtic’s capability to challenge top-tier opposition.

The subsequent match at the Etihad Stadium further cemented Celtic’s ability to stand toe-to-toe with Guardiola’s side, ending in a 1-1 draw. Patrick Roberts, on loan from Manchester City to Celtic, made an immediate impact by scoring early, only for his goal to be equalised minutes later.

As both teams prepare to meet again in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, on July 23 during Celtic’s American pre-season tour, Guardiola will undoubtedly seek to secure his first victory over the Scottish club.

Brendan Rodgers discloses internal plan to boost Celtic squad fitness over international break

Celtic comfortably saw off St Johnstone at Parkhead yesterday, on a day when Brendan Rodgers’ men made a compelling case regarding their title-winning credentials.

Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring not long before the interval, heading home from an impressive Nicolas Kuhn centre, capitalising on a period of dominance during proceedings for the hosts.

Straight after the whistle sounded for the restart, Furuhashi returned the favour, sliding a low ball across the goalmouth that would’ve been impossible to miss. The latter subsequently claimed his first goal for the Bhoys.

Veteran winger James Forrest prolonged Celtic’s stranglehold over St Johnstone in the 68th minute, taking advantage of a sweeping pass from Matt O’Riley to rifle home a third.

Connor Smith provided a late response from the visitors; however, his mere consolation couldn’t take the shine off an imposing display from the Hoops.

Rodgers’ reigning Scottish Premiership champions recorded 74% possession and had 23 efforts on goal, ten of which were on target [BBC Sport].

Looking forward, a period of reflection during the international break will ensue before we return away to Livingston on Sunday, 31st March.

Brendan Rodgers reveals plans to maintain Celtic squad fitness

Celtic have several players who are gearing up for international duty over the coming weeks; meanwhile, there will also be a core of individuals who stay at Lennoxtown either to continue their recovery from injury or simply as a result of not being picked to represent their respective nation.

Rodgers is the man tasked with keeping his squad ticking over during the break, and he has revealed there are plans in place to ensure his group remain fit amid a spate of injuries within the camp.

Speaking post-match, the Hoops manager revealed that a behind-closed-doors bounce fixture has been organised to help maintain match-readiness levels.

He stated [Celtic FC YouTube]: “There will be a little bit of rest but there’s still work to be done, we’ll have a game behind closed doors to get one or two of our players up to speed.

Later on, Rodgers added on Cameron Carter-Vickers’ successful outing: “But really good news, seeing the likes of Cam in today and working well. All being well, all of the guys come back fit, and we can really attack this last part of the season.”

Undoubtedly, injuries have played a major part in the tale of this campaign, and any measures that can be put in place to ensure we have sufficient depth heading into the last portion of this term will be welcomed by supporters.

Hopefully, we can have as close to a clean bill of health as possible once the Scottish Premiership calendar resumes after the international break.

Nicolas Kuhn Takes To Instagram After Standout Celtic Performance

Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn stood out in the Hoops’ dominative 3-1 win over St. Johnstone on Saturday, adding a goal and assist to his name.

The German wide man set up Kyogo Furuhashi for the opener just before half time with the vivacious striker returning the favour just after the break when he slid a rapid ball across goal for Kuhn to tap home from.

He came off with just under half an hour to go to a standing ovation and was later named the in-stadium Man of the Match.

Later on Saturday evening, the 24-year-old took to Instagram, captioning a few photos with ‘Really enjoyed today’, and a few emojis:

 

At the minute, the right-wing spot in the Celtic team seems as though it is Kuhn’s to lose. He has come into the side over the past few games and grasped his opportunity with both hands.

There is competition out wide with Yang due to return from a suspension versus Livingston and James Forrest making a few cameos here and there. It likely will be Kuhn, though, who gets the nod at the Tony Macaroni Arena in a fortnight.

Hail, Hail Glorious St Patrick Dear Saint of Our Isle

Happy Saint Patrick’s Day One of my favourite 1890s newspaper quotes refers to Celtic player Paddy Gallagher and the day:

“socks, pawn tickets and shamrocks were kicking about the Celtic’s pavilion on Saturday, in commemoration of Pat Gallagher’s day.”

Today is a day when a great many pubs will report higher takings than normal; many Celtic fans may help boost those profits. This might be because it is St Patrick’s Day, although other fans may simply be choosing to try and drink to forget recent performances from Celtic!

The Bhoys are not playing today, instead they were yesterday in action against St Johnstone. It was a positive result for the Celts with all three points staying at Parkhead after Celtic’s comfortable 3-1 victory.

Over the years, Celtic have been in competitive action on St Patrick’s Day on 23 occasions. Some of these have been momentous and memorable occasions, others best forgotten.

Of these 23 games, 14 have resulted in wins for the Bhoys in different competitions, alongside seven draws and two defeats. Celtic have averaged around two goals scored in each of these matches (40 goals in 23 fixtures), whilst at the same time conceding on 30 occasions.

The vast majority of these matches have been league games, but there have some cup fixtures too.

Mainly the Scottish Cup, but also the Southern League Cup (which became the Scottish League Cup after World War Two) and one European fixture.

That match – a home 1-1 draw against East German side FSV Zwickau – eventually saw Celtic exit the European Cup-Winner’s Cup following a 1-0 away defeat. This second match saw Celtic have to ‘adopt’ then 17-year old Roy Aitken so he was allowed to travel!

The club’s first St Patrick’s Day runout was a disaster. Playing in 1894 in Edinburgh against Leith Athletic, Celtic lost 5-0 in the final league game of the season. However as the green-and-white stripes had already clinched the title, it mattered little.

Although the Bhoys again played on 17 March in 1900 (an exciting 4-4 draw with Third Lanark in the Inter-City League), it took until 1917 before the now hooped Celts could celebrate a win on this day. This came in the form of a 2-1 victory when visiting Airdrie.

Perhaps the most famous and celebrated St Patrick’s Day game for the Bhoys came in 1991. Rangers came to Celtic Park in the Scottish Cup – and left two goals and three men down. You might say they were ‘massacred’.

When the Celts repeated this victory the following week with a 3-0 ‘Palm Sunday Humiliation’ league win, it was one of few highlights for the club in that era. This was in fact Celtic’s most recent St Patrick’s Day home game, more than three decades ago.

Outwith this victory over Rangers, perhaps Celtic’s other best fixtures on St Patrick’s Day have been two 6-0 victories. In both cases these games were played in Lanarkshire with Celtic winning away against Airdrie in 1954 and then at Motherwell in 1984.

Celtic’s most recent 17 March came five years ago in 2019. The Bhoys went to Dens Park and came away with a 1-0 victory thanks to a very, very late Odsonne Edouard winner.

Although there’s no game for Celtic men’s team today, the Bhoys very much need the luck of the Irish if they are to get anything from the rest of the season. Remember that if you’re out celebrating today.

And keep an eye on the Celtic FC Women’s SWPL1 match against theRangers Women which kicks off at 4.10pm this afternoon. Elena Sadiku’s side can narrow the gap to just one point with a win and the Celtic manager is confident that her team will deliver some St Patrick’s Day cheer to the Celtic support on this very special day.

Hail Glorious St Patrick, dear saint of our Isle!