There have been plenty of Celtic players thrust into the spotlight for praise in 2022, but for some reason it still feels as though Greg Taylor isn’t one of them.
The 2019 signing, who arrived for £2.2m from Kilmarnock under Neil Lennon [Daily Mail], was one of the ones who struggled badly last season. Taylor was a regular in the starting XI last term, and consistently struggled defensively whilst failing to be an effective overlapping runner down the left.
This season, he’s been one of Ange Postecoglou’s regulars. A player Ange has had to pick up from the floor of last term and turn him into an efficient full-back capable of providing an attacking threat whilst remaining tight at the back.
But even the first half of the campaign was more of a transitional phase for the Scotland international. He spent much of his time on the sidelines watching Josip Juranovic maraud up and down the left flank in his place.
Many believed it was time Celtic needed a new left-back to upgrade on Taylor. Something the club decided not to do in January as Ange moved to put his faith in the former Killie man.
And it’s fair to say it’s been paying off massively. Since coming into the team immediately after the winter break, Greg has been fantastic. Defensively, he’s been much more reliable in one-v-one battles. When up against opposition attackers on the rare occasion he’s isolated, he’s no longer rash in the timing of his challenges.
Greg Taylor full of confidence as Celtic career takes a positive twist
This was highlighted in the game against Rangers when up against Manchester United loanee Amad Diallo. Taylor was, on several first-half occasions, up against the former Atalanta star in one-v-one battles. His patience and precision in the challenge halted the Ibrox star’s momentum. You could even say that performance ended Diallo’s Rangers loan spell, because he’s barely been seen since.
But it’s not just in the Rangers game in which Taylor has been so efficient. He’s showing great energy levels and efficiency on the ball these days. Celtic aren’t giving the opposition much when playing out from the back. Taylor is a huge part of that and has shown sound technical ability in ensuring we consistently beat the opposition press.
Celtic’s backline has only conceded 4 goals in Taylor’s last 13 Premiership appearances [Transfermarkt]. That tells its own story regarding how well he’s played. Absolutely none of the opportunities teams are creating against us are coming down Taylor’s side. At least not domestically.
There are still question marks over his ability to perform in Europe. Bodo/Glimt was certainly a struggle, but it was the same for the rest of his Hoops teammates. Domestically, he’s linking up a lot more effectively with Jota, and we’re seeing the results.
All of a sudden, nobody is talking about Celtic getting a new left-back. Maybe that talk will pick back up come the summer time. But for the moment, everyone is happy to recognise how much Taylor has improved under Ange.
He no longer looks a nervous wreck on the ball and has become a more than competent one-v-one defender too. Hopefully it keeps up for the rest of the season, but he can certainly take real pride in his improved 2022 form.
In other news, John Hartson thinks Celtic have smashed a big psychological barrier against rivals
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
