Are you brave enough to admit you were questioning the manager when he brought on Nir Bitton in today’s Celtic match?
Celtic were drawing 2-2 with Dundee at the time and pushing for a winning goal. Taking off an attack-minded midfielder in Matt O’Riley and replacing him with Bitton didn’t seem like the most exciting substitution.
In fact, with attackers James Forrest and Karamoko Dembele on the bench, it seemed counter-productive.
However, Ange Postecoglou deserves full credit because it was Nir Bitton’s introduction that actually gave the Bhoys a platform to win the game.
The Israeli’s ten-minute cameo was instrumental in helping us to the 3-2 result. He made excellent decisions in midfield and his role as the anchor of the midfield allowed Callum McGregor to almost abandon his defensive responsibilities.
When Celtic did get the goal in the 85th minute, Bitton was a calm head in a storm, helping the Bhoys see out the game in a very crucial way.
The Israeli didn’t give the ball away once today. Literally, he completed all 26 of his passes. While obviously not a huge deal in a statistical sense, it does demonstrate the fact he took care of the ball at the exact moment of the game we needed that in midfield.
As the Bhoys pushed more and more forward, Bitton was left as a protector of the defensive line against potential Dundee counters.
I would actually go so far to say it was one of Postecoglou’s best substitutions in his short time at Celtic.
Bitton isn’t the man for every occasion at Celtic but I don’t think he adds a battling quality to our midfield that can be useful when the game breaks down into a scrappier contest.
I have a feeling he’s going to have a big part to play in our remaining games this season as games get tighter and the title race hots up to new levels.
In other news, Former Celtic hero Charlie Mulgrew’s hilarious response to Tannadice penalty claims.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
