Paulo Bernardo enjoyed an excellent afternoon’s work in the middle of the park for Celtic as they comfortably disposed of Rangers yesterday.
The Portugal Under-21 international arrived permanently for £3.5 million this summer and is under the expectation to help fill the void left by Matt O’Riley’s departure.
Yesterday, his run of accomplished displays in Glasgow Derby matches continued. According to Fotmob, Bernardo created three chances, maintained 100% shot accuracy, and completed four successful dribbles before being substituted for Arne Engels just after the hour mark.
Last season, he also scored the opener in the Bhoys’ 2-1 victory over their city rivals in December 2023 and laid on an assist for Adam Idah when Brendan Rodgers’ side grabbed a critical point at Ibrox in April.
Sharing some of his post-match thoughts, the Irishman has reacted to Bernardo’s imprint on an excellent 3-0 derby victory yesterday.
Brendan Rodgers on Paulo Bernardo’s exploits
Cited via The Celtic Way, Rodgers lauded Bernardo’s hard work against Rangers and revealed the Almada-born man believes he should’ve got on the scoresheet.
He stated: “He is very honest about the game. He has got quality and he feels he should have scored. He did a wonderful piece of skill in the box and that would have made it 3-0 in the first half and he didn’t quite make it a clean strike. Overall, I thought he was very good.”
Forming part of a three-pronged midfield axis with Reo Hatate and Callum McGregor, there was really no contest on the day as Celtic tore their rivals to shreds.
If it was a boxing match, the referee would’ve counted the visitors out long before the final whistle. Bernardo’s tenacity in the engine room forced no fewer than ten turnovers, evidencing his relentless commitment to making sure his side had the platform to control proceedings [Sofascore].
For all his panache on the ball, the 22-year-old can handle the gritty side of big occasions. That will go a long way to prolonging his place in Rodgers’ starting line-up despite Engels and Luke McCowan’s recent arrivals.
In my opinion, let the battle for places in midfield commence! Celtic have some great options; Bernardo is right up there with the best of them.
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