Sections of the Celtic support have been rounding on Jeremy Toljan’s performance against Dundee on social media.
The German right-back arrived from Borussia Dortmund in January in a six-month loan deal. Yet, despite the hope many would’ve had for him, Toljan has failed to deliver in many if any of his 11 appearances.
Yesterday was just another one of them. Toljan played the majority of the match before being subbed late on for Timothy Weah. During his 78 minutes on the pitch, however, he made next to no impact.
And some fans have been criticising him on social media since the game finished. Here’s a look at some of the reaction.
https://twitter.com/MRceltic1888/status/1107298693907136512
https://twitter.com/TheKennyScott/status/1107266293470769152
https://twitter.com/madebyfrankie/status/1107269296324046851
https://twitter.com/Celtic1888News/status/1107267695358210050
https://twitter.com/jonnymacleod1/status/1107288224941125632
https://twitter.com/frawil66/status/1107288021353717761
Needs to be showing more
Toljan did take some more responsibility on his shoulders yesterday. He got into some dangerous crossing areas more often than usual, but it barely ever didn’t strike the first man.
Again, too often with the German right-back, he was too insistent on passing it back too. Celtic didn’t get enough down the right-hand side, and Toljan was a big part of this.
It’s clear that a growing number of fans are starting to feel similarly like-minded. Toljan simply has to improve, and even throwing him straight in against Rangers would be a dangerous move on Neil Lennon’s part.
Mikael Lustig performed well enough at centre-back today, and would perhaps be the more reliable option with the game being at Celtic Park in two weeks’ time.
Toljan, however, is running out of time to impress Celtic supporters. The idea of moving for him permanently or even for another loan deal is hardly looking tempting.
He clearly has some tidy technique. His ball control has gradually gotten better with each game, and he doesn’t often lose the ball. But at the end of the day he just doesn’t offer Celtic enough, and there’s a reason he’s yet to finish 90 minutes in a game for Lennon yet despite playing in a defensive position.
We’ll see what the future holds for Toljan. Unsurprisingly, he’s not away on international duty with Germany, so he has the chance to catch a breath and take stock of his performances so far.
It’s very clear, however, that a big improvement is needed from his first 11 matches in Glasgow.
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