Celtic player says his game is “more secure” than it was just months ago

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Celtic centre-back Carl Starfelt has lauded Ange Postecoglou and states he’s feeling more secure in his game now compared to earlier months.

After signing in the summer from Ruben Kazan, it was a tricky start to life for the Swede in Scottish football. Costing Celtic as much as £4m [The Herald], Hoops fans were disappointed to see basic mistakes such as careless passing, poor man-marking, and a lack of strength in aerial duels.

These days, Starfelt is looking a lot more solid. After coming back from the winter break, the former Kazan star is looking like a different player. Dominant in the air and tough in the challenge, he’s become the ideal partner for the incredible Cameron Carter-Vickers alongside him.

And as he reflected on how he’s developed to Ange’s new style, Starfelt feels he’s coming along nicely. Speaking via Celtic YouTube, the centre-back said: “I think I’m developing all the time. Like all of the other players it’s a different style to what many players are used to.

“It’s different demands with a different coach but you have to adapt to them. But i feel like I’m adapting more and more. I feel like I’m in a good place.

“I think I feel more secure in my game than I did a couple of months ago, so that’s good.”

Carl Starfelt has become a first name on the Celtic team-sheet

Starfelt definitely had his problems, and there are certainly still things the defender can improve on too. Let’s not pretend he’s anywhere near perfect. Distribution remains a concern and that’s a particular element of his game he still needs to improve upon.

However, outside of that, it’s extremely difficult to be annoyed with his performances in recent months. He’s been an absolute rock alongside Carter-Vickers. Despite the fact it feels as though many have the magnifying glass out whenever he makes a mistake, he’s still been a constant part of the best defence in Scotland.

He’s more than earned his spot in the Celtic starting XI ahead of the likes of Christopher Jullien and Stephen Welsh. The way he’s performed at big venues such as Tynecastle, Pittodrie, and Ibrox deserves major credit. Especially when it seems as though he’s too often an easy target.

Everyone at Celtic consistently speaks out on how different things are this season under Ange. How they’re all being told to be a totally different way of playing than they’re used to. Therefore, we have to be open to the idea that some will take more time than others to get used to it.

That’s almost certainly what’s happened with Starfelt. There’s no point pretending otherwise. There’s no other reason as to why he suddenly became such a big hit in the second half of the campaign after concerning spells in the first half.

Now, he looks every bit a Celtic centre-back despite the fact he still gets unfair stick on a regular basis. Hopefully, he keeps his form up as we get to the business end of the campaign.

In other news, Ange Postecoglou today set the record straight on Daizen Maeda and his Celtic start