The two sides of Celtic defender Dedryck Boyata were on display in the Hoops’ most recent matches.
He was very poor in the 2-0 defeat Europa League defeat to Valencia. He looked poor on the ball, shaky in defence and lost his man for Valencia’s killer second goal.
Contrast that with his performance against Kilmarnock on Sunday. He was fearless in defence, won every tackle, and his header set up Scott Brown’s late winner.
Contrasting Performances
In a way those two matches sum up the centre-back’s time with Celtic. On his day, he is capable of being rock solid in defence, capable of winning every challenge. On his bad days though, he can be one of the worst players on the park.
Inevitable departure?
When he is at his best though, he can be one of the Hoops’ top performers, which makes his seemingly inevitable departure at the end of the season so disappointing.
Brendan Rodgers has been unwavering in his support for Boyata, he has made him one of his first picks when fit. He will be particularly disappointed that Boyata seems certain to leave when his contract runs out.
That is just the nature of modern football though, and Boyata has no need to show loyalty to the Hoops.
It will be interesting to see how he fares in the English Premier League for example, as his game could be easily exposed down there.
For now though, his next text is the second leg against Valencia, and he will be hoping for a much improved performance than in the first leg.
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