Greg Taylor seriously impressing Celtic manager as he takes on dressing-room leadership role

By David Walton

February 8, 2022

The underrated Greg Taylor has today been given the credit he deserves by manager Ange Postecoglou, who revealed he’s one of the dressing-room leaders.

Taylor has come in for some extremely unfair criticism from pundits and even some supporters at times. Despite not being the flashiest of full-backs, he’s consistently given 100% for the football club and seldom lets us down.

Taylor’s game has been taken to new heights this season like many under Ange. The Scotland international’s intelligence on the ball and composure in playing out from the back have been a key component of Celtic’s success in recent weeks. Putting the shackles on highly-rated Manchester United winger Amad Diallo perhaps being his finest performance in a Celtic jersey.

And speaking via Celtic TV today, Ange has outlined his sheer delight at how Greg has progressed since recovering from his shoulder injury:

“Greg has done really well. He was unfortunate at the start of the year, he came back from the Euros and I think he was really keen on establishing himself here at the club and really making his mark. Then obviously he got the shoulder injury which he needed some surgery on and it set him back.

“So he’s one of the ones I was talking about before. When people talk about improvement, he’s one of the ones who’s had a month of playing this kind of football and getting into it. Yes he’s developing well, he wants to learn, he wants to get better. Obviously, with our full-backs playing a little bit differently, he’s really embracing that role.

“He’s been great since he’s been reintroduced back into the team. He’s been at the club for a little while now and I know he’s really close to Cal as well. He’s one of the ones in the dressing room who takes on a leadership role. From our perspective, we’re looking for further growth for him.”

Greg Taylor now Celtic’s undisputed first-choice left-back

There was a period earlier in the season when many would’ve scoffed at the idea of Taylor being our first-choice left-back under Ange. There was a demand for Liam Scales to be given more opportunities whilst Josip Juranovic even had the position to himself in the early stages of his Celtic career.

Even just several weeks ago many of us were itching for the club to add to their left-back ranks. And whilst there will still be some who want another Juranovic-like alternative at left-back, Taylor has more than nailed the position down as his own in recent weeks.

This is a player that consistently shows for the ball and gets Celtic out of tight situations. A wing-back who has been linking up superbly with Jota this season and has embraced Ange’s playing style. You have to admire his commitment to the cause and the work Greg has been willing to put in this term.

It may also surprise many that Taylor is now one of the senior leadership figures in the dressing room. Not bad for a 24-year-old who’s been far too undervalued by many of us in the past. It goes to show how important he is behind the scenes to the football club – something we don’t always get a proper look at as supporters.

But Greg will have changed so many opinions on him in recent weeks. His performances have been superb both defensively and offensively, and nobody can now say that Taylor isn’t of the standard required to help spearhead our title challenge as our first-choice left-back.

So long as Ange is willing to invest his faith in him, so too should we. And let’s not pretend it hasn’t been earned.

In other news, Callum McGregor’s superb commitment to Celtic cause; wants to play “as many games as possible