Celtic fans watching Canada’s clash with Bosnia in the World Cup will have been closing Alistair Johnston closely.
But Bosnia midfielder Benjamin Tahirovic may have been more worthy of their attention, with talk in Denmark saying that he could be close to a move to Celtic.
A game dominated by Canada finished 1-1, as both players completed 90 minutes. It was the opening match of Group B.
We examined the numbers behind the pair’s performance, with a particular focus on Tahirovic.
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Thoughts on this one Celtic fans? 👇
Benjamin Tahirovic struggles in possession as Bosnia earn draw
As those who watched Tahirovic in the game will attest, it was not a sparkling showing from the 23-year-old in possession… far from it, in fact.
Often looking to go direct, he completed just one of his six attempted long passes.
READ MORE: Nightmare World Cup showing sees Celtic target Damian Bobadilla hooked at half time
Of course, one thing that statistics can’t account for is team playing style. Bosnia showed little interest in playing much football during the clash.
If he is to come to Celtic, Tahirovic will be seeing much more of the ball — likely more than double the total of 17 passes he had on Friday.
Perhaps most damningly, he turned the ball over in his own half four times.
Neither of his two attempted crosses were completed, but he did complete seven carries, winning one foul.
He won four ground duels and made five recoveries in a more assured performance out of possession. He was the only outfield Bosnian starter not to complete a foul.
Johnston, on the other hand, was easily one of Canada’s best players. Despite an early booking, he wasn’t dribbled past once, winning four of six ground duels and winning each of his tackles.
He completed one key pass, though but for the decision-making of his teammates it would’ve been plenty more. Jonathan David’s gilt-edged chance in the first half came from a dangerous Johnston cross.
🙌 Oh continues his post-Celtic rise with a World Cup winner for South Korea!
Will Alistair Johnston leave Celtic this summer?
Johnston indicated that he wanted to stay at Celtic last month by acting as a public agent for his brother in an attempt to get him a move to Scotland.
However, speaking earlier this season, Johnston was more coy on his Celtic future, leaving the door open for a potential switch to the Premier League.
There’s no denying that the full-back would be well-suited to the English game; he has been linked with several Premier League clubs already.
It does certainly seem that Johnston loves life in Glasgow and appreciates the honour of playing for a club as big as Celtic.
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