James McFadden is right about Arne Engels going ‘unnoticed’ after Celtic’s win over Falkirk

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Celtic started their post-split fixtures with a massive win over Falkirk on Saturday evening.

While Daizen Maeda understandably dominated the headlines and took the spotlight with his brilliant brace, James McFadden believes another pivotal performance slipped completely under Celtic’s radar.

Speaking in the sunshine at Parkhead after the match, McFadden highlighted Arne Engels’ performance from the middle of the park:

“I thought Arne Engels, a lot of the work he does, goes a bit unnoticed,” said McFadden. “I thought he looked really strong and powerful in midfield.”

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James McFadden gives Arne Engels his flowers

There is certainly an element of truth to McFadden’s observation about Engels.

Engels is a player who constantly divides opinion among the fanbase. There is always a lot of loud noise when he fails to perform, but perhaps not the same energy or praise when he quietly puts in a strong performance.

Yet, despite the toing and froing about Celtic’s club-record transfer, he remains a constant hit with whoever is in the Celtic Park dugout.

Whether it is Brendan Rodgers, who signed him upon his return to Celtic in 2025, the recently departed Wilfried Nancy, or the current man in charge, Martin O’Neill, Engels has always been picked by these men.

His recent return from injury perfectly illustrates this trust, as he was more or less thrown straight back into the starting XI for these crucial and chaotic post-split fixtures.

Nonetheless, as O’Neill navigates the immense pressure of this three-way title race in Scotland, McFadden told Sky Sports Football that Celtic are starting to hit the right notes just at the right time.

“I thought Arne Engels, a lot of the work he does, goes a bit unnoticed,” said McFadden. “I thought he looked really strong and powerful in midfield.

“Daizen Maeda, with his two goals and assists, you can’t ask for much more. But you feel Celtic are now starting to hit a bit of form, in terms of the way they look like when they are playing. They look dangerous.

“The two goals have come out of nothing because Daizen Maeda goes and presses.”