The new Celtic season has now officially begun and Brendan Rodgers’ team kicked it off with a bang after beating Kilmarnock 4-0 at Parkhead yesterday.
In a hugely dominant performance, Celtic never gave Kilmarnock a minute as they penned in Derek McInnes’ side for the majority of the 90 minutes as four different goalscorers sealed the three points to propel Rodgers to the top of the table.
The win left the Celtic boss delighted and it also had Derek McInnes kind of reaching for the excuse book.
There is no doubt the current Scottish champions have sent a message to their rivals but the Flag Day performance also left former Hoops midfielder, John Collins, blown away as he pointed out two players he thought were standouts in the match on BBC Scotland.
What Brendan Rodgers has told ‘sharp’ James Forrest
We discussed yesterday how James Forrest still has a lot to offer Celtic in this new season after watching him against Kilmarnock.
Collins was well impressed and said it’s obvious that the Celtic manager let him off the leash against Kilmarnock.
Collins said, “It is as sharp as I’ve seen James Forrest. Obviously, Brendan Rodgers has told him to go out and express himself.
“He probably didn’t play as much under Ange Postecoglou because he didn’t track back, but if he adds that to his game, he won’t be out of the team.”
Forrest played 77 minutes of the home win before being replaced by Hyunjun Yang but his contribution was immense.
With 58 touches, Forrest had an 87% passing accuracy and created four chances as the Celtic winger pressed and probed at Kilmarnock to help the Hoops attack.
Forrest had six touches in the Kilmarnock box, 100% dribbling success, shot accuracy and long-ball completion.
Defensively, the Celtic winger won his only ground duel and made two ball recoveries as he helped get Rodgers’ defence of the title off to a great start. [Fotmob]
Kasper Schmeichel ‘very assured’ in Celtic debut
The home league debut of Kasper Schmeichel was eagerly awaited by the Celtic support. Taking over from Joe Hart was never going to be an easy task for any goalkeeper but Collins was impressed with the big Dane in the win.
Collins continued, “He’s looking very assured with the ball at his feet.
“As soon as he gets it he is looking to try and distribute it very quickly. He’s everything you want in a goalkeeper.”
Admittedly, Schmeichel didn’t have much to do but when called upon, the Celtic keeper was laser-focused on his job.
With 38 touches, the big Dane found a Celtic teammate with 29 of his 30 passes with a 97% passing accuracy hammering home Collins’ comments about the big keeper’s ball control.
Schmeichel made a total of two saves and made six ball recoveries as the new summer signing got his Celtic career off to a winning start.
Before the game, Alistair Johnston shared how Celtic were looking to ‘stomp’ down on Scottish football this season.
Well, after watching that performance yesterday, the rest of the SPFL will certainly not be looking forward to facing Celtic this season.
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