Celtic have put in a commendable collective effort this term, yielding seven straight Scottish Premiership victories as they lay down their credentials as defending champions.
Despite a tough week for the Bhoys after their Champions League defeat in Dortmund, they weren’t to be denied their redemption in Dingwall as they retained their place at the league summit in dramatic fashion.
Ronan Hale’s penalty looked to have the home side in a position to claim a shock result. Nevertheless, Alistair Johnston and Nicolas Kuhn struck to deliver an important Celtic victory away to Ross County.
For the avoidance of doubt, there have been more fluid performances from the Hoops this term. They weren’t at their best and came close to coming unstuck in the Highlands against a determined Staggies outfit.
Nevertheless, winners always find a way to make their say decisive, and Marvin Bartley has pointed out his pick of the bunch for Celtic following their ten-match domestic winning streak.
Marvin Bartley on ‘breathtaking’ Celtic winger Nicolas Kuhn
It doesn’t take a genius to work out that Kuhn has been one of Celtic’s leading lights this season, seeing as he has registered five goals and eight assists in ten appearances across all competitions.
Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, pundit Bartley saluted Kuhn’s ‘breathtaking’ performances this season and honed in on his ability to take games by the ‘scruff of the neck’ as one of his most compelling traits.
He stated: “He’s been brilliant, he really has. I think we spoke about it last week on the show, you speak about not writing players off too early because many Celtic fans last season did.
“But this season, he’s really taken a game by the scruff of the neck on so many occasions whether he starts or comes on as a sub. He’s been absolutely brilliant, breathtaking for them if I’m honest.
Later, he finished by saluting Celtic’s squad strength, as he said: “They wear you down Celtic. Mentally and physically, when they’re moving the ball, even when you’re bringing on substitutes, even if you’re winning against them, you think, wow, I have to deal with these players now,
“They’re fresh-legged, and as Brendan said, the players don’t stop. When you’ve got good players that are willing to work extremely hard, often on the ball, that’s a sign of a real good team, and Celtic are showing that in abundance.”
Nicolas Kuhn’s show of strength for Celtic
By now, supporters know that Kuhn had to battle illness at Celtic in the early months of his spell after dental surgery.
Noticing his incredible physical improvement after losing a significant amount of weight in a short space of time, Brendan Rodgers pointed out what has changed for the German winger after the Bhoys’ Premier Sports Cup victory over Falkirk last month.
The Irishman stated: “I think what we are seeing with him (Kuhn) is consistency. He came out of a difficult period last season in January, and he had issues.
“He showed it in spells and at training as the season went on. The big thing for Nicolas was pre-season and he had a really good pre-season with us which solidified all the principles that we wanted and he has done really. He also got himself into good condition.”
With the Celtic manager delighted with his progress, you get the impression Kuhn can continue going up the levels as the campaign progresses.
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