Midfield is one of the most important areas for a successful Celtic team to be well-stocked, and Brendan Rodgers has a wealth of options in the engine room to pick from.
Providing experience, leadership and class, club captain Callum McGregor has started the campaign exceptionally, finding himself top of the Scottish Premiership scoring charts with three goals in his opening four league appearances from outside the area.
Despite losing Matt O’Riley to Brighton & Hove Albion during the summer, Reo Hatate continues to step up in his absence, becoming the main creative foil to Celtic’s wide players and strikers.
Couple with Paulo Bernardo, Arne Engels and Luke McCowan being confirmed in the window, Rodgers has an agreeable balance of craft, guile and grit to rely upon in the middle of the park.
With Celtic’s squad collectively signing from the hymn sheet, former midfielder Paul Hartley has elaborated on why they are functioning optimally.
Paul Hartley on Celtic’s ‘electric’ midfield options
Speaking to PLZ Soccer, Hartley believes McGregor has been the spearhead in driving the Bhoys forward and referenced his international retirement as a reason for his burst of goals.
Complemented by other options in the side, the former Celtic man has been impressed by the ‘electric’ nature of the Bhoys’ start to league duty.
“The games that I’ve saw, and I’ve saw most of the games, they’ve been electric. In that middle of the pitch, they’ve got so many good players to pick from. McGregor is the captain and he’s been in top form.
“I think not having the international games now has probably helped him in terms of rest and recovery, and then the players that they’ve brought in, they’ve got Hatate; they lost O’Riley, who was their main player and then the players they brought in (Engels, McCowan).
“They’ve got so many players to choose from, especially in that area of the pitch, so they’ve been in top form.”
Celtic will want to compensate for O’Riley summer departure
Replacing someone who claimed 37 goal contributions last season was never going to be straightforward, but Rodgers seems to have opted for a mix of continuity and new blood to replicate O’Riley’s impact.
Despite suspicions at the time that there would be a gaping hole in Celtic’s engine room, the Bhoys are scoring and creating at a similar rate without him in the side.
However, that can only be said for a brief sample size. Over a longer period, supporters will be intrigued to see how the midfield shapes up, especially in the Champions League.
For now, a game-by-game approach will suffice. Celtic have a lot of football to play, and their starting line-up will fluctuate over the coming months; let’s see how it transpires.
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