When Kieran Tierney returned to Celtic, there were lingering doubts about how he could overcome the fitness issues that plagued his time at Arsenal.
The Celtic full-back is currently busy tearing that cliché to shreds since his emotional return to Paradise. Tierney hasn’t just reclaimed his spot on the left flank, he has evolved into the most potent creative force in the country.
A social media post from Alba Analytics makes for incredible reading. When Celtic fans look at the ‘big chances created’ vs. ‘key passes’ metric, Tierney is up there and apart from others in the SPFL and in the current Hoops team.
What do you think is the main reason behind Kieran Tierney’s goalscoring form this season?
How many goals do you think he will score?
Kieran Tierney is more dangerous than Sebastian Tounekti at Celtic
Tierney has undoubtedly been tearing it up at Celtic this season. While Arne Engels has been a revelation in the midfield, and averaging a healthy 2.0 key passes, he still sits slightly below Tierney when it comes to those high-value ‘big chances’.
The same goes for the exciting Sebastian Tounekti, who has flair but lacks the consistent, clinical final ball that KT provides from the overlap.
Tierney isn’t just keeping play moving; he is carving teams open with a frequency we haven’t seen from a full-back since the first time he was at Celtic.
The truth behind Kieran Tierney’s Celtic stats vs Rangers’ James Tavernier
Now, some across the city will point to James Tavernier sitting at the top of the stats. But let’s apply some common sense to those numbers.
Tavernier’s stats are heavily padded by the fact that he takes virtually every single set-piece for Rangers. When you are standing over every corner, free-kick, and penalty, your ‘key pass’ numbers are naturally going to swell.
Tierney, by contrast, is doing the bulk of this damage from open play. The Celtic full-back is winning his 1v1s, driving to the byline, and delivering crosses into the opposition penalty box.
Tierney currently sits on 11 assists for the season, and unlike others, he’s earning every single one of them through sheer work rate and creativity.
KT is currently one of the SPFL’s most dangerous players because he’s doing it all from the run of play. We are lucky to have him.
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