It’s been a poor start to the season for Celtic, and few players have been at their best.
Peter Grant says just three Celtic players have earned positive marks so far this season. Given the depth of our squad, that’s damning.
Brendan Rodgers is still working out his best team, and you can’t blame him. Between established players dropping off and new signings needing time to hit their best, he’s got plenty on his plate.
With the side breaking records for their lack of goalscoring, it’s understandable that a host of players are being subjected to fan criticism.
But to quote Mr. Rodgers, fans who are centring their criticisms around Callum McGregor need to be careful what they wish for.
A defence of Callum McGregor
McGregor has not been at his best so far this season. That is not the point being argued here. At times, he has been far from it.
But supporters who think that Rodgers simply needs to drop him are in for a shock.
There have been claims that McGregor has been on the decline for years. In reality, it was just six months ago that he proved across 180 minutes of football against Bayern Munich that he is absolutely at home in at Champions League level.
In wins against RB Leipzig, Slovan Bratislava and Young Boys, McGregor was integral. He dictated these games more than any other player on the pitch.
Lots of things have changed since then, so the idea that he is the problem is baffling. He’s a great player, but he isn’t a miracle worker. Like Rodgers, he is under suboptimal conditions after the summer transfer window.
Like every player, he has strengths and weaknesses. But fans take his strengths for granted. His ability to take the ball from defenders under pressure and progress the ball through both passing and carrying is priceless. Contrary to popular belief, he has not lost that ability.
What he has lost is Greg Taylor. It may sound foolish, but so much of Celtic’s best attacking play over the last four seasons came with those two in the middle of the park, allowing the attackers to flourish. On Thursday, his full-backs were a struggling Kieran Tierney and 19-year-old Colby Donovan.
The case is often argued that the team needs a ‘Rodri type’ – big number six who can give us a bit of physicality and needle in the middle of the park.
But ask fans of every team of the world, and they would also say this. The idea that Celtic can replace McGregor with a bigger, stronger midfielder without sacrificing his crucial contributions in possession is fanciful.
Celtic have far bigger problems than Callum McGregor
Rodgers’s surprise switch to a back three on Thursday further highlighted a problem that already existed for the side tactically: our defenders struggle progressing the ball.
A player who massively helped Celtic in that regard last season was Kasper Schmeichel – but it’s no secret that he has not been at the same level so far this season, especially on Thursday.
That’s not even mentioning that Benjamin Nygren has been up and down since his arrival, and Arne Engels has seriously struggled to make an impact when involved this season.
The list goes on: the attack is being carried by Sebastian Tounekti, as Kelechi Iheanacho works up his fitness and Daizen Maeda tries to rediscover his focus.
McGregor’s performances have not been the problem, they have been a symptom. And rather than binning his captain, Rodgers should focus on finding solutions to get him back to his best.
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