Kasper Schmeichel has been a revelation at Celtic since joining on a free transfer this summer and continues to impress with his secure performances between the sticks.
The Denmark international has kept six clean sheets in seven matches across all competitions and has the scope to enter record-breaking territory against Heart of Midlothian on Saturday.
Should he come away with another shutout, Schmeichel will be the first Celtic goalkeeper to keep five consecutive league clean sheets since the 1906/07 campaign, emphasising his impact on the side.
Of course, his defensive unit must also take major credit, but seeing the Bhoys in safe hands after Joe Hart’s retirement in the off-season is a major relief.
John Hartson is well-versed with Schmeichel’s contribution and has given the veteran stopper some high praise as Celtic prepare to return to action.
John Hartson on Kasper Schmeichel’s safe hands
Per STV News, Hartson has hailed Schmeichel as one of Celtic’s ‘best signings’ of the summer and believes the Dane is still ‘world-class’ at his job after an inspired start.
He stated: “I thought they covered most of the areas. They got a left back in, they got a centre back in. A central midfielder and Adam Idah in attack.
“One of the best signings for me was Kasper Schmeichel to replace Joe Hart who was a fans’ favourite, great in the dressing room and really vociferous around the place. So to get another world class goalkeeper who has had a great career was a great bit of business.”
Celtic are flying after a strong start to the Scottish Premiership campaign, but the Champions League will play a big role in determining how a wider audience will perceive Schmeichel.
Based off his start so far, there is no reason he can’t rise to the challenge. This is a former Premier League winner with 107 caps for his country that is the subject of conversation.
Schmeichel will be primed to perform in Champions League
Having already established himself as the best passer in the Scottish top flight this season with a rate of 95.4%, Schmeichel’s distribution has deservedly been acknowledged since joining.
Within that, 3.3 long balls per 90 minutes have successfully reached their destination, helping the Bhoys get up the field with relative speed. Nevertheless, fans know that the former Leicester City man will need to make show-stopping saves if the Bhoys want to progress to the knockout phase.
Last season, he maintained the highest save percentage rate in the Jupiler Pro League with Anderlecht, keeping out 79.3% of the shots he faced. That equated to Schmeichel preventing 14.36 Expected Goals over the course of the campaign.
Delving into his Scottish Premiership performances alone, Schmeichel has a 100% stop rate this time around from seven shots faced [Fotmob]. Obviously, that will change in the coming months, but he couldn’t be in a better place to show himself against the best in Europe.
When Celtic do well in the Champions League, they usually have one or two heroes that stand out. Fraser Forster is one of the best goalkeeping performers ever to succeed at the top table for the Bhoys, and Schmeichel will hope to match his legacy as Rodgers’ side dare to dream.
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