Celtic’s First Choice Defenders Should Be Nervous. They Are No Longer Guaranteed Starters.

For the whole of last season, there were basically three players at Celtic Park who knew their positions were safe, barring some calamity. They were our two first choice centre backs and our left back Greg Taylor.

They were essentially first picks. We knew we would get a rival for Taylor in this window.

Most people thought we’d sign a backup centre back.

But we haven’t done that, and this is where our central defence starts to look exciting. Moritz Lenz is no backup, and that should be enough to keep both of our current starters on their toes … which is how Ange Postecoglou wants them, of course.

Last night, I was on the Endless Celts podcast where we discussed the signing of Lenz.

I find it extremely interesting, because if you listen to the manager this was one of the guys we wanted last year. He was one of our Plan A’s … and that means that Starfelt and Carter Vickers are the guys we signed instead. Lenz is not coming here as a bench warmer. He’s one of the guys the manager wanted all along … and he’ll do more than challenge for a place.

So those who are worried that our defence looks a little lax, a little unfocussed, a little all over the map should relax. Because the competition for defensive places is going to be fierce at Celtic Park this coming campaign, and this is without the manager’s other targets having an influence and we don’t know who they are or in what positions yet.

It adds to the sense that we’ve got a balanced squad here, one where the manager has just about completed Phase One of his rebuild, and what a rebuild this is.

The team which takes the field next weekend for our opening game will bear no resemblance whatsoever to the one that started last season.

That is a triumph for Ange … and even more so that this team, put together in one big hurry, will unveil the league flag.