I found recent comments in the media and elsewhere about Liam Scales to be highly interesting. There is a debate about whether or not Scales has done enough to keep his place in the team, despite our signing of Auston Trusty during the window for £6 million.
For some, this seems like an academic debate because, on the surface, we’re not signing a £6 million player to leave him sitting on the bench. But actually, when you think about it, these are the choices big teams make all the time. These are the kinds of decisions that top managers want to have to make. This is the best little drama in the world, and I know there are people in the press who will try to turn it into a major story as the season goes on.
When you consider it, we’re going to have the same question to answer in the midfield. That midfield at the weekend was exceptional, but we had two new signings who didn’t start. One of them, Arne Engels, is the club’s record purchase.
But who do we leave out of that midfield to put him in?
Under normal circumstances, you might say Bernardo, but he was outstanding at the weekend, and he himself is a £4.5 million signing. Perhaps Reo Hatate could be left out, but if he is, you can expect media speculation to start about whether he has a long-term future at the club, and whether we might be willing to sell him in the January window. I can’t see where McCowan is going to play either.
These are the choices every manager would love to have to make, and we’re now in the fortunate position where Rodgers has those choices. So, as interesting as the debate about Liam Scales versus Trusty might be, it’s nothing compared to the debate about what our best midfield will look like. And if you look at the rest of the squad, do we drop Greg Taylor for Alex Valle? Will James Forrest play more games on the right than Nicolas Kuhn? Maeda has been brilliant, but is he really going to play every week when Luis Palma is desperate for games?
Since we’ve spent £9 million on Adam Idah, how do you leave him as a substitute? Equally, though, how do you drop Kyogo to give Idah games?
I love that we have these dilemmas now.
I love that Brendan Rodgers has selection possibilities.
I love that he will have to pick and choose which players to play and in which games. We have the luxury of being able to drop two or three players at a time and rotate. Although there are some who don’t enjoy watching that, I would argue that one reason we’ve not enjoyed watching it in recent years is that the players coming into the team weren’t as good as the ones dropping out. Perhaps that’s no longer the case.
That substitutes’ bench on Sunday was certainly the strongest I’ve seen at Celtic in a long time.
You can see the media’s line of attack: how does the manager keep all these players happy? How does he tell players who are performing brilliantly that they’re stepping out of the team for a week to give someone else a run?
As if this doesn’t happen at big clubs everywhere.
Rodgers has been building towards being in this situation. When the inevitable questions come, and the inevitable speculation arises about what this means for certain players, whether they have a future here, and whether they will be sold, Rodgers should feel as relaxed about that as he does about facing the media on any other issue. Competition for places makes players better. Competition for places makes the team better as a consequence.
Yes, Scales has been excellent. The game at the weekend was one of his best in a Celtic shirt, but he has been in excellent form since the season started. So, of course, the manager has a choice to make, and of course, the presumption will be that the £6 million signing will go straight into the side.
But suddenly there is an element of doubt. Suddenly, there is a question as to whether or not that’s inevitable. And that’s the kind of question Rodgers wants the players to be asking each other and themselves: what do I have to do to stay in this team?
And that’s not a bug; it’s a feature. It’s exactly how the manager wants it.
You’ll see every player in those critical positions, where there is now competition, working harder and playing better in the hope that it gives the manager something to think about. Everyone who gets a chance to step into the side will know that they have to grab it and not let it go.
I’m pretty excited about that.
It means we can have a proper rotation system. We can have, effectively, a team for Europe and a team for Scotland. And yes, there will be overlap, of course, but we look more ready than we have been in a long time, especially in those key areas where we have made big signings. I cannot wait to see what shape the team takes each week and what choices the manager makes for every match.
Yes, for Brendan, with all the alternative choices, it is a great position for him to be in. Also, it means with that competition for places, that all the players need to perform at the top of their individual game to ensure that they are first choice. It also means that they can get a well deserved rest to recharge the batteries whenever that is necessary. Roll on the Champions League till we get a taste of what Brendan sees as his best formation and let’s see how we settle into that mode and cope with its demands. It’s great being a Celtic fan just now, we have so much to look forward to.
COYBIG.
Scales was outstanding at the weekend !!!!
He made no more stand out errors than the rest of the team including Cal Mac.
His reactions prevented a clear goal.
His replacement better be good.
Same goes for Greg Taylor. This guy has put more than one potential replacement back in their corner.
Playing for Celtic isn’t easy as they think. Idah is about to find out. I hope that the player Rodgers thinks I there evolves because early signs are work rate, positioning, and game management need to improve. He played the easy/lazy options and failing to adequately hustle a few times at the weekend. Early days
I think the Trusty / Scales debate is a fairly simple one.
Scales has the partnership with CCV currently & as you say is playing well currently but he is still the weakest link in our defence when it comes to play style.
He is regularly the one who miss places the forward pass when building attacks & often then makes the team face unnecessary pressure from counter attacks.
I think Trusty will slowly be introduced into the squad via League cup games & assuming he is what BR wanted & is a better distributor of the ball I think by the time we come round to January he’ll have firmly taken over as the main partner to CCV.
As for the midfield I think you’re entirely correct in it’s a far bigger headache in a good way for the manager. I do think Hatate will leave next summer for the premier league. If we do well in Europe there is no reason that his price could be as much as we received for MOR.
I can see Luke being used to allow CalMac a rest in league cup games like we have at the end of this month. Where we should comfortably dispatch the opposition no matter what team we put out. Also in games when the result is secured 3 goals + in the lead he will come on again to rest CalMac.
It’s all very good problems to have around the squad & will drive each player to push themselves to be better to get in the team.
I just hope we don’t get tempted to sell to many at once as potential suitors come looking. 1-2 max first team squad players per summer window while also removing some more of the dead weight who aren’t of the required calibre.
BR is building what looks to be a tremendous model for the club. I just worry that if he doesn’t remain beyond his 3 years it will all very quickly revert to buying lots of prospects in the hope 1 or 2 become huge sellable assets.
I think some of our fans went a bit overboard with the transfer window, I look at the squad and think it’s relatively strong, and I would have wondered were all these new players would have played. I think scales can play in a few positions, and I think Brendan would have known this. I would have liked another striker in, but apart from that , I’m happy with our squad.
Liam Scales has done no bad in the spl, with some notable performances here and there. Tho nae disrespect, just an opinion, the CL is out of his league. At some point, we have tae give Trusty game time and that would mean ideally spl, before he’s considered for the CL. There’s no real time, or place for sentiment. They should be playin him now.
Oh what a wonderful predicament. Who does Brendan leave out? It’s a much better predicament than “who can fill in at LB when Greg Taylor is injured. Until now, we have been playing only one game a week but the midweek after the Hearts game we are in Europe and the two games a week treadmill starts. Hopefully we go all the way in the League Cup, so there is no respite in view. If we want to dominate domestically and put up a decent show in the CL, we need to be able to rest players by rotating them. It shouldn’t be two different teams, but nobody (except Kaspar) should be asked to play 4 games in two weeks and another 4 games in the next two weeks. That’s what causes burn out. That contributes greatly to injuries, especially stress injuries. A big squad, well managed, will allow us to be at our best for every game. We can keep people fresh and needn’t worry too much about our season being derailed by one injury. No wonder the bears are bealin’ and squeallin’.
Eight games in The Champions League…
Hopefully a long run to winning The League Cup and end the Pathological Survival Lie…
Some players might just be glad to get a wee bit respite from that gruelling schedule…
But you won’t ever here The Scummy Scottish Football Media taking that angle !
Great article and it’s clear from the comments everyone gets it. Whoever Rodgers leaves out the media will call it a bust up. As for Scales, he doesn’t just not let us down, he rises to the occasion and had a great game at the weekend.
Injuries will inevitably come and we’ll not always have these options but expect a few tonkings to be dished out while we do.
It’s a great Squad Brendan is Putting together.
The system that Brendan has introduced into his training there shouldn’t be any problem for these new players to adapt to.
Meaning when Brendan rotates his team, when the 2 games a week start there should be no changes to the way they play.
It’s a good squad he has assembled.