A lot of work has been done on Celtic’s midfield, and with three additions it has a very different look than it did before. Two of those additions are permanent, one is temporary, although there is an option to make that permanent if it turns out to be a good deal.
But again, this looks an awful lot like a team assembled by committee, except that nobody on the committee understands football.
At the start of this window, there were mission-critical roles to fill. Mission critical. Absolutely unshakable, unquestionable needs which could not wait.
Two of them did wait. The left-back and the goalkeeper waited until the final available moment, the final European signing deadline. Both of them are loans. The left back has not been registered for the European squad. He is 18. He is out injured and will not be fit for weeks. That is a disgusting indictment of where we are as a club.
The strike force and the forward areas had to be sorted out, and they were, to an extent. We weakened the left side because we have sold Maeda and not signed a player to play out there, but perhaps we should be grateful for small mercies.
We waited 18 months before replacing Kyogo, a year before we replaced Idah and it has taken us another 12 months to replace Nicolas Kühn on the right, so maybe we should not have hoped for instant results there. A lot of people are pinning their hopes on Jota. That is a big bet to make.
But there is one position that has not been filled, and it was the mission-critical position of defensive midfield. The player whose job is in the description, the one who plays between the defence and the rest of the midfield.
When you look at the goals we lost in Linz, when you look at the way we get opened up by certain teams and when you look back over last season at some of the goals we conceded, you can actually see the hole where that guy is supposed to be.
People who talk about Callum McGregor in that role tend to forget a number of things. He is not a natural defensive midfielder and he never has been. He is a playmaker and an attacking player more than he is a defensive one.
He has added a lot of really good defensive qualities to his game, but it is not a natural role for him. We have been playing, in that most important of positions, a player who is not naturally suited to it for about five years now. In doing so, we have actually neutralised some of McGregor’s best qualities, which are those of a guy in the middle of the pitch who dictates the whole game.
As far as the midfield went, it was the single most mission-critical position of them all and we did not fill it. We chose not to fill it.
We have signed three midfielders and none of them is a natural in that role. Two of them have played in that role, but that is not the same thing. You only have to look at Callum McGregor to know that it is not the same thing.
And this is not even a new problem. We played Scott Brown in that role for years too, when his starting position as a midfielder had also been much further up the pitch.
A lot of where football is played is in the mind. People do not often realise that because they are not football players. They do not think the way football players do.
I have seen teams throw defenders up front. I have seen teams play defenders in midfield. I have seen teams play midfielders in defence. We have all seen right-backs get injured and the manager bring on a central defender and move another central defender out to right-back. In an emergency, that will do.
But players do not like it and players do not feel comfortable in it because it does not reflect their own natural skill set.
If you have watched top-class strikers play, they differentiate themselves from the also-rans in a number of ways. One of those ways is anticipation.
It is one of the reasons I love big Kasper Høgh.
You can see that big Kasper knows where the ball is at all times, but also where it is going to go. He is always anticipating the next thing that is going to happen, and that is why he gets himself into positions to put the ball in the net time and time again.
Other players like Duran are good at making those spaces for themselves; that’s another special talent, but Kasper finds them because he is half a second smarter than everyone else around him in the penalty area.
Defenders need a similar skill set. They have to know where the ball is going as much as where it currently is. They have to stop crosses before they happen because they have an awareness of what is happening behind them in the penalty box.
They have to stop players on the edge of the box who are prone to taking long-range shots at goal. They have to anticipate when the player they are up against might be inclined to go down under a challenge, and so they have to time everything perfectly.
That is a specialist skill set, just as Kasper’s ability to find space is a specialist skill set.
A defensive midfielder is not just a midfielder you have stuck in a defensive zone and asked to do the job. The requirements for that position are vastly different from those you look for in an attacking midfielder or a playmaker or a box-to-box player.
So, when people talk about a replacement for Engels, I wonder what they are talking about, since we never really knew what role Engels actually played. He did not excel in any one role and was more or less a generalist across all of them.
He too could, and did at times, play the defensive midfield role. But it was not his best role and he lacked some of the attributes to do it.
A defensive midfielder’s primary job is to make the whole team structurally safer. He sits in front of the centre-backs, screens dangerous central areas, reads attacks before they develop, tracks runners, wins tackles and interceptions, collects second balls and stops transitions before they become counterattacks.
He needs excellent positioning, discipline and spatial awareness because charging after the ball and leaving his zone can expose the entire defence.
If you want a lesson in why we lost so many goals in Linz, you can see it because McGregor is not in that position when he is supposed to be. It is not a coincidence that they derived a lot of their success on the night from shots outside the penalty area, in exactly the place where the defensive midfielder was meant to be.
In possession, he should be press-resistant, reliable and intelligent, able to recycle the ball quickly, control the tempo and, ideally, break lines with progressive passing. The best defensive midfielders also organise everyone around them, cover advancing full-backs and midfielders and constantly communicate where the danger is.
In simple terms, the role is about destroying attacks, screening the defence, covering space, recycling possession and holding the team’s shape together.
It is not a role that any midfielder can play.
It is every bit as specialised as the full-back role, the ball playing centre-back role or any of the various roles attacking players have. You cannot just shoehorn a player who plays in one place into another and expect the same results.
The defensive midfielder is one of the most critical parts of any team, especially one which plays the way we do, on the front foot, leaving a lot of bodies forward in attack, and yet with a major sum of money sitting in the bank, we did not sign one. Again.
We will pay for that in Europe. I have absolutely no doubt about that.
We will pay for that lack of business. We will pay for that gross strategic mistake.
And it is not a mistake that the manager was blind to, because we must have had at least a few of them on our radar and fans were very confident that at least one of them would end up at the club. None of them has.
I wrote earlier about the failed Champions League target list. That had at least one of them on it, so the manager knew full well that this was an area where we needed to get someone.
That we have not done it is scandalous, and there is no other word to use. But this is what comes from people in charge of the club who do not understand when the manager tells them that this is a mission-critical area.
They do not understand that had we signed such a player, we would not now be out of the Champions League. The manager may tell them that, but they almost certainly casually dismiss it because they look at the fact that we have enough warm bodies in midfield and think, well, “Why can’t one of them do it?”
That is a standard response from people who do not know what they are talking about and simply defer responsibility elsewhere. I cannot give the window anything like a pass while a key position like that remains unfilled.
It is outrageous that we have not done something about it and that we are here fumbling about trying to fit square pegs into round holes all over again.
One of the most important, fundamental parts of Martin’s intended rebuild was to sign a player who could operate in midfield, protect the defence and allow his forward players to do their work without worrying that a single ball through the middle is going to catch out the whole team.
You watch how many times we lose that kind of goal in the Europa League.
You watch how many times opposition players dominate possession on the edge of our penalty box, all of it inside that area where a ball-winning defensive midfielder is supposed to be. And I guarantee you that at least part of the time that area will be completely empty.
It is not because Callum McGregor is not a good footballer. It is because Callum McGregor is not a natural defensive footballer, because he was never supposed to be a defensive footballer. His mind literally sees the game a different way.
Nothing can rewire that any more than you could turn a centre-back into an elite striker.
Incredibly, there are some reports suggesting that we were offered defensive midfield options going into today and turned them down.
We will be one of the only clubs competing in the Europa League which does not have at least one player who is a natural in that position. It is gobsmacking.
But it is not surprising.
There are people who wonder how we can grade the window overall.
We finished it without a left-sided attacking option of the calibre of the one we lost when Maeda left the club. We have left it without strengthening central defence, which in my view is a colossal mistake, but that is a mistake which seems in part to have been driven by the coaching staff themselves.
They do not believe that area should be a priority. Well, on their heads be it, because they must be blind not to see that it is a clear area of concern.
The policy at right-back looks to me to lack coherence and clear thought. There is obviously a belief that Johnston will depart in January, hence why we brought in the Swiss player on a deal until the season ends.
When Johnston goes, there will probably be no more money spent on that area until it becomes part of another summer rebuild.
At the end of the season, we will need a new goalkeeper. We will definitely need cover for Kieran Tierney in the next summer transfer window, and quite possibly that is an area we have to revisit in January, although I am not getting my hopes up.
The right side looks covered because Yang can do a good job there and Hassan is going to be an excellent signing. The strike force is about as well balanced and as decent as I have seen it for a long time, and hopefully that does not get impacted by further injuries or issues.
I am well pleased with the work that has been done in that area. I would also have been pleased at the midfield restructuring except for that missing piece. We have lost Hatate. We have lost Engels. We have lost Bernardo. We have replaced all three players with players of a very similar type.
We do not know how good that midfield will be. We do not know how well it will balance.
But we do know what is missing.
And with so many temporary stop-gap solutions and at least two critical areas completely ignored, I am not giving this anything like a high passing grade.
This is a C-minus at best for the overall work and a straight-up D because, once again, we are out of the Champions League.
It is our failure to bring in that highly specialised player, in that highly specialised role, which drops the overall score and it’s the reason the Europa League campaign is basically being written off. The manager himself has said so.
It is atrocious that we did not get a deal done for a player in this position after all these months, and with so much cash piling up in the bank.
The people who run this club are arrogant, stupid and completely oblivious to how a football club is actually constructed and what a squad needs to compete on all fronts. The manager and the coaches, to give them their due, appear to know that this is a major problem.
But it is a major problem which is not the board’s problem because their attitude is: “Well, we gave you the players. It is up to you to mould something out of them.”
And this does not change while they are still here.
This does not change while this attitude persists at the top of the club.
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I think that role has no value whatsoever. Whichever midfielder has the ball his priority should be to make things happen and not pass the ball back or sideways. His first thought should be how can I create a move not pass it three yards and say you do it.
Tommy Gemmell once said if he hadn’t scored when Jim Craig passed him the ball for the second Lisbon goal, Stein would have killed him because it would have meant both backs were up the field at the same time. A No No.
Similarly the midfielder with the ball should move forward and the others move in and cover for him. This allows an element of surprise but for 5 years now Celtic’s slow play allows the opposition to get organised. Other teams know Celtic’ default is the midfield to pussy foot around and this is why they have reverted to type in the boring second haves. Those guilty players should be hooked the minute they start to stroll. I am a holding midfielder “I don’t interfere with the play”.
Granted modern managers do not have Stein genius simplicity.
Hatate left the building two years ago. Bernardo never even entered it. Engels was talked up far beyond anything he actually produced. And McGregor isn’t a metronome or a defensive midfielder — he’s been miscast for years, and every time we get sliced through the middle it’s obvious.
Neil Lennon was a success in that role because he could protect the ball, he could pass it, and he instinctively understood the defensive side of midfield. That’s the kind of profile we’ve been missing for years.
And it’s worth remembering the wider picture: Celtic haven’t won a European knockout tie over two legs since 2004 — back when Lennon was in his pomp. The hole in midfield isn’t theoretical. It’s been there for a long, long time.
I think we just need more players who are genuinely comfortable in possession. Gone are the days of bone?crunching tackles and “destroyers” in midfield. Modern football is about controlling the ball, controlling space, and controlling transitions. The teams who progress in Europe aren’t the ones flying into 50/50s — they’re the ones who can take the sting out of a game, recycle possession under pressure, and keep the ball moving with purpose.
Exactly this – look at Vitinha at PSG who is one of the best in the world at this role but is less than 5’8”. His awareness of space and others underpins his confidence on the ball as he always feels in complete control.
Yep 100% correct.
I’m not sure where the evidence is that Gineitis would’ve been the final piece of the jigsaw. Celtic have tracked him for months but when was the last time that was used a measure of a player’s potential to improve Celtic?
Correct me if I’m wrong but have Celtic not just made 6 permanent first team ready signings and 4 loan signings as back-up in defence and attack?
If so then why is it such a disastrous window?
DannyGal – maybe be that the narrative was set beforehand – that our recruitment team and board would make a mess of it? As far as I can tell so far, we have exited this window much stronger than we entered it. We’ve got competition at GK and have added real goal threats at the other end of the pitch. Baur has looked good in midfield and obviously early days for the other two. However AOC has also impressed and if he can stay fit will be a player we didn’t really get much time from last season.
Defensively we all want to see AJ back sooner rather than later, but we have added cover there.
I’m with you Cgreen, issue for me is that our midfield (certainly against LASK, but also evident against Dundee Utd) don’t cover for each other. Nygren is more of a foil for a striker – great for getting into forward positions but not one to get back inside his own final third. So we end up outnumbered when teams are attacking through the middle of the pitch.
I am curious as to what shape MON will settle on with the players at his disposal to deal with our soft centre. On first viewings, Duran needs to play through the middle given his goal threat and you would have thought he would be partnered by Hogh. That being the case, do we then go 4-4-2 or 3-5-2? On paper we look to have a squad that is strong enough for the domestic campaign with Europe on top where we can hopefully improve our coefficient.
I’ve a feeling Duran will play on the left of Hogh with Hassan on the right.
We could also see Nygren edged out of midfield if the new guys show up well.
Danny. Not sure about Nygren. James did an article about him just over a week ago saying he was a monster who we must keep at all costs.
It was hard to argue at the time, but it was largely based on one game v LASK where the scoreline severely flattered us. I honestly dont think we can judge our top players v domestic opposition.
For me the jury is still out on Nygren.
Agree 100%
James, big Kasper cost more than the entire LASK squad.
Anyone who watched the UCL last year knows what he can do. Bodo another team that spends far less on players than us fucked over one of the richest teams on the planet.
Meanwhile we buy one of their best players and get fucked stupid by minnows. MON like Brendan before him is not cut out for UCL football. Jesus, Brendan was a disaster in europe with Liverpool
Hey…. the board are ultimately responsible for all of this..I couldn’t agree more, they are responsible for all the domestic trinkets but equally responsible for all the fuck ups in the bigtime!
The left back situation is just as bad. We let 2 contracted players, Montgomery and Inamura both leave on loan and failed to secure Saracchi on a permanent deal. Leaving us now with a currently injured 18YO loanee as our back-up option. And he isn’t even in the Europa squad. Madness!!
The central M/F defensive position at Celtic has never really been filled since Neil Lennon, Brown filled it pretty well for a few years, but wasn’t a real natural, as he liked to get around the park and influence the game more. In domestic football we don’t really need someone to fill that role and that’s a problem when we play in Europe, as was shown against Lask. I myself don’t think that football disaster was down to a lack of a specialised defensive M/F player. In my opinion it was the fault of the manager and coaching staff not realising that our system had to be changed drastically at half time. We were left wide open, with players caught way up the park when losing possession until 3-1, then we defended in a panic stricken manner with absolutely no control of the ball.
In my opinion any competent midfielder should be able to play in a defensive role these days, if he is disciplined enough. The days of big physical players flying into tackles is over, defenders these days have to close players down quickly, anticipate and intercept more than tackle.
I’ve been happy with a lot of our signings, some should have been brought in sooner, mild criticism is justified, but the hysteria from some quarters is way over the top.
The one player missing from this squad that has left me scratching my head is Saracchi, we’re left with Keiran Tierney as the only half fit L/B in the building. What the hell was that all about.
I’m settling down to watch, now that the window is shut, we’ll know very quickly what kind of squad we have.
James F — we do not need this type of player because of the way we play.
We as a team / squad / club do not put in tackles.
Yang — on the left wing — puts in more tackles than anyone else.
We can win most games in the SPL without tackling.
We can press to nick the ball or we just wait to SPL style teams mis-place a pass.
Which is usually enough to get us by.
Europe is a different story — teams fight for the ball and we look lost.
Not used to a battle we look weak even though we can be strong when set up for a physical challenge. Taken by surprise by Euro opposition putting it about we look as weak as milk toast.
Season after season — rinse and repeat.
Caught off guard in the Euro qualifiers we get reamed time after time.
Play the games in November and we are much more competitive.
Play the games in August and we get turned over time after time.
When will we ever learn?
I think our biggest obstacle is playing in SPFL. It’s too easy and our players have unhealthy ideas about their abilities. Perhaps even the manager does. The Board doesn’t seem to care.
Having watched Saturday’s display against St Mirren, I have to concede that James and others may turn out to be correct when they said that Celtic needed more strengthening in defence with a physical defensive midfielder in front of them.
I was bit shocked that St Mirren could expose those deficiencies to the point where I can see where those concerns came from, in domestic football as well as in Europe.