Forensic Files: Celtic Defence and How to Improve it

We are approaching that time of year where it is impossible to not lift our heads and cast our gaze towards the horizon, looking forward to the season ahead.

We can all agree that this campaign has been nothing short of bliss, an unexpected upturn in both quality and excitement from the relative slog that was last season. Celtic have a good squad, a very good manager and a board that seem to be reinvigorated. However, these factors do not combine to form an immunity against failure. This summer is another fantastic opportunity to enhance the playing staff, cementing the club’s position as the dominant force domestically and, hopefully, enhancing a European reputation that still looks a little rough-shorn.

Celtic are in an awkward position that must be rather unique in football; players that could immediately improve the side are perhaps out of our budget, while it is hard to imagine someone who is affordable being good enough to dislodge what is looking more and more like a terrific team.

Below is a detailed look at the current squad and a few players that, I think, fit perfect in that sweet spot between affordable and talented. 

Goalkeepers.

After a brief period in the wilderness, Craig Gordon, has transformed himself into a player of considerable presence, earning himself the national team jersey en-route. His spell on the side-lines and the continued exposure to Rodgers’ methodology have altered the player as well as the man.

It is easy to point to his improvement in his distribution, but there have been other, less obvious, changes the Celtic’s number one.

In the past Gordon looked fragile, in body as well as spirit. Now though, he is almost unrecognisable, he commands his half of the field with an intensity that would have even his biggest doubters beginning to question their opinions of the man. His decision to snub the lucrative advances of Chelsea, in January, indicate how willing he is to stay at Celtic.

Gordon has developed such a level of calm and composure that there are almost no nerves where he is concerned. He is now, more or less, at the esteemed level of Artur Boruc or Fraser Forster.

Doris De Vries, while another year older, seems like an able deputy.

No cause for concern.  

Defence.  

At right-back Celtic are well stocked; Lustig is a seasoned international performer with Sweden and one of the most reliable players at Rodgers’ disposal. Gamboa has endured a jittering life to Scottish football but has more than looked the part in his fleeting cameos. And, of course, there is young Ralston who recently put forth a credible case for inclusion in his debut against St Johnstone.

The opposing flank is, again, a position of strength. Tierney is constructing a reputation that is matched by few players in the game’s entirety, while Izaguirre has shown during Tierney’s injury that he has more than enough vestigial talent at his disposal to act as the kid’s deputy.

Centre-half is an area of more concern. Boyata has been wonderful since his reintroduction to the starting eleven, yet sadly remains ponderous in possession. It is still debatable whether his hulking frame and penalty box domination outweigh his deficiencies, especially on the continent.

Jozo Šimunović has looked imperious in recent months, deservingly cementing his place as the club’s most prominent centre-half. It is incredible to think that he was on the brink of a move to Torino only eight months ago. He reads the game so well and when the opportunity arises to administer some controlled brutality, it is something he is more than willing to do, as Kenny Miller will no doubt testify. Annoyingly however, is the Croatian’s propensity to pick up injuries, something that lingers at the back of every Celtic fan’s mind.

I must admit to having a soft spot for Erik Sviatchenko. I adore his combative mindset and his ability to hit accurate cross-field passes to either winger, a facet of Celtic’s game that has become less prominent as the season has progressed. The 2-1 victory at Ibrox was seen as the moment where fans lost a little faith in the Dane, looking nervy in the first half, where his misplaced pass lead directly to Celtic falling behind. I would, however, like to remind fans that it was Sviatchenko’s late, lunging block that denied Harry Forester and Rangers a late leveller.  

Sadly, the player looks destined to make a summer move, with Leicester looking a likely destination.

One player to get excited about is Kristofer Ajer, who has garnered a huge number of fans after a productive loan spell at Kilmarnock. Despite still being in his teens, the Norwegian has shown astounding maturity. His displays inside Rugby Park have shown him to be an identikit for the ideal Rodgers defender; big, strong but easily able to pick up the ball from Gordon and circulate possession. Whether his relative inexperience will go against him remains to be seen.

This summer may also be the year where the services of Efe Ambrose are finally rendered obsolete. I’ll miss the player’s acrobatics and infectious smile, if not his footballing talent.

Celtic look in need of a top-quality defender with a few hundred games behind him to rest upon, a player with a wealth of talent and experience that he can dispense to the youthful backline. Someone to replicate the early season work carried out by Kolo Toure.  

One player for consideration is Chelsea’s outgoing captain, John Terry. While his name has been stained black by his countless misdemeanours, he is a player that should at least prompt consideration. When it comes to the art of defending, it is hard to find a player boasting a deeper reservoir of knowledge, outside of Italy at least. Jozo Šimunović, currently, is as robust and fearsome as they come, but a season under the wing of a man of Terry’s experience could turn him into something truly frightening.

If Celtic fans could look beyond the clearly odious man, and see only the guy’s on-field applications it could be a deal that bears fruit.  

Staying in the English market, I really like the look of Fulham’s Icelandic giant Ragnar Sigurdsson. The defender, who excelled during last summer’s Euros, has just one year on his current deal. And, after missing out on promotion may see his future elsewhere.

All of these proposed transfers have one foot in the realm of fantasy and this other name is no exception; Raul Albiol. The Napoli defender is drawing near the end of his contract with the Serie A outfit and confirmation of an extension is yet to be announced. At 31 he is theoretically at his peak, with an expanded knowledge of the game still allied to a level of mobility that is not yet reduced. With wages, likely, to be a stumbling block, I cannot see this as realistic, but if a voyage to the knock-out stages of the Champions League is to be attained then a defender of Albiol’s calibre is essential.

Look out for our midfield analysis tomorrow!

BEN DELANEY