Celtic had a terrific season last year, winning the domestic double which included the league; a brilliant achievement from the squad that was thrown together in the space of a couple of months.
There were many standouts, with the likes of Kyogo, Jota, CalMac, Juranovic, Carter-Vickers and Joe Hart all starring throughout the season. But Celtic also had a few underappreciated stars, who were pivotal to Celtic’s title triumph.
There were many players who contributed to Celtic winning the league last season, but here are the unsung heroes from Postecoglou’s debut season.
Turnbull
Turnbull was a great player for Celtic at the start of the season, carrying the squad through some hard times.
He directly contributed to ten league goals before he pulled up injured at Hampden in the League Cup final. It was heartbreaking for the midfielder who spent the next few months on the sidelines unable to contribute further to Celtic’s title push. When he returned from injury, he still had some fitness problems and was unable to break back into the first team.
Nevertheless, his goals and assists up until December were pivotal and definitely won Celtic a few extra points.
Taylor
The left-back had a tough start to the season, sidelined for a couple of months with a shoulder injury. He had to sit in the stands and watch Celtic push through a tough time on the pitch.
Fans had their minds made up about Greg Taylor, he was deemed not good enough and his absence hadn’t impacted the squad too much.
However, since his return from injury, he’s starred almost weekly. The workhorse ran up and down the left side of the pitch and took his new inverted role in his stride. He ranked up a four assists too.
He’s proven the doubters wrong as we head into the summer window.
Montgomery
Fans were excited to see the young talent emerge after he signed a long-term deal with the club.
He wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but similar to Greg Taylor, he didn’t stop. He stepped in when the squad needed him.
Going through a challenging time at the start of the season, with Taylor injured and Scales out of the picture, Postecoglou turned to the 19-year-old.
He bombed up and down the left wing, running at the opposing players and standing his ground.
His composure at Aberdeen to set up Jota’s late winner, which broke Celtic’s winless streak and spurred Celtic on to lift the title, stands out for me.
He’s certainly not Celtic first-team quality yet, but he showed no fear filling in the left-back role.
While on loan at Aberdeen, he was unfortunately injured and he couldn’t finish his season with regular minutes. It’ll be interesting what Ange Postecoglou decides to do with the player this summer, will he remain at the club or will he be loaned out to gain more experience?
