Celtic currently have a full line up (11 players) out injured with Tierney withdrawing from international duty. Bad luck or a growing trend? The current injury list would be a decent (albeit a bit defensive) staring XI: Gordon Gamboa Tierney Simunovic Ajer Brown Ntcham Kouassi Bitton Arzani Griffiths Having all your recognised defensive midfielders out … [continue reading]
Team Performance
Why Packing Matters
Packing measures teams and players ability to take out opponents with forward passes and dribbles. And it looks as if the more you can do this, the more likely you are to win. The Packing concept is explained in more detail on this article Concerning Packing and in the Glossary. Bypassing players through passing and … [continue reading]
5 Star Celtic
Celtic have scored 23 goals in their last 5 domestic matches (4.6 goals per game). That has only happened ten other times since 1945. But it isn’t the best run of Scottish goal scoring. With thanks to the imperious Celtic Wiki we can place this achievement in context. October & November 2003 – 24 goals … [continue reading]
Corner Count
Saturday 20th October marked the 9-month anniversary (a whole football season in elapsed time) since Celtic last scored a goal direct from a corner kick pass. I know this is a bad stat as it includes the summer but I am feeding one of the great preconceptions here! Since Boyata overshadowed the might of the … [continue reading]
Ringing The Changes
6 personnel changes at Kilmarnock and another disappointing display. Rodger’s stated on Tuesday that changes may not be helping team stability. Is he right? Making changes when playing over 60 matches in 4 (or 5!) competitions when competing continuously from July to May surely makes sense. Players need to recharge and get over niggles. Changes … [continue reading]
Delivery Failure
There can be no denying Celtic’s current form is poor compared to previous trophy-laden seasons. I will look at a range of key performance indicators to see where it might be going wrong. I have plotted each metric per game back to the start of last season (2017/18). I did not include the 2016/17 season … [continue reading]
The 300
Griffith’s dramatic winner against BK Rosenborg, the first winner Celtic have scored past the 80th minute since Rogic’s glorious treble winner against Aberdeen at Hampden, was also Rodger’s 300th goal as Celtic manager. It’s a numbers landmark. It’s a numbers site. What to do? Landmark Goals From the first to the 300th, here are the … [continue reading]
Are Celtic Refereed Differently In Scotland?
The recent Glasgow Derby was a perfect example of how twisted narratives become within the context of this fixture. All the post-game agenda setting by press and The Rangers alike was of injustice at the result because of the referee. Specifically, an alleged foul on Jack in the lead up to the winning goal. As … [continue reading]
Celtic Due Shot Conversion Uplift
Using shot data to compare and contrast Celtic and The Rangers seasons’ so far and what it might mean for the upcoming Glasgow Derby. Firstly, shot data for The Rangers has been gleaned from the UEFA statistics and the BBC site. Celtic data is all my own. Result Success Both clubs have made it to … [continue reading]
Unlucky or Inaccurate?
How did Celtic’s attacking effectiveness compare between the 17/18 and 18/19 Champions League Qualifying campaigns? Celtic played six matches in both seasons which is a very small sample so bear that in mind. Possession Celtic appeared to have less overall control compared to last season whilst continuing to dominate possession. They averaged 81 less passes … [continue reading]