Injuries are all part of the realities of managing a football club.
I rely on the club through official pressers and site write-ups for injury information. Clubs are not always open and transparent about such things.
So, health warning regarding injury data!
This season has not been particularly onerous thus far.
Celtic, on average, are missing just under four players per match. Slightly up on last season but nowhere near the 2018-19 peak under Brendan Rodgers of 6.63.
On average, each squad member (39 players have been named in match day squads), has missed 3.51 matches.
The longest total absences are Liel Abada 22 matches; Reo Hatate 21; Cameron Carter-Vickers 16; and Stephen Welsh 14 out of 35 fixtures.
The absences are felt more keenly when the team is not performing well. Also, the compounding nature of injury to key players such as Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston at the same time weakens what was one of the strongest parts of the team.
Kyogo Furuhashi has appeared in all 35 matches, whilst Joe Hart, Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley have all missed just one match. Liam Scales has 32 appearances and Greg Taylor is the other to reach 30.
Care will be needed with McGregor and O’Riley in particular. The Dane has completed 90 minutes in 18 matches in a row. McGregor is one match and nine minutes shy of matching that record.
Risk layered upon risk.
Injuries are not an excuse this season so far, but reliance on a dwindling group of key individuals is.
Great insight and analysis.
Really enjoy this type of information.
You should be getting payed for info you extract from data, if only Celtic were in enlightened enough to care.
If only we had 10’s of millions in the bank and a 4-5 week window in the recent past in which we could have signed some quality players to bolster the starting XI and relieve some of the burden on MOR & CalMac.
If only….
Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston (and Reo Hatate?) came into the season injured and have never had a prolonged injury free and back to top performing run this one.
In fact, I think, it was after CCV got injured after the Scottish Cup Semi-Final last season that he was absent and our form tanked.
There’s talk of him being back for Motherwell but I hope its not another false dawn and I’d rather he was out for longer and only come back when he’s fully fit.
That might mean us losing more ground but this stop/start nature isn’t good long term and (hopeless optimism alert) it highlights that the quality strength in depth isn’t there and needs to be added.