With the Scottish Cup Final looming, a look at the key defensive metrics to help assess who should be selected for the Treble Treble bid. Advanced Defensive Metrics The chart maps Defensive Action Success Rate % and Possessions Won from defensive actions %. Detailed explanations are available in the Glossary. The best central defensive pairing … [continue reading]
Defending
Celtic Player Of The Year: Defending
The official Celtic Player of the Year award is next week. Here are key defensive performances from the season so far. Defensive Action As I have mentioned before, I have a composite defensive metric called Defensive Action Success Rate which is fully defined in the Glossary. Secondly, over all defensive actions (not passing) I consider … [continue reading]
Defensive 3rd Possession
Losing the ball in your own defensive 3rd often spells trouble. Which players are prone to this and who are those that maintain possession defensively? For this analysis I have looked at defenders and central midfielders (this season Brown, Christie, Ntcham and McGregor). I’ve included players who’ve played over 450 minutes as this allowed me … [continue reading]
Defensive Checkpoint
Combining Defensive Effectiveness measures is very useful for assessing the defensive strengths of various areas of the squad. The below is a plotting of Defensive Action Success Rate % and Possession Win %. Neither include passing. Full definitions are available in the Glossary. As at the Winter break, here is how they are doing. I … [continue reading]
Ajer Appreciation
Ajer returned to the side after a bad facial injury and was pitched into right back against the hugely talented FC Salzburg. Part of the makeshift arrangement against Hibernian, he returned to the bench versus Motherwell. Seemingly a target for the critics, the 20-year-old continues to learn new defensive positions in amongst the constantly shifting … [continue reading]
The Benkovic Bind
Having nearly completed 900 minutes, it’s time to evaluate Benkovic. In the 11 games he has made appearances, only Hibernian (2) and Leipzig (1) have scored. His partnership with Boyata looks solid. As well as a huge physical presence, Benkovic exudes calmness that belies his tender years. In possession he is secure and averages 71.14 … [continue reading]
Hardcore Defenders
An assessment of the squad’s defensive performances so far this season. Overall defensive performance is measured using Defensive Action Success Rate (DASR%). Comparing possession won and lost through defensive actions gives us Possession Win %. A fuller explanation is provided in the Glossary. As you can see the defensive performance tends to group the squad … [continue reading]
The Boyata Bounce
The end of the first International break is a good time to check point where we are as regards key defensive performance indicators. The chart below maps Defensive Action Success Rate (DASR%) against Possession Won / Lost per 90 m. A reminder: DASR is an aggregate of core defensive actions such as tackles, aerial challenges … [continue reading]
The Problem Position Revisited
It has been the most problematic period of the Rodger’s regime over the last two weeks. At such times all perceived woes get an airing. Are the underlying performance problems at Celtic all that complex to understand? If we look at the issues surrounding the Celtic playing squad there are many. But I posit most … [continue reading]
Has Simunovic Improved?
Simunovic signed in September 2015 aged 21 for a fee reputed to be between £2.5m and £3.5m. He signed a four-year contract in 2017 to keep him at Celtic until 2021. With suspension against Rosenborg, and Boyata still working his way back to fitness post World Cup, the centre back positions as are once again … [continue reading]