Celtic supervisor Brendan Rodgers made a daring name to return to Parkhead for a second time within the dugout when he joined the membership in the summertime of 2023.
He changed Australian boss Ange Postecoglou, who left to hitch Premier League facet Tottenham Hotspur, and has loved a wonderful second spell in Glasgow to this point.
The Northern Irish boss gained the Scottish Premiership and SFA Cup final time period, beating Rangers 1-0 with a last-minute winner within the remaining, and have already gained the League Cup up to now this season.
Rodgers had left the membership in 2019, after an virtually three-year keep at Parkhead, and at present has two gamers who performed underneath him in his first spell, in Callum McGregor and James Forrest.
The previous Liverpool and Leicester Metropolis head coach managed some terrific Celtic stars between 2016 and 2019, and beforehand had a midfielder who was the proper complement to McGregor in the course of the park – Stuart Armstrong.
The type of midfielder Celtic want subsequent to Callum McGregor
McGregor has scored eight objectives within the Premiership up to now this season, however that’s an outlier in his profession as he has solely managed greater than seven league objectives one different time for the Hoops, scoring 9 within the 2019/20 marketing campaign.
Usually, the retired Scotland worldwide is deployed on the base of the midfield because the lone quantity six, with two central midfielders forward of him in a 4-3-3 system.
That is the perfect place for the left-footed metronome due to his passing capability – finishing 94% of his passes within the league this season – but in addition due to his lack of tempo and dynamism out and in of possession.
Celtic have to have midfielders round him who can run and canopy floor while additionally having the ability to affect matches on the high finish of the pitch, which is strictly why Armstrong was the proper quantity eight to play within the midfield three with him.
Stuart Armstrong’s Celtic profession | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Season | Appearances | Objectives | Assists |
17/18 | 27 | 4 | 4 |
16/17 | 31 | 15 | 7 |
15/16 | 25 | 4 | 7 |
14/15 | 15 | 1 | 4 |
Stats by way of Transfermarkt | |||
As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the Scottish midfielder supplied an honest menace as each a scorer and a creator of objectives from a central midfield place for the Hoops within the Premiership, while he racked up 28 objectives and 25 assists in all competitions.
Armstrong, whose performances earned him a £7m transfer to Premier League facet Southampton in 2018, performed 88 video games underneath the Northern Irish head coach and contributed with 22 objectives and 13 assists.
The best-footed dynamo supplied nice bodily attributes to go together with his technical abilities. Rodgers as soon as hailed his athleticism, saying: “Bodily he has every part: he’s quick, he’s sturdy, he’s highly effective.”
Armstrong was, due to this fact, an entire midfielder who completely complemented McGregor by offering vitality, tempo, energy, and attacking contributions from midfield, and Rodgers has unearthed his new model of the Scottish ace, however it isn’t Arne Engels.
Why Arne Engels will not be the brand new Stuart Armstrong
The Belgium worldwide, who joined from Augsburg final summer season for a club-record price of £11m, has been a standout in the course of the park together with his capability to contribute within the remaining third.
Engels has racked up ten objectives, with eight of these coming from the penalty spot, and registered 12 assists. Which means that he has solely managed two objectives from open play in his 43 appearances for the Hoops, suggesting that the Belgian ace doesn’t supply an enormous goalscoring menace away from the penalty spot.
The 21-year-old midfielder is nearer in profile to McGregor than he’s Armstrong, although, as he doesn’t present excellent energy or tempo in the course of the park, shedding 54% of his duels within the Premiership this season.
There’s, nonetheless, a midfielder within the Celtic squad who’s the brand new model of Armstrong for Rodgers, and it’s Portuguese maestro Paulo Bernardo.
Why Paulo Bernardo is the brand new Stuart Armstrong
The Scottish giants swooped to signal the 23-year-old expertise from Benfica on a everlasting deal for a reported price of £3.5m final summer season, after spending the 2023/24 marketing campaign on mortgage at Parkhead.
Bernardo, who has been out of motion for the reason that center of February with an ankle damage, has been unearthed as Rodgers’ subsequent Armstrong due to his comparable attributes in the course of the park.
The Portugal U21 worldwide was as soon as described as a “high-intensity” and “tenacious” participant by U23 scout Antonio Mango, which speaks to the vitality and energy that he can present in midfield. That’s backed up by the star’s 57% duel success fee within the Premiership this time period, as he has gained nearly all of his bodily battles.
This implies that Bernardo has the Armstrong-esque bodily attributes that Engels at present lacks, which helps the previous Benfica man to supply a defensive presence for the Hoops.
Paulo Bernardo (Premiership) | 23/24 | 24/25 |
|---|---|---|
Appearances | 22 | 22 |
Massive probabilities created | 4 | 5 |
Assists | 3 | 3 |
Move accuracy | 83% | 88% |
Tackles + interceptions per recreation | 1.4 | 2.1 |
Dribbled previous per recreation | 0.6x | 0.3x |
Floor duel success fee | 49% | 58% |
Aerial duel success fee | 42% | 54% |
Stats by way of Sofascore | ||
As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the £3.5m signing has improved from his first season on the membership and has been a dependable and inventive determine with the ball at his ft, as Armstrong was, while additionally being wonderful out of possession.
Goalscoring is an space for Bernardo to enhance on, with seven objectives in 69 matches for Celtic to this point, however he has already confirmed himself to be a fairly full central midfield possibility for Rodgers when match and obtainable.
As you’ll be able to see within the clip above, he does have the instincts to get himself into goalscoring positions and it’s right down to Rodgers to make sure that the staff is creating sufficient probabilities for him so as to add extra objectives to his recreation.
Bernardo has already been a terrific addition to the membership and emerged because the supervisor’s new model of Armstrong together with his play out and in of possession as a central midfielder, however the Portuguese whiz may take his recreation to the following degree by including a constant menace as a goalscorer within the months and seasons to come back.
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He leaves “every part on the pitch”.
