What every week it has been for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic, with the Previous Agency giants marching on each domestically and in Europe with two assertion victories.
On Saturday night, the Hoops put their closest title rivals to the sword following a thumping 6-0 win over Aberdeen within the League Cup, previous to then seeing off the second-best workforce in Germany, RB Leipzig, with a 3-1 triumph within the Champions League.
A lot focus will undoubtedly be on the attacking prowess of the Glasgow facet amid that nine-goal haul throughout the previous few days, though reward should even be centred on the membership’s new-found defensive resilience, having conceded simply as soon as in that point.
The emergence of summer time signing Auston Trusty – who was “phenomenal” in opposition to the Bundesliga facet, according to Chris Sutton – has definitely helped issues, though his compatriot Cameron Carter-Vickers stays the important thing asset on the coronary heart of the defence, with 26-year-old additionally opening the scoring at Hampden Park on the weekend.
|
Trusty & Carter-Vickers vs Leipzig |
||
|---|---|---|
|
Stat |
Trusty |
Carter-Vickers |
|
Minutes performed |
90 |
74 |
|
Touches |
111 |
88 |
|
Move accuracy |
97% |
98% |
|
Floor duels received |
5/5 |
3/4 |
|
Aerial duels received |
1/3 |
2/3 |
|
Possession misplaced |
3x |
3x |
|
Lengthy balls accomplished |
0/1 |
3/3 |
|
Clearances |
4 |
2 |
|
Tackles |
3 |
2 |
|
Blocks |
1 |
1 |
It has been mentioned repeatedly, however Carter-Vickers is the “best centre-half” that the Parkhead facet have had “since [Virgil] van Dijk” – as famous by former Northern Eire worldwide, Ryan McLaughlin – with many a centre-back having been unable to fairly attain the Dutchman’s ranges within the years earlier than that.
Celtic’s candidates to interchange Van Dijk
In reality, not a lot must be mentioned of Van Dijk’s impression in Scotland throughout his two-year spell at Celtic Park, with former boss Neil Lennon placing it finest when he mentioned that the previous Groningen man merely “had everything“.
Following his inevitable departure to Southampton in the summertime of 2015 – previous to later becoming a member of present facet, Liverpool – the Hoops sought to try to fill that void, albeit with blended success.
As Van Dijk departed, in got here the likes of Dedryck Boyata and Jozo Simunovic, whereas subsequent years additionally noticed a blended bag of additives within the type of Kristoffer Ajer, Kolo Toure and Marvin Compper, amongst others.
Maybe one of many closest to emulating Van Dijk may nicely have been Christopher Jullien – who Lennon mentioned had “similar attributes” to the Netherlands star – albeit with harm in the end wrecking any hopes of a constant run within the facet for the towering Frenchman.
Previous to Jullien’s arrival, nevertheless, there had been a brief interval wherein an on-loan expertise had seemed like with the ability to fill Van Dijk’s sneakers in Glasgow, with a sure Filip Benkovic having made a short, however lasting impression on the Hoops.
Celtic’s subsequent Van Dijk is now struggling
Signed on a season-long mortgage deal from Leicester Metropolis again in 2018, the Croatian large definitely made his presence felt in that solitary marketing campaign in Scottish soccer, even regardless of making simply 27 appearances in all competitions.
As The Athletic’s Kieran Devlin famous when discussing the membership’s finest mortgage signings since 2000, Benkovic is certainly worthy of a nod, having been ‘massively spectacular’ previous to sustaining an harm late on within the 2018/19 marketing campaign, marking himself out as a ‘full trendy centre-back’.
Unsurprisingly, that early impression caught the eye of followers and pundits alike, with former Hoops hero Frank McAvennie amongst these to dish out a glowing verdict relating to the Zagreb native, whereas additionally likening him to that man Van Dijk:
“Benkovic has are available and, boy, what an awesome participant. He’s going to go all the best way to the very prime. He will likely be similar to Virgil van Dijk and that’s the kind of gamers Celtic ought to be getting.
“I do know Benkovic is on mortgage, however I might love for us to purchase him. If you happen to had been to spend £15million on the boy now, you’ll get a minimal of £25million and in addition just a few years out of him, plus an add-on when he strikes on once more.”
Sadly for the 6 foot 4 titan, such reward now seems a distant reminiscence, having suffered a tragic profession nosedive since shining on the age of simply 21 in Scottish soccer.
Having returned to guardian membership Leicester in 2019 – then beneath the care of Rodgers – Benkovic in the end went on to make simply two senior appearances for the Foxes, after enduring quite a few stints out on mortgage over the following few years on the likes of Bristol Metropolis, Cardiff Metropolis and OH Leuven.
These three momentary spells yielded simply 11 games in total, nevertheless, with the struggling centre-back – who had been linked with a return to Celtic in January 2021 – in the end leaving the King Energy Stadium on a free in 2022, after beforehand costing the club £13m.
A transfer to Udinese subsequently adopted, but after time on mortgage in Germany and Turkey, the 27-year-old was launched by the Serie A facet this summer time, leaving him without a club when he ought to have been getting into his prime.
Where Are They Now
Your star participant or greatest flop has left the membership however what are they doing within the current day? This text is a part of Soccer FanCast’s The place Are They Now collection.
For a participant who as soon as promised a lot each at Dinamo Zagreb after which at Celtic, it’s an unlucky flip of occasions, with it but to be seen whether or not he’ll have the ability to revive his floundering profession within the close to future.
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