1 January 2025

The chaos continues elsewhere in Glasgow, but for the Scottish champions CelticEverything looks rather rosy at the moment, after another dominant 4-0 win – this time over St Johnstone.

Just days after beating Motherwell by the same score, the Hoops were in no mood to extend their lead at the top to 14 points.

Goals from Nicholas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda, both from Kyogo Furuhashi's double, proved the difference for the eager home side at Parkhead, as this impressive win made everything sweeter amidst the action at Fir Park.

Rangers had tied 2-2 on Sunday afternoon Brendan RodgersThe team are in complete control of Thursday's Old Firm derby, though complacency must be avoided even with a significant margin at the top of the standings. Premier League table.

Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers celebrates after winning the League Cup

Ahead of this long-awaited clash, Rodgers had a real selection problem after a host of outstanding performances, with Arne Engels among those who should perhaps get the nod at Ibrox.

Arne Engels' match in numbers against St Johnstone

Celtic Sign the club register He has been rotated in and out of the starting line-up in recent weeks, having notably been forced to settle for a substitute berth in the League Cup final win over Rangers. However, as his assist to Cone in the Hampden thriller showed, the Belgian's creative influence is beginning to flourish in a Celtic shirt.

Indeed, after scoring against Will last time out, the former Club Brugge man was once again heavily involved in proceedings on Sunday, notably registering three key passes and completing 100% of his attempted dribbles from the midfield position. According to Sovascor.

This attacking style was particularly evident in the hosts' third goal of the match, as Engels sent a delightful cross into the path of Kyogo, who scored his second goal within minutes.

Arne-Engels-Celtic-Champions League

We must also say a word for Paulo Bernardo, as the Portugal Under-21 international – who scored a stunning assist for Maida – comfortably scored in place of Callum McGregor.

However, with the former Benfica player lasting the full 90 minutes, Ingles and Rio Hattat look set to deservedly earn the nomination alongside McGregor in midweek.

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Now be proud 13 goals and one assist In just 24 appearances for his new club so far, the £11million man has started to pay off a huge transfer fee. Nor is he the only summer signing to leave his mark…

The Celtic star who has to start the old company

Greg Taylor may have scored the winner in the final earlier this month, yet it was a largely sloppy display from the Scotland international, as he was notably responsible for Nadim Bajermi's goal after a slow pass across the pitch.

Now with only a few months left to run His current dealIt remains to be seen what the future holds for the 27-year-old, and perhaps it is time for Rodgers to put his faith in youngster Alex Vale over the long term.

The promising Spaniard may only be on loan for himself – while whispers have touted the Possible early return To parent club Barcelona – but at current form, the Glasgow giants must do everything they can to keep him for the foreseeable future.

Alex Vale Celtic Premier League

As for the short term, the 20-year-old may have forced his way into the starting line-up on Thursday amid an impressive display against the Saints, a point highlighted by his impressive goal tally. Six key passes From left-back – by far more than any player on either side.

Fresh from Register help After coming off the bench earlier this week, the young defender made the most of his call-up to the starting lineup, making 135 touches and registering a pass accuracy rate of 87%.

Key stats – Celtic v St Johnstone

metric

player

Most touches

Valley – 135

The most accurate passes

Scales – 111

Most key passes

Valley – 6

Most attempts are accidental

English – 10

The most successful evasions

Yang – 3

He won most of the duels

Franczak – 9

Lost possession

Ray – 32x

Statistics via Sofascore

Yes, the on-loan star has lost the ball on 20 occasions, but this seems to demonstrate his forward-thinking intent and desire to achieve things from a defensive berth, as it appears as if Celtic have a real gem on their hands.

However, the likelihood is that Taylor – who was an unused substitute at Celtic Park – will now be called up to Ibrox, although Vale, like Ingles, have certainly done enough to secure another place in the starting lineup.

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