Yet again in the Scottish Premiership, it looks to be Celtic’s title to lose following what has been another imperious start to the campaign, with Brendan Rodgers’ side still unbeaten in the top flight following Wednesday’s win over Aberdeen.
The Dons had been the only side to take points off the Old Firm giants this season, although, at the end of another hard-fought contest, it was the Hoops who claimed the victory at Pittodrie, thus widening their gap at the summit.
Reo Hatate’s late strike – which was beautifully teed up by substitute Greg Taylor – sealed a 1-0 win on the road for the Glasgow outfit, ensuring their lead now rests at seven points with a game in hand on their closest rivals.
Rangers, meanwhile, remain 11 points behind amid what has been a dismal domestic season for Philippe Clement and co.
Despite that healthy advantage, there is no room for complacency for the champions, with Rodgers likely to be somewhat concerned by the displays of a few key individuals, including young Alex Valle.
Alex Valle's game in numbers vs Aberdeen
There’s certainly been a lot to like about the Barcelona loanee since his arrival at Parkhead over the summer, with the 20-year-old full-back already chalking up four assists from just 12 appearances in all competitions.
The former Levante ace was particularly impressive off the bench during the 1-1 draw with Club Brugge a week ago, having teed up Daizen Maeda’s equaliser just minutes after entering the fray.
Now looking like being Celtic’s new loan superstar – in the mould of Jota – the aim will now be for the youngster to achieve consistency under Rodgers’ watch, having been taught something of a lesson on Wednesday night.
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Up against the lively Duk, Valle struggled to assert himself down the left flank, having notably been caught out early on by a lofted ball over the top which allowed his opposite number to get an attempt on goal.
In all, the promising Spaniard won just three of his 11 total duels and lost possession on 16 occasions from just 55 touches, having also failed to complete any of his five dribble attempts, as per Sofascore.
Having also picked up an undoubtedly soft yellow card just after the 30-minute mark, the defender was then replaced at the break, with the arrival of Taylor ultimately paying dividends due to his involvement in Hatate’s decisive effort.
A bad day at the office for Valle then, although he certainly wasn’t alone in failing to deliver for the visitors, with one first-team star having arguably been worse on the day…
Celtic's worst performer vs Aberdeen
The caveat to this is that Kyogo Furuhashi is not a striker who seeks to get involved in the build-up, offering a pure poaching presence, rather than that Harry Kane-like playmaking style.
Stat
Ange Postecoglou
Brendan Rodgers
Games
83
69
Starts
71
57
Goals
54
26
Assists
10
8
Yellow cards
6
2
Minutes per goal
100
177
Minutes played
5383
4589
That is all well and good, not least when the Japanese star is finding the back of the net – having scored 80 goals in 151 games for the club to date – yet when the goals aren’t forthcoming, it leaves little to fall back on. Valle may be a young kid learning his trade, yet Furuhashi is an experienced figure who should well be offering much more.
Indeed, the former Vissel Kobe man averages just 13.2 touches per game in the Premiership in 2024/25, having only registered 11 touches at Pittodrie, before being hooked just after the hour mark.
Having been rested for the weekend win over Ross County, the 29-year-old hardly made the most of that well-earned break amid his limp showing against the Dons, having also lost the ball on six occasions, while recording a pass accuracy rate of just 56%.
With the Hoops’ number eight also failing to win a single duel, while not even registering a single attempt on goal, it was a frankly anonymous display in attack, with the introduction of Adam Idah providing a far more effective focal point in the closing stages – as indicated below.
There is now perhaps a real decision to make over who should be Rodgers’ leading marksman moving forward, with Idah having scored eight times across all fronts this season, while Kyogo has just seven strikes to his name.
Equally, there may be a case to be made that the 6 foot 3 Idah represents a better fit for these battling away trips, emulating the role that Giorgos Giakoumakis often used to take on under Ange Postecoglou.
It is encouraging, at least, that Rodgers does have two quality options to choose from, with that depth of firepower set to be needed to maintain this rampant title charge.
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1 ByDan EmeryDec 5, 2024