The international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Celtic, the Scottish champions in need of a reset after three successive defeats in all competitions.
There had been uncertainty over Martin O’Neill‘s future heading into this halt to proceedings, yet the hope will be that the 74-year-old has used this time to reassess and plot a way to revive Celtic’s fortunes on the field.
The key area for the veteran coach to address still feels like central midfield, the Bhoys yet to strike the right balance in the wake of Arne Engels’ £22m departure for West Ham United.
At the heart of the issue is long-serving skipper, Callum McGregor, with questions now being asked as to whether the experienced Scot should be taken out of the firing line.
How McGregor’s form has dropped off compared to last season
Celtic were given an insight into what the midfield would look like without Engels in it earlier this year, the Belgian absent between February and April through injury.
Unsurprisingly, O’Neill and co couldn’t settle on a first-choice partner for that man McGregor, flitting between the likes of Reo Hatate and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain with mixed success.
Frustratingly, no lessons have been learned from that period, with the Glasgow giants allowing Engels to leave without signing a direct replacement, even if the board does view Oliver Sorensen as an option for that role.
With Benjamin Nygren still seemingly undroppable in that number ten berth, the lack of athleticism and mobility in the centre of the park has been stark, a fact only highlighted by McGregor’s declining form.
Time and again, the captain has been caught out in his deep-lying role, already dribbled past 1.2 times per game on average in the Premiership this season, a real decline from his 0.5 average last term.
|
McGregor – 25/26 vs 26/27 |
||
|---|---|---|
|
25/26 |
Stat (*per game) |
26/27 |
|
37 |
Games |
6 |
|
2 |
Goals |
0 |
|
3 |
Assists |
0 |
|
6 |
Big chances created |
0 |
|
0.9 |
Key passes* |
0.5 |
|
93% |
Pass accuracy* |
91% |
|
2.4 |
Tackles & Interceptions* |
4.2 |
|
6.0 |
Recoveries* |
4.8 |
|
0.5 |
Dribbled past* |
1.2 |
|
2.8 |
Total duels won* |
4.3 |
It is still early days, of course, but McGregor still hasn’t registered a single goal or assist, while failing to create a single ‘big chance’, having been strangely ineffective in the final third.
He still has just over 18 months left on his Parkhead deal, yet having changed agents over the summer, there will likely again be talk regarding his long-term future heading into 2027.
If the genius midfielder is to depart any time soon, thankfully Celtic already have the perfect replacement.
Celtic already have McGregor’s replacement at Parkhead
It’s a long time since the Bhoys have had a proper powerhouse, Victor Wanyama-esque figure in the midfield unit, while the same is also true in terms of genuine alternatives or understudies to McGregor.
The skipper has been rather irreplaceable, a true everpresent for so long now, yet the lack of a succession plan has come back to bite, it must be said.
The reliance on him was evident last term as he still featured for 80 minutes against lower-league outfit, Auchinleck Talbot, O’Neill unwilling to take the risk of seeing what this team might look like without him.
And yet, the dynamic has been altered somewhat this summer amid the arrival of Mika Baur, the diminutive German seemingly a prime candidate to take on that deep-lying role in front of the back four.
While comparisons have rightly been made to Reo Hatate, Baur feels a little unsuited to his number eight berth at present, the combination between him and McGregor not exactly a fruitful one thus far.
As such, giving the 22-year-old the nod in the pivot instead could well be a wise bet, the youngster the type of technical talent who really can control a game, even if not the all-action, Engels-style midfielder that supporters have been craving.
Ever since his deft flick on debut against Dundee United, Baur has caught the eye in green and white, only recently earning a call-up to Germany’s bumper squad for this round of Nations League fixtures.
He was subsequently hailed as a “wonderful” talent by national team boss, Jurgen Klopp, fine praise for a player who was operating in Germany’s second tier with Paderborn last season.
Scott Brown also appears to be an admirer too, the ex-Celtic hero dishing out the plaudits for Baur after he scored the only goal in the 1-0 win away in Perth.
“They caused a lot more problems and I thought Mika Baur was really good today.
“I thought that was probably his best game in a Celtic jersey. And for him to get a goal as well, that will give him a proper little bit of positivity going forward now.”
What is so eye-catching about the £6.8m man is his knack for making those probing, incisive passes, having averaged 1.8 key passes per game in the Premiership so far, while creating three ‘big chances’.
Dribbled past just 0.2 times per game, he’s not a liability in that sense either, hence why the new man could take on McGregor’s mantle both in the short-term and the long-term.
Of course, McGregor’s status and standing would suggest that if a change is to be made in midfield, then the Scot is likely to take priority, but perhaps now is the time for Celtic to finally see what they can do without the skipper pulling the strings.
