Celtic gaffer Brendan Rodgers was left proud of his players after their deserved 2-0 triumph over St. Mirren on Sunday. It was a thorough victory that made it eight out of a possible nine wins in all competitions for The Bhoys.
Such a prodigious record has perhaps been overlooked of late, particularly given the injuries the manager has had to deal with. Reo Hatate has been missing for the vast majority of the season, but defence is where a lot of issues currently lie.
Alistair Johnston is dealing with a fracture in his face while Greg Taylor has missed the past few games with a groin strain. Cameron Carter-Vickers has also been out, the American leaving a gaping hole at the heart of the backline.
These absences have in no way benefitted Celtic, with manager Rodgers recently outlining how significant missing key personnel at the back has been: “It’s a massive factor”, he said (The Celtic Way).
“Especially when you had two centre-halves who played together for nearly two seasons.”
Carl Starfelt and Carter-Vickers conjured up a formidable partnership at the club. The pair never lost a league game when starting together.
Now, however, the likes of Liam Scales, Stephen Welsh, and Maik Nawrocki have come into the team and done a more than respectable job. Their recent contributions should be commended but the return of Carter-Vickers in a few weeks will be a noteworthy boost.
