SATURDAY’S 6-1 thrashing of Hibernian was a much-needed shot in the arm for Celtic. Ever since the Champions League campaign kicked off with a 3-0 defeat at home to Real Madrid, it’s fair to say life hasn’t exactly been plain sailing for the Premiership champions.
Ange Postecoglou’s side have competed well against their continental opponents for good spells so far this term but only have a solitary point to show for their efforts, while the team hasn’t been at its swashbuckling best in recent weeks on the home front either. The loss away to St Mirren was followed by a 2-1 win over Motherwell at Parkhead where Celtic laboured to get over the line, and the last-gasp victory at McDiarmid Park the following week wouldn’t have exactly made for comfortable viewing for supporters.
Injuries to important players haven’t exactly helped. In particular, the loss of Callum McGregor, the seemingly ever-present midfield fulcrum, cannot be understated and the 29-year-old’s absence necessitates a change in tack from Postecoglou. Quite simply, no one else can do what the Scotland internationalist can and any attempt to directly replace him is an act of folly. But that doesn’t mean there are no other solutions.
The resounding win over Hibs was an emphatic return to form for Celtic, who looked to have rediscovered their attacking groove in a match where they were back to their creative best. And there was one player in particular who was at the heart of most of it.
When Aaron Mooy signed for Celtic back in July, it was always going to take a little time for the midfielder to get up to speed. The Australia internationalist hadn’t played club football in months and there was an understanding that he would require a little patience before fully gaining match fitness. On Saturday’s evidence, he has achieved just that.
This was only Mooy’s second league start of the season – he has primarily been getting cameo appearances off the bench in most fixtures – and it was the first time he played the entire 90 minutes of a Premiership match. Deployed on the right of Celtic’s three-man midfield and given license to get forward with Matt O’Riley occupying the No.6 position, Mooy seized his opportunity with gusto.
By the time all was said and done on Saturday afternoon, Mooy had touched the ball more times (74) and completed more passes (57) than any other player in his team, excluding the back four. He had fashioned three key passes – a ‘shot assist’, if you like – which was as high as any Celtic player (Liel Abada, Sead Haksabanovic and James Forrest also got three apiece and no member of the trio played the full 90 minutes, in fairness). The 31-year-old set up two goals and worked hard off the ball too, completing a team-high three tackles over the course of the contest.
This was only one game but it offered a glimpse of what Mooy can bring to this Celtic team. Composed on the ball in tight areas and blessed with excellent vision, the midfielder provided some balance in the middle of Postecoglou’s side. And with McGregor out for the foreseeable, it was most welcome.
There is no like-for-like replacement for the Celtic captain but in O’Riley, Postecoglou might just have the next best thing. The Denmark Under-21 internationalist possesses the quick thinking, dynamism and cool-headedness to slot in at the base of midfield in McGregor’s stead. For all his technical ability, Mooy is not a particularly quick player and recovery pace is a prerequisite for the No.6 role in this Celtic team.
It makes sense, then, to shift O’Riley back a little and free up the right-sided No.8 position. Doing so has made way for Mooy and although our sample size is very small – and therefore should be taken with a truckload or two of salt – the early indications are that the Australian can be a very effective presence here indeed.
All in all, Mooy has racked up 257 minutes in the Premiership so far this term – the blink of an eye in statistical terms, it must be stressed. However, his performances also provide cautious optimism that there is a solution to the McGregor conundrum.
In his handful of appearances thus far, Mooy has shown himself to be one of the most effective contributors to attacking play in the league. Relative to other Premiership central midfielders, Mooy finds himself in the 95th percentile for overall passing accuracy, in the 97th for deep progressions (successful passes into the final third) and the 99th for xGBuildUp (a metric that measures a player’s contribution in the quality and quantity of chances created by the team). By way of comparison, McGregor is in the 97th percentile in the first two categories, and the 99th in the third.
This is the problem caused by the Celtic skipper’s absence. Postecoglou has to find a way of maintaining the creative output of the No.6 and No.8 roles when his team are on the ball and off of it, the holding midfielder needs to be quick enough to snuff out opposition counter-attacks while the more offensive player tries to win the ball back higher up the park.
With O’Riley sitting deeper, the No.6’s conditions are met, both offensively and defensively. Like McGregor and Mooy, he is in the top percentile for xGBuildUp when compared to other midfielders in the league (although we should expect this to dip now he is in a deeper role) and he has enough physicality to fulfil his off-the-ball duties, too. There might have been a worry that O’Riley’s defensive work in the No.8 role is difficult to replicate – after all, the 21-year-old is in the 93rd percentile in tackles completed per 90 minutes when adjusted for possession – but these concerns would appear to be unfounded.
Mooy’s work at winning the ball back against Hibs was no flash in the pan. Granted, he has often found himself entering the fray as a substitute, when he is feeling fresh and competing against tiring opposition, so some degree of mitigation is required when examining his overall contribution since signing for Celtic. However, there is no getting away from the fact that the tiny sample size we have to go on is impressive. When adjusted for possession, Anthony Ralston is the only player with at least 100 minutes under their belt this season who wins more tackles per 90 minutes than the midfielder in the entire division.
The injury sustained by McGregor has forced a rethink from Postecoglou but there is good reason for Celtic fans to be optimistic that a solution to the problem has been found. He is impossible to replace directly but by tinkering with his team-sheet, it looks as though the Greek-Australian has found the answer.
