CELTIC ensured it was six points from six from their opening two Scottish Premiership games on Saturday as they edged past Ross County in Dingwall.
It was far from plain sailing for Ange Postecoglou’s side, but the victory was the most important outcome, with Rangers also taking full points from their first two fixtures.
Kyogo Furuhashi opened the scoring before Alex Iacovitti equalised for Ross County at the hour mark. The game looked to be petering out to a draw before new signing Moritz Jenz and Liel Abada struck late to grab the win.
Here are five things Herald and Times noticed from the Highlands showdown that will have Celtic fans thinking.
IMPRESSIVE DEBUT
Mortiz Jenz was in from the start at centre back for Celtic with Stephen Welsh out with an illness and overall, it was an impressive competitive debut from the former Lorient man. He looked comfortable in possession and his passing was crisp and more often than not accurate. In all honestly, the German was not overly tested defensively and he will have bigger battles later in his Parkhead career. The early signs are positive though, and Postecoglou will be happy to get 90 minutes under Jenz’s belt. Welsh has started the season well alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers, and now Jenz will have given his manager something to think about. With Christopher Jullien not involved, or on the bench, it looks as though his time is up at Celtic. He will likely be shipped out before the transfer window closes. Celtic also have Carl Starfelt to come back into contention following his injury.
WE DON’T STOP
“We don’t stop” appears to be the motto for the Ange Postecoglou era at Celtic and that summed up their performance on Saturday. The first half saw the Premiership champions with plenty of the ball, but they failed to take their chances. Ross County deserve credit for their defending in the first period, but Celtic needed to offer more. The half-time message from Postecoglou appeared to spark his team into life and Kyogo struck shortly after the break. It was a well-worked team goal, and showed when the attacking players click, Celtic are simply unstoppable. The third goal finish via Liel Abada was also a beauty and the build-up was equally impressive.
JOTA AND CCV THE BEST BUSINESS OF THE WINDOW
Jota slammed home a stunning finish on the opening day against Aberdeen, yet he was still hit with criticism from his manager for his display. Postecoglou claimed the Portuguese winger’s level dropped throughout the match as he challenged his players to deliver more. Jota must have been listening to his manager as he was easily Celtic’s best player in Dingwall. His direct running and link-up play with his attacking teammates proved to be the difference in the match and his manager will be delighted. Cameron Carter-Vickers also deserves praise for his performance. Like last week, he was solid defensively, accurate in his passing and also stepped forward into the attack on numerous occasions. Carter-Vickers’ communication qualities should also not be underestimated. Whoever his defensive partner is, he appears to talk them through the game. Celtic have added further quality to their squad this summer, but the permanent signatures of Jota and Carter-Vickers are easily the best pieces of business the club has made this summer.
CELTIC NOW HAVE OPTIONS
It really has been an impressive transfer window for Celtic and they now have options should Postecoglou want to change his team up. Abada was introduced at the interval in the Highlands and he provided a spark when he replaced Daizen Maeda. It wasn’t Maeda’s best half of football and he was rightly switched out. Giorgos Giakoumakis and Aaron Mooy were also introduced and gave Celtic a different option both in attack and midfield. Changes do not weaken Celtic at the minute and this will only drive players on to improve and secure their starting berth. An exciting squad and exciting season ahead for the Hoops.
SET PIECE ISSUES
Celtic struggled defending set pieces last season and the same issues cropped up again against Ross County. Alex Iacovitti equalised for the home side on the hour mark and it was a slack goal to concede from a Celtic point of view. Kyogo could have done better to take up a spot on the near post after the ball had been floated over his head and into the box, while Jenz probably should have challenged Iacovitti more with a headed clearance. Celtic looked static in their defending and that will concern Postecoglou. At the end of the day the goal never counted for much, but the Aussie will want to ensure his team are tight from corners and free-kicks to not give away any slack goals. It will be an issue the team are working on in training.
