Celtic closed the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership on a crucial Sunday.
The Hoops beat Kilmarnock 4-0 at Parkhead, with Johnny Kenny breaking the deadlock and Kieran Tierney adding a second goal just after half-time before Daen Maeda and Arne Engels from the penalty spot added a bit of sparkle to the scoreline late on.
Hearts were held to a 1-1 draw with Dundee United at Tynecastle, while the Hoops went into the international break just seven points adrift of the leaders with a game in hand.
Since returning to the Parkhead dugout for the first time in 20 years, Martin O’Neill has gone on a 4-0 winning streak in the Premiership, eliminating Rangers in the League Cup semi-final at Hampden. The less said about Thursday’s Europa League game against Midtjylland, the better!
This victory taught the 73-year-old that no matter how long he remains interim manager, he can rely on one Celtic player in particular.
Will O’Neill remain at Celtic after the break?
After Sunday’s win, O’Neill admitted he “really doesn’t know” whether he will be in charge again in the next game, adding that it would be “absolutely no problem for me” if the board appointed a permanent manager during the international break.
When Celtic return to action later this month, they will travel to St Mirren and then Rotterdam for a repeat of the 1970 European Cup final against Feyenoord, but who will be in charge of those games?
Now, is that Wilfried Nancy?
He is currently the favorite to win the job, reportedly one of the club’s top targets alongside Kieran McKenna, and could be a little closer to a move to Glasgow this weekend after Nancy’s Columbus Crew were eliminated in the MLS play-offs by rivals FC Cincinnati on Saturday. This means their season is over, and any pick could be expedited if he’s someone they really want.
Regardless of who sits in Paisley’s away dugout over the next two weeks, it will be hard not to be impressed by the performances of one Celtic player in particular this weekend.
Celtic star enjoys best day of season against Kilmarnock
The Celtic medical staff may have to paraphrase Police Chief Brody from Jaws. “We need a bigger treatment room!”
The Hoops are already without Cameron Carter-Vickers, Alistair Johnston, Jota and Kelechi Hernach, with Hampden hero Callum Osmund suffering a long-term injury at Herning on Thursday and Marcelo Saracchi being stretchered off in the first half against Kilmarnock.
This obviously isn’t ideal, but of course it’s an opportunity for others, and compatriot Auston Trusty has really impressed in the absence of Carter-Vickers.
The American centre-back put in an impressive performance in last weekend’s semi-final victory over Rangers, but could have attracted even more attention this Sunday with statistics to back up this claim.
Trustee stats vs Kilmarnock | ||
|---|---|---|
statistics | trustee | match rank |
exact path | 98 | 1st place |
Pass accuracy% | 96% | 3rd place |
accurate long ball | 9 | second |
dribbling success rate | 100% | 1st place |
defensive action | 9 | 5th place |
clearance | 7 | 3rd place |
intercept | 1 | 6th place |
won a duel | 9 | 1st place |
won an aerial battle | 6 | 1st place |
touch | 117 | 1st place |
SofaScore rating | 8.4 | 3rd place |
Statistics by SofaScore | ||
As noted in the table, the centre-half displayed an incredible defense on Sunday, ranking first in duels as well as accurate passing and touch.
On the other hand, if we consider only Celtic players, no player has racked up more defensive actions, clearances and interceptions.
The Glasgow World noted that he had “inherited a wealth of form” and noted that the 27-year-old appeared to be the perfect man to fill the sizeable Carter-Vickers-type hole at the back.
The defender, who was named Man of the Match, was described as “very great” and was also described as “composed, dominant and aggressive” since Carter-Vickers suffered a long-term Achilles injury against Sturm Graz.
In recognition of his performance, Trusty was recalled to the U.S. national team for friendlies against Paraguay in Pennsylvania and Uruguay in Florida next week.
Trusty hasn’t played a single minute for the USMNT since last November, but that could very well change as Mauricio Pochettino continues to experiment leading up to the World Cup.
Returning to club level, Celtic will need Trusty to stay fit, available and fit. Because frankly they have no other choice and he is staking his right to remain an important figure even if a new manager is appointed in the next two weeks. This was without a doubt the best day of his campaign so far.
