Postecoglou x Rodgers Combined XI: Who makes the cut?

A lot has been made of the healthy position that Celtic is in at the moment. This has helped provide Brendan Rodgers with a seamless transition as he has a ready-made squad at his disposal to play the aggressive and attacking style of football that the said he wants to play. This can be attributed to the hard work done on the field and behind the scenes to put together the cohesive unit that Celtic is today rather than the collective of individuals that he inherited the first time around.

Brendan Rodgers is used to walking into teams in need of a rebuild and a revamp so this is a very different scenario to what he is used to. However, the team is ready to push on to success.

This Celtic side is also completely different to the team that Rodgers left in the first place, but how does this Celtic team compare to the side that Rodgers led to treble after treble.

Here is my combined 11.

GK – Craig Gordon

Despite some of his deficiencies with playing out from the back, Craig Gordon was a goalkeeper that saved Celtic time and time again. In a big game of the highest stakes, especially domestically, Gordon stepped up and would provide an extraordinary save that could help swing the momentum of a game back in Celtic’s favour and was instrumental to Celtic’s success under Rodgers.

RB – Josip Juranovic

For years Celtic had been desperately trying and failing to sign a right-back to replace Mikael Lustig. This search could even go as far back as to when Lustig was still at the club as he was clearly past his best which was exposed in Europe especially. Up stepped Josip Juranovic and the Croatian shone for Celtic domestically and in the Europa League. Admittedly not as good as he could have been in his final 6 months at the club, his role in re-establishing Celtic back at the top of Scottish football cannot be understated.

CB – Cameron Carter-Vickers

Cameron Carter-Vickers has been an absolute colossus in the heart of the Celtic defence, a behemoth. Sharing a similar aura to that of Virgil van Dijk during his time in Glasgow has led to inevitable comparisons between the two, with many arguing that the American is better. Impressing first in his loan spell at the club, he has formed a formidable partnership with Carl Starfelt and the American has proved time and time again that when he is in the squad, he makes everyone around him that much better.

CB – Dedryck Boyata

Dedryck Boyata was a player who was seen as hit or miss by Celtic fans. Sometimes very solid, sometimes an absolute bomb scare. However, in this combined 11, being partnered alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers would calm the nerves and weed out the mistakes in the Belgian’s game, much like Carter-Vickers has done for Carl Starfelt.

LB – Kieran Tierney

As much as Greg Taylor has come on leaps and bounds under Ange Postecoglou, this one was a no-brainer. Celtic’s record sale was arguably at the top of his game when the stakes were at their highest, particularly thriving in European games. Standout performances against the likes of Manchester City and RB Leipzig made him a fan-favourite and a top-quality Premier League player who could even be in line for a £50 million move this summer.

CM – Scott Brown

A lot of the talk surrounding Brendan Rodgers’ arrival relates to which players’ development he could help impact. Whenever that is mentioned, chances are that there will be a reference to how Rodgers revolutionised the career of Scott Brown, adding a few more years onto his shelf life and some more trophies into his trophy cabinet. Changing Brown’s role in the team to suit his strengths and limit his deficiencies was a masterstroke from Rodgers as he restored Scott Brown to his best ability and arguably made him a smarter and more intelligent player as well.

CM – Callum McGregor

Callum McGregor has the benefit of featuring in both sides. However, McGregor was also one of the key players in both sides as well, deputising in different roles. I would argue that McGregor was at his best playing under Postecoglou providing the link between the defence and the attack and he arguably played a more important role in that system as well. Taking on the captain’s berth from Scott Brown, there would have been a lot of pressure on Callum McGregor to succeed and he passed that test with flying colours. Always setting the standards and consistently pulling the team out of the fire when their backs were against the wall, Callum McGregor is a Celtic legend and still has more success to come his way.

CM – Reo Hatate

Reo Hatate has taken Celtic fans by surprise as not many expected him to come in and show off the qualities that he possesses to such a high level. One of the few players who stood up and made themselves accounted for in the Champions League last season, Hatate has also played to a consistently high level domestically as well. His double in a 3-1 win over Rangers on a cold February night back in 2021 is a moment that will live long in the memory of Celtic fans and his dribbling and technical ability will serve the 25-year-old well in what looks like a surefire trajectory to one of Europe’s top clubs.

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