Callum McGregor’s form in the early stages of this current season have been placed under the microscope, and for good reason. His performances weren’t up to the usual high standards we have come to expect of the Celtic captain, but there were never any calls at ACSOM for McGregor to be dropped.
Those drastic calls always seemed far-fetched and that is because the 30-year-old’s qualities have been well established over a lengthy period of time. As one of the most successful players in the club’s history, and usually the epitome of consistency, McGregor is exactly the type of player who can play himself back into form, and he did just that as he raised his game back to his brilliant best on Sunday.
It was almost as if a switch had been flipped and, in the blink of an eye, the McGregor we all know was back. But why was McGregor so good on Sunday, and how important is having the captain back in form for Celtic heading into the international break?
Space to implement his game
One thing that caught many fans by surprise was just how much space Callum McGregor was afforded by the Rangers midfield. The Scottish international’s early season struggles were mostly caused by how the opposition’s midfield were set up.
When Kilmarnock knocked Celtic out of the Viaplay Cup in the second round two weeks ago, the midfield heavily pressed, hurried and man-marked McGregor out of the game. Whenever McGregor was on the ball there were plenty of error-strewn passes. However, on Sunday, McGregor was able to control and dictate the game because Rangers played with two holding midfielders. This also allowed the captain to venture forward far more often than he has in recent weeks and all of this greatly benefitted Celtic at Ibrox.
Full-backs inverting
Another factor A Celtic State of Mind identified as to why McGregor may have been off his game was due to the lack of inverted full-backs being there to accompany him with the defensive work. It was noticeable yesterday that the full-backs were inverting one at a time and whether it be another option for a pass they were offering or helping out with defending, the full-backs coming inside lifted a weight of responsibility off his shoulders and allowed the captain to play far more freely, which he relished.
Big-game player with the trust of the manager
As previously mentioned, McGregor is exactly the type of player who can play himself back into form.
He rose to the occasion when Celtic desperately needed players to step up and be accounted for.
Rodgers also knows the quality of player that he is, one of Rodgers’ most trusted men during one of the most successful periods in the club’s history.
There is a reason why Rodgers met up with Callum McGregor in Majorca before his appointment to get the lowdown on the Celtic squad and the current situation at Lennoxtown and that is because he trusts him.
McGregor’s importance to the Celtic team cannot be understated and if he can build upon this performance with Scotland over the course of the international break then we should have the best version of Callum McGregor back for the Champions League group stage campaign.
JAMES MCKENZIE
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