Engels Efficiency, Taylor’s 200, enough of Yang Experiment and our old songbook

The Celtic Star

·9 gennaio 2025

Engels Efficiency, Taylor’s 200, enough of Yang Experiment and our old songbook

My takeaways from Celtic’s routine 2-0 victory over Dundee United at Celtic Park in subzero temperatures last night…

Celtic players enter a huddle prior to the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on January 08, 2025. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Efficient Arne Engels

Arne Engels has a shot on goal during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park, on 8th January 2025. (Photo Mark Runnacles)

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The 21 year-old has stepped up his performance levels since re-merging in Celtic’s starting line-up over the festive period. That is now four consecutive Player of the Match awards for Arne Engels at Paradise, although Daizen Maeda must have been a contender last night his a goal and an assist.

Engels’ set-piece deliveries are always dangerous, and the Belgian could have had another assist had it not been for the crossbar when Auston Trusty lashed his header off the woodwork in the first half. Undoubtedly, Engels has been Celtic’s most consistent midfielder of late, and he holds the jersey heading into a congested fixture period across three separate competitions in the coming weeks.

End the Yang Experiment

Yang Hyun-Jun and Vicko Sevelj during the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park, on 8th January 2025. (Photo Mark Runnacles)

Albeit Brendan Rodgers’ hand was forced after Nicolas Kuhn suffered an injury in the warm-up, but Yang yet again failed to perform. It would be unfair to say that he offers nothing, but he isn’t far away from it. Yang’s technical ability is strong, but his end-product is non-existent.

Everyone within inner Celtic circles would love to see the 22 year-old winger transition into something similar of the Kuhn mould, but realistically it simply won’t happen. The Hoops have made the acquisition of a winger a priority in the January transfer window and quite rightly so. Whether it be Yang or Luis Palma, the duo do not offer any suitable competition for Kuhn or Daizen Maeda and that must be addressed this month. Palma at least was involved in the second goal that killed the game and secured the points.

Green Brigade’s Songbook

Greg Taylor at the final whistle with Dundee United goalkeeper Jack Walton after the Scottish Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park, on 8th January 2025. (Photo Mark Runnacles)

From ‘Jota on the wing’ as predicted on The Celtic Star in my piece on Monday, to Scott Sinclair’s ‘beautiful, magical’ classic from 2016, the Green Brigade rolled out the songbook for former players, and a few ex-managers last night.

Also included across the 90 minutes were; Henrik Larsson, Jonny Hayes, Charlie Mulgrew, Odsonne Edouard, Moussa Demeble, Paddy McCourt, Victor Wanyama, Artur Boruc, Jimmy Johnstone, Billy McNeill but sadly there was no room for Emilio Izaguirre.

Emilio Izaguirre of Celtic reacts before the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 first leg match between Celtic and Juventus at Celtic Park Stadium on February 12, 2013 (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)

READ THIS…“The crowd were brilliant,” says Rodgers, Green Brigade’s retro songbook “all part of the dance”

I’m sure Yang was holding back the tears about Jimmy Johnstone being on the wing. The tit-for-tat between Celtic’s main ultras group and the Hoops boss which was directly exacerbated by Brendan Rodgers bizarre comments around Kieran Tierney’s song being chanted as being “a lack of respect” for Greg Taylor surely ended yesterday evening.

Jimmy Johnstone, Celtic Glasgow. 13 04 1969 Photo imago WEREK (The Celtic Star)

It has been pantomime stuff from when Rodgers first made his thoughts clear in his post-match rant on Sunday but hopefully now it’s time to close the chapter on this tiresome episode. Also, congratulations to Greg Taylor who made his 200th appearance for the club – a wonderful achievement for an invaluable player that I hope can extend his stay.

Conor Spence

Kasper Schmeichel acknowledges the fans following the Scottishl Premiership match between Celtic and Dundee United at Celtic Park on January 08, 2025 . (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

READ THIS…Sandman’s Definitive Ratings – Celtic v Arabesques

Celtic in the Thirties by Celtic Historian Matt Corr is published in two volumes by Celtic Star Books. ORDER NOW!

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