For the first time in what seems like ages Callum McGregor wasn’t anchoring the Celtic midfield for the visit of Hibs.
Over the last few years the captain has been a fixture in the centre of the park, driving the team forward and filtering the ball from defence into attack from his beat in front of two central defenders. Ibrox in September was a masterclass.
Struggling to find the right blend in midfield since Reo Hatate was injured, Tomoki Iwata showed Brendan Rodgers enough at St Johnstone on Sunday to justify a fairly bold change in the Celtic side.
Starting his first match of the season Iwata was given the ‘McGregor role’ in central midfield with the captain pushing forward on the left side of the park.
McGregor’s through-ball ?
Oh’s strength ?
A neat finish to find the bottom corner ??#BBCFootball pic.twitter.com/LFE4yucUeE— BBC Sport Scotland (@BBCSportScot) December 7, 2023
Adjustment time to his new role should be minimal, last night there were a few more shots on goal from McGregor but the clip above probably wouldn’t have been possible from his usual central role.
That pass for Oh Hyeon-gyu was absolute perfection, like a golfer punching a five-iron from a difficult lie around a few obstacles with a grateful striker finishing off in style for Celtic’s fourth goal.
Kilmarnock’s dreaded plastic on Sunday will present a very difficult challenge but one that the adaptable McGregor is likely to take in his stride.
Maybe it has been little commented on because it was a mis-placed pass that was intended for Palma.
100% mate