Celtic ace who had 164 touches has silenced doubters

Celtic moved 5 factors clear on the prime of the Scottish Premiership desk with an emphatic 5-0 victory over Ross County at Parkhead on Saturday.

Aberdeen conceded a 96th-minute equaliser, having taken the lead within the ninety fifth minute, in opposition to Hibernian of their match to attract 3-3, which opened the door for the Hoops to increase their lead.

The Scottish giants took full benefit of their rivals slipping up and now have a snug lead on the prime of the division, after they swept Ross County apart with ease.

Brendan Rodgers determined to make a number of modifications to his beginning XI after Wednesday evening’s 1-1 draw with Membership Brugge within the Champions League, to maintain his squad recent and hand alternatives to different gamers.

Liam Scales, Paulo Bernardo, Alex Valle, Luke McCowan, James Forrest, and Adam Idah all got here in from the begin to showcase what they’ll supply to the group as starters.

McCowan was the star of the present, with one aim, three assists, and eight key passes, however fellow central midfielder Bernardo additionally took his probability to impress.

Paulo Bernardo’s efficiency in opposition to Ross County

The Portugal U21 worldwide was chosen over each Arne Engels and Reo Hatate to begin in the course of the park alongside Callum McGregor and McCowan.

It was a possibility for him to point out the supervisor that he deserves extra minutes on the pitch transferring ahead, and the previous Benfica starlet actually introduced his case properly.

Bernardo scored the third aim of the sport within the first half by reacting properly to the ball dropping for him from Daizen Maeda’s deflected cut-back, firing into the far nook with a composed end.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the Portuguese dynamo additionally created 4 possibilities and one ‘large probability’ for his teammates all through his 90 minutes on the pitch, however was not rewarded with an help for his efforts.

The 22-year-old whiz, who earned a Sofascore score of 8.2, was additionally robust out of possession with 4 duels gained out of six, which exhibits that he was a strong performer for the Scottish giants together with his work on and off the ball.

There was one other participant who got here in from the chilly to outperform Bernardo in opposition to Ross County on Saturday, although, and that man was central defender Liam Scales.

Liam Scales’ efficiency in opposition to Ross County

The Eire worldwide was an unused substitute in opposition to Membership Brugge in midweek and for the 4-1 win over Hearts within the Premiership final weekend, as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty had been chosen as the popular centre-back pairing.

Rodgers introduced the left-footed titan again in from the beginning on this newest top-flight conflict and Scales grasped his alternative with each palms, placing in a unbelievable efficiency on the coronary heart of the defence.

The previous Aberdeen loanee opened the scoring with a superb glancing header off the crossbar and in from McCowan’s nook, earlier than turning supplier with an ideal clipped cross excessive of the defence to help the Scottish midfielder for the second aim.

Scales, who earned a staggering 9.3 score on Sofascore, made a huge effect on the prime finish of the pitch to open the sport up for Celtic, by immediately contributing to the primary two objectives, and that allowed the Hoops to go on and win the match with ease.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, the Irish colossus loved a terrific recreation in possession, with a whopping 164 touches and 145 passes accomplished.

To associate with his aim and help, Scales accomplished 94% of his passes and was robust defensively by successful the vast majority of his duels for Celtic, and these statistics present that he was even higher than Bernardo – by being concerned in additional objectives and successful extra duels.

Efficiency in Numbers

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It was an enormous all-round efficiency from the Eire worldwide and one which, maybe, he wanted to silence a few of his doubters after some struggles for membership and nation at instances this season.

Liam Scales’ troubles this season

The Eire worldwide has not all the time been probably the most appreciated member of the Celtic squad. On the finish of the 2023/24 marketing campaign, The Celtic Star revealed an article in defence of the centre-back and claimed that he had change into the ‘whipping boy’ of a sure part of the fanbase.

That individual article recommended that followers had been getting on the defender’s again, regardless of his inclusion within the PFA Scotland Crew of the 12 months, and a few of his struggles initially of this season didn’t assist that narrative.

Scales gave away a penalty within the 2-1 win over Ross County earlier this season, handballing a cross that got here into the field, and made an error that immediately led to a shot in a 2-0 win over Kilmarnock.

He additionally performed the complete 90 minutes of the 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund within the Champions League and misplaced three of his 4 floor duels, while being dribbled previous twice with out making a single deal with in opposition to the German giants.

As you’ll be able to see within the desk above, Scales has made loads of appearances in all competitions for Celtic this season and has not made a string of giant errors, with the aforementioned video games in opposition to Dortmund, Kilmarnock, and Ross County the outliers.

The centre-back did, nonetheless, get despatched off for Eire in his most up-to-date outing earlier than Saturday’s recreation, as he was booked twice in a 5-0 defeat to England.

Nonetheless, any doubters questioning his inclusion within the beginning line-up forward of Trusty for the conflict with Ross County had been silenced, as Scales placed on a masterclass together with his efficiency this weekend.

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