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The case for the defence

Potentially on Sunday Ange will be without 3 of his 4 CBS, 1 of which is a convert CB. That’s not a squad planning issue IMO because 4 CBS is quite normal for a squad but losing 75% of them at the same time is horrendous

I don't buy the narrative that Davies is a converted LB anymore. He actually hasn't done anything other than dedicate his life to learning to be a centre half since Conte walked through the door. He's actually in his 4th season as a player that is more than a centre half than a full-back. It's not Ben's fault though. Every top team in the PL has 5 centre halves, except for us and Pool. Ange also sat Dorrington on the bench for several weeks last season and he never took his tracksuit top off. Having dealt with his debut and given him some minutes last season would be so useful right now. Bentancur's ban has also compounded the problem. He could easily slot in.

I have a feeling it could a tough week for Gray if we can't get Romero on that pitch.
 
I don't buy the narrative that Davies is a converted LB anymore. He actually hasn't done anything other than dedicate his life to learning to be a centre half since Conte walked through the door. He's actually in his 4th season as a player that is more than a centre half than a full-back. It's not Ben's fault though. Every top team in the PL has 5 centre halves, except for us and Pool. Ange also sat Dorrington on the bench for several weeks last season and he never took his tracksuit top off. Having dealt with his debut and given him some minutes last season would be so useful right now. Bentancur's ban has also compounded the problem. He could easily slot in.

I have a feeling it could a tough week for Gray if we can't get Romero on that pitch.
He is a converted LB
He is a good CB
Tanga the facts mate
I actually think he is our best defensive player too
It’s not a slight on him
And he rarely if ever gets injured which says a lot on the stresses the players are feeling now
 
Answering my own question, from an article in 2022 after a title win:

MISERLY DEFENCE

No side has scored more than two goals against Celtic in any one league game this term. Aside from the 20 clean sheets, there have been 14 single-goal efforts against the Hoops and only four two-goal games by the opposition. Even then, of those four games, the Celts still won three of them - Dundee 4-2, Aberdeen 3-2 and Dundee again 3-2, with the 2-1 defeat at Tynecastle in the opening game being the only negative. Only 22 goals were scored against the Celts in the 38 games and a goal difference of 70 was attained to Rangers’ 49.


Comparing his record at Celtic with his current employment:

Scotland
10 June 2021​
6 June 2023​
11383121873.45
England
6 June 2023​
Present
6232102051.61


It’s difficult to judge how much benefit Postecoglou’s murder-press had on Celtic’s defending as they have been so dominant domestically in recent years and averaged only 25 goals conceded per season over the past decade.

Found this article which mentions a few things which now seem pertinent.

Postecoglou is fine with losing some defensive solidity in search of goals, with Celtic conceding 34 goals in his final season – up from 29 in the season before he arrived.

… His record in European competition with Celtic wasn’t great at all, and their results have been, for many, a stick to beat him with. In his first season, Celtic were knocked out of the Champions League in the qualifiers, then failed to get out of their Europa League group, before being beaten by Bodø/Glimt in a Europa Conference League knockout playoff. The following season, they made it to the Champions League group stage but picked up only two points from their six games. There were promising performances but only four goals scored and 15 conceded. The commonly held view was that Postecoglou stuck too steadfastly to his philosophy, even when it appeared not to be working.

… Postecoglou’s side had the fifth-worst defensive record in the group stages, conceding 15 goals. Yet they only conceded chances worth 11.7 xG – a difference of 3.3, which was also one of the biggest discrepancies of all teams involved. In the Champions League, you come up against Champions League-quality goalkeepers, and world-class finishers, so underperformance might be expected for a team that is used to facing Ross County and St Mirren (no offence intended to those teams).


 
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