Celtic were given a timely reminder that they still have areas to improve on after they were beaten 3-2 by their city rivals in the Scottish Premiership in the last match before the international break.
The Hoops came from 2-0 down against Rangers to bring the score back to 2-2 at Parkhead last weekend, only for Hamza Igamane to deliver a crushing blow with two minutes to go.
Brendan Rodgers will surely have been disappointed with the performance of his side in the loss, despite it only cutting the gap between the two teams to 13 points in the table.
The performance, however, was mitigated by the absence of club captain Callum McGregor in the middle of the park, as he missed out on the game through injury.
Why Callum McGregor is important to Celtic
The former Scotland international is an important player to Celtic and Rodgers because he sits in the number six position and dictates the flow of matches for the club.
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He can control the game as a metronomic midfield presence for the Hoops, speeding it up or slowing it down with the pace of his passes and his decisions in possession.
McGregor leads the club’s midfielders for passes made per game (78) and pass accuracy (94%) in the Premiership this season, which illustrates just how important he is to the team.
Arne Engels, in his absence, only completed 51 passes – with a success rate of 88% – in an unfamiliar role, as the Belgian ace is usually more advanced as one of the two number eights.
Celtic do not appear to have a natural successor to the 31-year-old McGregor in the squad, but they could find a dream long-term replacement in Odin Thiago Holm – who is currently out on loan.
Why Odin Thiago Holm could replace Callum McGregor
It is fair to say that Holm’s time with Celtic has not gone as expected since Rodgers claimed that he could “make a big impact” at Parkhead upon his move to the club from Valerenga in the summer of 2023.
The Norwegian starlet has only played 16 times in the first-team to date and was sent out on loan to MLS side LAFC for the 2025 season, which means that he is due to return to Scotland in January of next year.
Holm has mainly played as a central or defensive midfield player in his career and this means that he could suit playing as a number six under Rodgers as the deepest-lying midfield player in a 4-3-3.
However, the 22-year-old maestro has not had many chances to showcase his quality on the pitch, as an injury delayed his MLS debut for LAFC until Saturday’s win over Kansas City.
|
23/24 Premiership |
Odin Thiago Holm |
|---|---|
|
Appearances (starts) |
9 |
|
Starts |
2 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Assists |
1 |
|
Key passes per 90 |
1.6 |
|
Pass accuracy |
83% |
|
Tackles + interceptions per 90 |
3.2 |
|
Stats via Sofascore |
|
As you can see in the table above, the midfield prospect also did not get many opportunities to shine in the Premiership for Celtic in the 2023/24 campaign, but there were promising signs with his defensive and offensive contributions.
Holm has the potential to offer plenty of defensive action, with tackles and interceptions, whilst also creating chances for his teammates in that role, if he can translate those into consistent performances over an entire season.
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It is now down to him to enjoy a strong year with LAFC in the MLS to prove to Rodgers that he has what it takes to be the long-term successor to McGregor, because he seemingly has the attributes to be a dream replacement in the future if he can piece it all together.
