When the teamsheet dropped on Thursday night, many of a Celtic persuasion might well have been wincing at the prospect of what might lie in store, with Martin O’Neill deploying a much-changed side for the trip to Stuttgart.
Having already been hit for four in the first leg a week ago, the number and nature of O’Neill’s alterations pointed to another potentially difficult Europa League night for the Glasgow side.
Encouragingly, however, despite failing to mount a sustained comeback, the Hoops did at least manage to secure a first-ever win on German soil, with Luke McCowan sparking early hope after netting inside a minute.
That hard-fought 1-0 victory may matter little in the grand scheme of Celtic’s season, although after a dismal week or so back at Parkhead, the Scottish champions can head to Ibrox on Sunday with newfound confidence.
Why Luke McCowan might have done enough to start in the derby
With eight alterations from the recent loss to Hibernian, O’Neill appeared to be wrapping his key men in cotton wool, with the likes of Liam Scales and Kieran Tierney watching on from the bench, as too was top scorer, Benjamin Nygren.
The 18-goal Swede appears a certainty to start against Rangers this weekend, having scored six in his last seven Premiership games, although the performance of McCowan in that number ten berth might have altered the dynamic somewhat.
Indeed, the former Dundee talisman took his rare opportunity with both hands in Stuttgart, coolly slotting home on his favoured left foot after impressive work in the build-up from Junior Adamu.
That set the tone for what was an encouraging night on the whole for McCowan, with the £1m signing at the centre of everything that was good about his side in an attacking sense.
Nygren might have the golden touch in front of goal, although this was a reminder of the beauty of McCowan’s all-round game, with the 28-year-old completing 100% of his attempted dribbles, while winning six of his nine total duels.
Opportunities have been few and far between for the left-footer since his stint as a left-wing back under Wilfried Nancy, although O’Neill might find it hard to ignore such a positive performance, with McCowan undoubtedly one of many who staked their claim ahead of the weekend.
Celtic star has made himself undroppable for Rangers clash
It would have been easy for Celtic to simply wilt on Thursday night, using the shuffled side as an excuse for a poor performance, with all eyes on Danny Rohl’s men in just a few days time.
And yet, O’Neill’s previously peripheral talents appeared desperate not to make this a wasted venture, with Dane Murray having been a dominant figure at centre-back, ahead of the impressive Viljamo Sinisalo in the sticks.
As harsh as it may be to say, Celtic had found themselves in this position largely due to the woes of Sinisalo’s goalkeeping colleague, Kasper Schmeichel, a week ago, with the experienced Dane enduring one calamity after another in that 4-1 thrashing.
At fault for Joe Hugill’s header in the 3-2 comeback win over Kilmarnock prior to that, Schmeichel is enduring a rotten run right now, making Sinisalo’s quietly commanding display all the more eye-catching.
Not only did the 24-year-old help to steer the away side to a rare clean sheet, but he also made six saves in total from his 49 touches, dealing with everything that was asked of him up against the high-flying Bundesliga outfit.
Stuttgart vs Celtic – Match stats
Stuttgart
Stat
Celtic
66%
Possession
34%
1.81
xG
0.30
4
Big chances
1
24
Shots
3
1
Saves
6
13
Corners
7
6
Fouls
13
600
Passes
312
13
Free kicks
6
0
Yellows
1
Perhaps the Finnish ‘keeper could have done more to keep out Stuttgart’s ultimately disallowed strike late on, although that would be splitting hairs, having brought a renewed sense of calm to the backline in truth.
Indeed, the only real shaky moments came as a result of an errant back pass from those ahead of him, notably from both Murray and Marcelo Saracchi in the first half, albeit with Sinisalo on his toes to deal with those stray balls.
It’s fair to say that Schmeichel’s understudy hasn’t yet been seen enough to prove he can be the long-term number one at Celtic Park, although following Thursday’s rare start, O’Neill must now afford him a run of game time between now and the end of the season.
With Schmeichel’s contract up this summer, that turbulent chapter looks almost certain to be coming to a close. Do Celtic really have anything to lose by giving Sinisalo the nod moving forward?
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