Liam Scales has already matched his goal tally from last season a game into the new campaign, the Irishman nodding home Celtic’s second in a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock yesterday.
In their first competitive game of 2024/25, the Hoops caught the eye. They played with intensity, made some impressive combinations, and could have had more than four goals.
With quality still to be added to the side, manager Brendan Rodgers will be pleased with how things currently are.
Celtic’s Flag Day lineup consisted of just one new player. The majority of faces in the starting 11 were familiar, with several bhoys catching the eye.
Reo Hatate was masterful in midfield while Nicolas Kuhn looked effective out wide. At centre-half, although he has been criticised previously, Scales stood firm.
The Irishman defended astutely and got himself on the scoresheet. Post-match, though, he was full of praise for one of his teammates, Kasper Schmeichel.
“We saw a lot of Kasper (Schmeichel) in pre-season and we knew how good he is”, he said (Sky Sports).
“He wasn’t as busy but you can see his quality on the ball. Some of the passes he played forward to start attacks were brilliant.
“He is commanding as well so it is good to get him in behind us and even though we weren’t too busy it was good to kick it all off with a clean sheet.”
Making his Parkhead bow, the veteran ‘keeper didn’t put a foot wrong. He admitted playing at Celtic Park exceeded his expectations.
A shrewd signing by Celtic, Schmeichel already looks to be a quality addition.
