OVER 28,000 supporters turned out to watch Celtic take on Wolves in Dublin, with the majority of fans in the Aviva Stadium cheering on the Bhoys in green.
Celtic took an early lead, courtesy of a superb strike from Kyogo. With Hatate hitting the bar and several other great chances missed, Celtic could have easily seen more balls hit the back of the net. Despite the makeshift defence, the starting team put in a strong display against a Premier League side, offering plenty of positives to take into the start of the season.
As Brendan Rodgers and his side prepare for Tuesday’s match, here are three things we learned from the encounter with Wolves.
1. New Goalkeeper Needed
Joe Hart has been fantastic for Celtic and deserves the respect of every fan. However, his performances towards the end of last season and in pre-season have been less than stellar. He was erratic against Wolves, even conceding a penalty. Although the contact on Matt Docherty was minimal, if there was any, Hart’s reckless dive gave the referee a decision to make.
2. Celtic Ready to Compete
This was arguably Celtic’s best all-round performance in pre-season, against a decent Premier League side boasting top-quality players. Celtic went toe-to-toe with Wolves and arguably outperformed them over the course of the match. The numerous substitutions disrupted the flow of the game, but if Celtic can maintain the level they showed in spells during the match, they should win the league and potentially achieve some European results. The transition in Celtic’s play was the best it has been in years, and the high press reaped many rewards.
3. Kwon Shows Promise
Kwon, along with Yang, made his Celtic debut in Dublin. Coming from the second division in Korea, fans weren’t sure what to expect, but his short run-out showed promising signs. He was excellent at tackling, always looking for the forward pass, and wasn’t afraid to get stuck in. However, it’s going to be incredibly challenging for him to break into the Celtic midfield at the moment.
