Celtic’s engine room.
An off-kilter midfield will fly like a paper plane with an uneven fold. Celtic’s needs symmetry, reinforcement and refinement.
The midfield is often referred to as the heartbeat of any side, the engine room which powers the team. It’s not just the engine room; it’s the vehicle which runs the whole house - it does the school runs and gets the shopping. Beyond the beige though, it can also facilitate the finer flourishes. Its influence on the team is all encompassing.
A strong core adds stability; reinforces the defensive balance and provides oxygen to its attack, allowing forward players a firm footing to platform their abilities. Ultimately a strong midfield/midfielder hydrates everything else.
In essence, it is the most altruistic position in a team. A socialist role by nature, in that your job is to share the ball; and via your own hard work, provide ideal circumstances for others to succeed. A jack of all trades can be a condescending, shaded description in a lot of contexts but here, it could probably serve in a complementary sense.
A striker doesn’t really have to tackle as such; a defender will rarely have to dribble. Some players have the game in front of them and other spend time with their back to goal, but midfield is completely 3 dimensional.
A right back will rarely find himself on the left side of a pitch and vice versa. A centre mid though, has very few parameters, very few situations that are alien or not in his jurisdiction and his responsibility. He is as likely to play a pass to a left back as he is a right winger; similarly, he will receive from a goalkeeper and find a striker. Logistically, he is central to everything. A conduit and a nucleus whose footprint is stamped on the game. It makes sense that his game is comprehensive and all encompassing.
All these individual behaviours and tasks can be scaled up when discussing the role of a midfield as a collective. Finding the equilibrium in midfield is an art in itself – worthy of dissertation length analysis and the genesis of endless pub conjecture.
Do you want a 6 and an 8, two 6s, two 8s. Would you have 3 in there and if so; is it a 6 an 8 and a 10ish type of player? Is a 10 a midfielder? They certainly can be. Are you at home or away, is it Europe or the league, or a stuffy cup game against particularly agricultural opposition midfielders? The possibilities are not endless but there is more than one way to skin a cat or win the battle of attrition in the middle of the park.
Getting this balance just right; stewing all the ingredients together and getting it to boil at the right time, is where the most seasoned managers will earn their crust.
Apposite of the general decline in standards of player at Celtic, there is no longer competition in these vital positions. Matt O’Riley, peak McGregor and Hatate, propped up by a competent supporting cast seem like far flung heady days. Last season it would be a stretch to label it functional.
From surfeit to starved.
Too often it looked sclerotic last season. Unimaginative on the ball and feeble off it. As resistant as a bead curtain. It often looked Staccato. 3 individuals who had gone rogue as opposed to a synchronised operation.
Engels: The Belgian has improved incrementally throughout his two years at Celtic, but it would be a bit of stretch to say we can’t improve upon him. Most likely we’ll have to or at least attempt to. The 22-year-old will be the flagship departure this season. The big ticket that will be cashed in to fund the rebuild. His athleticism fits the meta version of today’s midfielder.
Hatate looks set to leave the club; part of the mass exodus this summer. His time at the club is up.
Nygren is next to impossible to define but has proven big hitter in the final third. He hits home runs but struggles to make base often and his general performances can be immensly frustrating. The numbers he has posted though, in all competitions also mean he will be highly sought after. A strong World Cup with Sweden and he could become a commodity; we struggle to hold onto.
In fact, that’s very few we can say will be at the club with any certainty. Bernardo, is another who has failed to live up to his latent talent and will surely be looking for another club.
McCowan operates on the periphery of the first 11 and Oxlaide - Chamberlain is unlikely to be here.
That leaves McGregor.
Ubiquitous in Celtic’s midfield for over a decade now and intrinsic in our dominance. Regardless of his accomplishments on paper, on the pitch he has always been front and centre; busy in midfield, a fulcrum for building play, a conduit able to progress the ball and manage a game. From a relatively early age McGregor has carried a large amount of responsibility.
McGregor will turn 33 this month. It seems young to describe him as a veteran, but not many reach the accumulative figure of games he has played, regardless of how long they last. Inclusive of a loan spell and international football, he has already made roughly 700 professional appearances. It started to show last season.
Whilst it would be futile to build around him giving his age, he will likely be the main thread around which, this new midfield will knit. More legs are needed to compensate for his age, but importantly an adaptation of his role, could allow the captain a prolonged Indian summer.
A true number 6 would be concomitant to allowing him more freedom. Celtic have gone without a naturally defensive midfielder for some time now. Someone with a nose for danger; a padlock. Now seems like the time to take that responsibility off McGregor.
O’Neill has a job on his hands fixing the midfield. It’s about to be stripped for parts. In quantity and quality; it wasn’t exactly firing to begin with. Get it right and it could be truly transformative.
72 days out from the Champions League qualifiers. The clock is ticking.