Ange Postecoglou’s Celtic side went into Wednesday evening’s Premiership clash with St. Mirren in a fine run of form, with the Bhoys being undefeated in their last 12 league outings, and winning their last six on the bounce.
And, with St. Mirren’s squad being depleted by the ongoing viral pandemic, Postecoglou would almost certainly have been expecting his side to bring a rather easy three points home from The SMiSA Stadium last night.
However, a spirited performance from the Buddies goalkeeper Dean Lyness, coupled with the wastefulness of Celtic in the final third of the pitch, saw Jim Goodwin’s side take a surprising point from the clash with the Hoops – with the game ending 0-0.
Did Celtic deserve more against St. Mirren?
Yes
No
As is to be expected after such a result, a number of the Celtic side did not enjoy their finest display in the fixture, with Nir Bitton, Mikey Johnston and Callum McGregor all being particularly below par.
However, it was undoubtedly makeshift centre-forward Liel Abada who most disappointed with his performance on Wednesday evening, as the 20-year-old’s wastefulness in front of goal cost Postecoglou dearly.
Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £15k-per-week forward found it difficult to involve himself in the game, enjoying just 35 touches of the ball, completing a mere 13 passes, finding his man with just one of his six attempted crosses and losing four of his five attempted duels – an 80% loss rate.
The Israel international also failed to hit the target with a single shot at the St. Mirren goal, with his one attempt being off-target, while he was also unsuccessful with his one attempted dribble and lost the ball on a whopping 19 occasions – meaning he ceded possession with every 1.8 touches.
These returns saw the £2.7m-rated man earn a disappointing SofaScore match rating of 6.8, ranking the 20-year-old as Celtic’s second-worst player to start the match.
And, considering his metrics on the night, it is not difficult to see why the forward received such a low rating, as his lack of efficiency in front of goal could well have cost Postecoglou dearly in the Premiership title race, with the Bhoys now six points behind their Old Firm rivals.
In other news: Ange can finally axe “pathetic” £7.9k-p/w Celtic flop with swoop for £270k-rated beast