Celtic’s midfield trio has been unstoppable this season, dominating opponents such as Manchester City, Chelsea, and most recently Rangers.
The only team to have taken any points off the Scottish champions so far is Scott Brown’s Ayr United, who secured a 1-1 draw at the beginning of pre-season in early July. However, that match featured mostly B Team and squad players from Celtic.
On the Celtic bench that day were two new midfield recruits, Arne Engels and Luke Cowan, who both spoke to Celtic Fan Media at Celtic Park this week. Both players are eager to contribute and make an impact, giving Brendan Rodgers plenty of options, starting with Saturday’s match against Hearts at Celtic Park.
Paul Hartley celebrates his goal against SpartaK Moscow during their UEFA Champions League third qualifying round football match in Moscow, 15 August 2007. Photo YURI KADOBNOV/AFP via Getty Images
Paul Hartley, a former standout midfielder for Gordon Strachan’s Celtic side, believes it’s the midfield that is making Celtic so dynamic this season. Speaking to PLZ Soccer, Hartley noted that Celtic are currently “blowing teams away with their intensity and speed.” He added, “From the games I’ve watched, and I’ve seen most of them, they’ve been electric.”
Engels and McCowan will both be aiming for playing time against Hearts, while Paulo Bernardo’s performance against Rangers more than justifies his place in the starting lineup. Callum McGregor is set to start, and with Reo Hatate not featuring for Japan during the international break, he’ll be eager to get on the pitch against Hearts.
All five midfielders are likely to play a role this weekend, with Brendan Rodgers deciding who starts and who comes off the bench.
Here’s Luke Cowan speaking to Celtic Fan Media earlier this week…
And that was followed on Tuesday by Arne Engels speaking to Celtic Fan media…