Why Celtic's best central defender is a 'throwback'

Cameron Carter-Vickers never quite made the grade at Tottenham Hotspur due to his lack of size but former Celtic defender Steven Pressley admits he has become a towering presence in the green and white defence since he pitched up in Glasgow's east end in the summer of 2021.

The USA internationalist is contracted to Celtic until 2029 and Pressley reckons his former club pulled off a masterstroke by landing Cameron Carter-Vickers on a long-term deal and that English clubs can now see for themselves what they're missing after failing to take a punt on the centre-back when he quit the North London side. Pressley said: "I remember watching Carter-Vickers for Tottenham against Manchester United when he was 18.

"It was the first time I had set eyes on him and I really liked him. I remember being at the game and speaking to someone about him and they said: ‘Mauricio Pochettino really likes him’. Looking at him, my one concern about him in terms of English football was his size. That’s the one thing because there are bigger, athletic players down there than there are in Scotland. However, I feel his game has developed to the point where he can use his experience and body extremely well in duels. I don’t think that size aspect is such a problem for him to play at the top level now.

"Early in your career as a centre-back, when you don’t have that experience, it can affect you. Once you understand and learn the game, then the size can be countered. Nobody in England had doubts over his mentality, desire or ability. The size issue was also a concern but he’s now countered that and has grown a lot as a player at Celtic. He’s playing every week, he’s developed and done very well.

“Celtic did well to get him on a long-term contract because I am sure there are plenty of suitors out there for him. When you look around, there aren’t many top centre-backs, which was good business for Celtic."

READ MORE: Cameron Carter-Vickers through the eyes of his former coaches

The 50-year-old has watched on as Carter-Vickers has established himself as a defensive powerhouse at Celtic and has become a vital cog in Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers's rearguard. Carter-Vickers has won five trophies in three seasons with the club and is on course to make it seven out of nine come May with a Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double up for grabs.

The Head of Individual Development at Brentford insists that players like Carter-Vickers only help enhance the managerial reputation of coaches like Postecoglou and Rodgers. Pressley is adamant that the champions badly missed his influence at the back of the pack when he was out injured for large chunks of this season.

Pressley said: "People love to talk about the tactical element of football but in all my time it’s never changed - players. Players make great managers. There is no hiding the fact that if it was all about the coach, why do the great managers spend the most money to get the best players? Alex Smith used to say to me: 'Players son, players'. Of course, you need a level of tactical knowledge but great players make great coaches. It’s not rocket science to see that Celtic's form was affected when Carter-Vickers was out of the team.

“Now he’s back in the team, playing at a high level and he is a hugely important player for Celtic."

Pressley labelled Carter-Vickers a good old-fashioned 'throwback' to a time when defending was viewed as an art, not a skill. He reckons the basic art of defending is slowly but surely being coached out of young graduates being churned out by today's football club's academies.

The former Falkirk, Coventry, Fleetwood and Carlisle boss believes that youngsters need to learn to develop their techniques by exposing them to situations which will see them make mistakes. Learning to sniff out danger and being able to read a game is vital for every defender's growth, development and progression. Pressley said: "Carter-Vickers does the basics very well and people forget about that sometimes.

"When I look at football, anticipation is such a key factor in a really great factor. Carter-Vickers is a throwback. He anticipates things very well. Carter-Vickers does that very well. He has been exposed to so much football and has developed in so many aspects. In the academies now, the game is so pure and we sometimes don’t develop players who anticipate and smell danger. I want young defenders to be left to figure things out and learn to defend one-on-one. That’s where growth comes from."

READ MORE: Neil Lennon's Celtic power play, Gordon Strachan's cutting one-liners and career 'barriers' from crossing Glasgow divide - Steven Pressley Big Interview

Pressley is convinced that Carter-Vickers is now bestowing his knowledge and wisdom on every Celtic defender that he is partnered with. He has had a few central defensive partners to be fair. Carl Starfelt, Stephen Welsh, Yuki Kobayashi, Gustaf Lagerbielke, Maik Nawrocki, and Liam Scales to name but a few. All or nearly all have looked a far better player when they have played alongside the USA international.

Pressley insisted that he was once the pupil and apprentice and it was former Scotland and Dundee United legend Maurice Malpas who took him under his wing and educated him in the defensive arts whilst the two played together at Tannadice. Pressley said; "Carter-Vickers will also help the other Celtic defenders develop, without a doubt.

"You learn from having good partners when you are a young defender. Maurice Malpas was a huge help for me at Dundee United. I learned so much from him and I was lucky in that respect. I was never an elite player but I did learn from elite players like Maurice and that helped me.

“I learned how to use my body, how to defend and like Carter-Vickers, counter the fact that I wasn’t the biggest centre-half."

Steven Pressley was promoting Premier Sport’s live coverage of the Scottish Cup. Premier Sports is available to stream from premiersports.com or via your TV provider on Sky, Virgin TV and Amazon Prime as an add-on subscription.