Celtic's Arne Engels analysed after full debut performance

Brendan Rodgers’ side were not at their best, wasting a number of good opportunities in front of goal, as Hearts tried to get on the scoresheet themselves on a couple of occasions. Making his first start, Arne Engels stepped up and scored from the spot, as Hearts’ James Penrice handled the ball in his own box to stop a dangerous cross. Substitute Luke McCowan – also a new signing – sealed the deal from range, catching Craig Gordon out with a tame shot from distance that crept into the back of the net despite the former Celtic keeper getting a hand to it. 

Using StatsBomb data, analytics and graphics, The Celtic Way’s Ryan McGinlay brings you a data match report unlike any other…

Match stats + race chart

As has been the case for every game bar the Glasgow Derby, Celtic dominated their opponents for the duration of proceedings stats-wise. With 71 per cent possession, 753 attempted passes at a completion rate of 88 per cent and 18 total shots – five on target – it was a return to those pre-Rangers numbers in key areas for the champions.

Observing the race chart – which takes xG into account – Celtic pulled away from their opponents very early on in this metric, flexing their attacking muscles essentially from the get-go. As expected, the high-xG opportunity of a penalty truly allowed the hosts to pull away from their visitors, with Celtic slightly underachieving against their total xG of 2.39.

Because of this total, StatsBomb gave Celtic an 83 per cent chance of winning this contest with the opportunities created, with a draw calculated at 13 per cent. Steven Naismith’s side were only given a 4 per cent chance of winning this game – an indication of Celtic’s control on proceedings as a whole.

Formation + passing

Celtic reverted back to a 4-3-3 formation for this game, after toying with the idea of a 4-2-3-1 for the Glasgow Derby last time out. Kasper Schmeichel remained in goals, supported by an unchanged defensive backline of Greg Taylor, Liam Scales, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston from left to right. It was a changed midfield, as Engels joined captain Callum McGregor alongside Reo Hatate in the engine room, whilst Kyogo Furuhashi led the line, supported on the wings by Daizen Maeda and Nicolas Kuhn respectively. 

The pass network takes into account OBV (on-ball values) to judge who had an effective game – or not – in match proceedings. From the graphic above, you can see that a number of players achieved positive performances versus Hearts in the eyes of this metric. 

Not for the first time this campaign, Johnston and Kuhn both had effective showing on the ball on the right-hand side, supported by Carter-Vickers behind them at right-centre-back. Elsewhere, Scales, Maeda and Taylor all had positive OBV showings, as did the captain at the base of midfield. Engels and Hatate were the two that did not stand out in this metric, though the same could be said for the isolated Kyogo up front.

Taking a look at OBV statistics, Kuhn’s numbers were staggering in this area, managing a mammoth 0.80 for just 25 passes in the game. His right-sided partner Johnston also excelled, though at a lower rate of 0.26 for his 72 total passes.

For key passes in Saturday’s contest, Kuhn and Johnston again excelled, managing four each at a combined total of eight on the right-hand side of proceedings James Forrest and Maeda had two, whilst Luis Palma managed one coming off the bench.

Shooting

As mentioned previously, Celtic had 18 shots, though only five were on target in this game, including a penalty. Rodgers’ side will need to find their shooting boots, especially for Europe where fewer chances will be afforded to them. 

Observing the shot map from Saturday’s game, it presents a mixture of both shots from range and opportunities closer to the goal. Unsurprisingly, Engels’ spot-kick was the best chance of the match, given it was a penalty that came down to just the attacker and the opposition goalkeeper in a controlled environment – an uncontested box.

McCowan’s goal was a great moment for the boyhood Celtic supporter and one that he will remember for the rest of his days, though it WILL be a moment to forget for Gordon in the Hearts goal. Quite simply put, he has to save this shot, despite the new Celtic midfielder’s accuracy on the strike. 

Rising ever so slightly from 0.05 to 0.18 in xG-PSxG metrics, it was a low-chance shot that was helped by Gordon’s palm, which met the strike but could not keep it out of the former Celtic keeper’s goal.

Kyogo and Engels led the way with four total shots on the day, whilst Hatate, Kuhn and McCowan each had two to their name. On another day, this could – and should – have been more than 2-0.

Pressing + defending

As expected, Celtic were outpressured by their opponents at a rate of 106-176, though Hearts just about shaded them on pressure regains at 29-30 respectively.

Concerning individual pressers, Engels set the tone with 12, matched by Maeda. Johnston had 11 to his name, whilst the captain had 10. McCowan – despite coming on late – managed nine pressures in just a short period of time – a useful new weapon in Celtic’s midfield arsenal.

For counterpressing, Engels again made a solid impression, managing nine. Johnston had six, his statistics far better than his showing suggested to the naked eye.

Looking at the defensive side of Saturday’s win, Carter-Vickers displayed a monstrous showing at the back for Celtic, with a combined NINE tackles and interceptions, as the American’s return to form was clear for all to see. Another impressive showing from Taylor, who managed six combined in the same respective metrics.

Sticking with Celtic’s premier defender, Carter-Vickers managed a further seven clearances and eight aerial duel wins – quite a showing by the colossal centre-back. His defensive partner didn’t do too badly, either, with eight clearances and three aerial wins. Johnston had eight combined in these particular areas, also.