Celtic tactical and data match report against Ross County as fans get first glimpse of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Jota

Match stats and xG

Celtic slightly overperformed in front of goal by scoring three on an xG value of 2.50 while County offered little threat in the final third with their 0.39 xG reflective of this.

Cameron Carter-Vickers' deflected strike to put the Hoops ahead was an extremely low 0.02 xG. Based on xG, Celtic would have won this game 88 per cent of the time. 

Shots and saves

Celtic's attempts were split down the middle with 11 shots from outside the box and 11 from within. The centrality of shots was lacking against County but proved effective when they did get them off close to goal with two genuinely high-quality chances created. 

In terms of individuals, Liel Aabada and Jota led the way with five attempts apiece, with Ross Callachan (two) the only Staggies player to get off more than one shot.

Joe Hart, meanwhile, only faced two shots on target and saved both, with his parry from Dominic Samuel’s close-range header when Celtic were just 1-0 up particularly standing out as a timely and important stop. 

Average positions and passing networks

Celtic dominated the ball with 76 per cent possession and over 800 passes (90 per cent completion) while Carl Starfelt played the most passes (117) and David Turnbull led all players in final-third passes with 38. Individually, Greg Taylor, Turnbull and Callum McGregor topped the charts with three key passes.

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With their ball-dominant display allowing plenty of passing combinations to emerge between the central defenders and midfield, the average positions of most Celtic players were fairly high.

Of particular note is Albian Ajeti staying high and central on average, much like Kyogo Furuhashi does when he plays as the main striker. That clear focal point was supplemented on each side by debutant Jota, who was heavily involved down the left, and Liel Abada.

Pressing

With much of the intense play coming down the right flank, it is unsurprising that Celtic's joint leaders in total pressures were right-back Josip Juranovic and right winger Abada (both 16).

Though they dominated the ball, when Celtic did find themselves out of possession the main instigator in getting it back was also Abada. The Israeli topped the charts for counter-pressures with eight, double that of any other Hoops player, and the majority of his work was near the County box as Celtic strove to keep the pressure on high up the park.

Liel Abada counter-pressures heatmap

Player focus: Cameron Carter-Vickers & Jota

Both deadline-day signings made their Celtic debuts against County, with Carter-Vickers scoring with a deflected strike and being named man of the match. 

The centre-back put in a solid shift on his first appearance, leading his team in aerial duels won (three) as well as combined blocks and interceptions (five). He was also second in passes played (104, 94 per cent accuracy) and was involved in Celtic's top three passing combinations into the bargain. 

Jota, meanwhile, may not have got on the scoresheet but he did get off five shots, played two key passes and led all players in passes into the opposition box (four), dribbles (three) and crosses (seven, 71 per cent accuracy) in an impressive introductory afternoon.