Nir now the next big thing

Deila compares hard-working Bitton to Barca star Busquets and tips Israeli for top level

WHEN Ronny Deila views Nir Bitton these days, he sees solutions, not problems. It’s fair to say that it was not always thus.

‘Last year I didn’t understand where I could use him,’ recalled the Norwegian with a shrug. ‘ He was not giving me everything — but we had a very good talk and he understood what I wanted and he started to do it.

‘Now you can see what kind of improvement he has made.’

Of all the players that Deila inherited from Neil Lennon, the transformation in the Israeli has been by far the most defined.

A cumbersome, peripheral figure in the last days of the Northern Irishman’s reign, the midfielder is now composed, hugely effective and central to everything that Deila plans.

‘I think offensively he looks very like ( Sergio) Busquets and defensively he is on his way,’ said the Celtic boss.

‘When he has the ball in front of him he is good at winning possession and being aggressive.

‘But he still has to work on when the ball goes over his head, what’s happening then with his recovery runs and how he thinks in that situation.’

Bitton would doubtless be the first to concede that comparisons with t he aforementioned star of Spain and Barcelona are still somewhat generous.

That said, compared to his early days in Glasgow the former FC Ashdod player is now riding the crest of the wave.

For Deila, the reasons behind such contrasting fortunes are infuriatingly straightforward.

‘ He did not understand what I meant by 100 per cent,’ said the manager. ‘We worked on three issues. The first was that if I said sprint in training, you have to sprint — not give 70 per cent.

‘He had to be quicker on the ball and go forward as everything went sideways. Now he penetrates much more. He was also too central and now he can see an angled pass. He has started to widen the picture even more.

‘ The final thing was that, defensively, he had to win more ball. It was not enough for him just to be there — he had to win the ball also. That improvement has been unbelievable. The work-rate with him as a ball winner has been incredible.’

It’ s now cl ear t o see why Manchester City were so keen to extend Bitton’s trial with them a couple of years back until red tape kicked a deal into the long grass, where Celtic were waiting.

With each passing month, the sense grows that the 23-year-old will one day grace one of the top leagues, with the now customary eight-figure sum as compensation for the Scottish champions.

Aside from the trophies he wins as manager, such success stories can only bolster Deila’s position. But he is realistic enough to realise that, regardless of the influences of nature and nurture, not every soul can be saved.

‘I can’t see one player here who I haven’t had a confrontation with,’ Deila revealed. ‘ But that’s good because a c ul t ure without confrontation is dead. A marriage without confrontation is dead.

‘If you have the same problems all the time then you have to give up. I accept everyone does mistakes and good things, but I ask: “How much do you learn from mistakes?” If I have to have the same conversation with Nir five times in five months then you give up.

‘Those players (who have not learned from their mistakes) are finished at Celtic because they can’t handle the way it is going. The others are improving and one man can’t afford to stand still. That player might have been good enough at one point but it won’t stay that way.’

Common courtesy naturally prevented Deila from naming names but it can safely be assumed that the likes of Derk Boerrigter weren’t far from his thoughts.

‘Not everybody has reacted as I would have wanted to these confrontations,’ he admitted. ‘But I treat them with respect, I have given everybody a chance and never give up.

‘But sometimes you have to take decisions because this is not a kindergarten. It’s a highperformance team and we have to get results, so you don’t have time to wait for everybody all the time.’

Deila cited Aidan Nesbitt as a prime example of someone who has come to training with his head down and his ears pinned back.

Despite scoring a hat-trick in last year’s Youth Cup Final, the 18- year- old could have been forgiven for believing the route to the first team remained blocked by more valuable obstacles.

But in handing the player his debut f rom the bench i n the League Cup win over Raith Rovers on Tuesday, Deila hoped to make a salient point.

‘In the dressing room after the game I said to him: “Congratulations on getting your debut, do you know why you got it?”

‘ He didn’t know so I said: “Because you’ve earned it. You have shown in training these last days that you are good enough — and you’ve shown it in the second team by scoring four goals in three games. You’ve earned it. So when you have five players standing in front of you in the queue you have t o be good t o yourself and believe.”

‘Look at Tom Rogic. Where was he five months ago? Now he’s suddenly an important player for us because he’s worked himself into that position.

‘I talked to him and said: “You have a future because I love the person you are and I love how hard you are working.” But when people say: “I’m not playing so I don’t want to do things,” then you have to go somewhere else, you don’t play at Celtic.’

Having provided t he r i ght answers to his questions, Bitton is going nowhere other than straight into Deila’s midfield.

Naturally, like Victor Wanyama and Virgil van Dijk, there will come a time when a parting of the ways is mutually beneficial.

Deila believes Bitton i s now finally on the right road — but feels there is considerable room for improvement before the desired avenues will open for him.

‘Nir still has things to deliver but he was at one level, now he is higher and he can go even higher — and once he’s up there everything is possible,’ Deila continued.

‘He has a big potential. If he develops the way he has done in the last year, then in a year he will be a top international player.

‘That’s what we want for him and he has a very good attitude. He goes to training every day and wants to improve. He lives and dies for football and that’s always the start of it.

‘ I’ m very satisfied with his development. He can play at the highest level in Europe.’