Super- sub masterplan is paying off for Celtic

CELTIC’S squad depth was once again on show during the 2- 1 victory over Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership.

The victory at Fir Park means the Scottish champions remain seven points clear at the top of the league table.

It was a relatively comfortable evening in the end but it was helped in no part by the fact Ange Postecoglou was able to bring quality players off the bench.

Daizen Maeda and David Turnbull came on in the latter stages of the game and made a crucial difference.

It was a well- placed pass from the Scotland international which found Maeda, who took one excellent touch to set himself and another to fire the ball past a helpless Liam Kelly in goals.

Despite a late flurry from the opposition, it was a goal that effectively killed the match as a contest.

It was no accident that the substitutions had a positive impact against the Steelmen; in fact, it is something that has been happening a lot over the last few domestic matches.

In the previous four fixtures before the victory against Steven Hammell’s side, players introduced in the second half of games made direct contributions to the final scoreline.

Last time out, it was goals late on from Kyogo Furuhashi and Liel Abada which gave the Hoops a 4- 2 win at home from Dundee United.

Both came on in the second half and their individual brilliance prevented Postecoglou’s men from dropping points after they were pegged back to 2- 2 near the end of the fixture.

Before that, Jota returned from injury to score the third goal away to Livingston. He was assisted by fellow substitute Turnbull.

The trend was apparent in the game at Tynecastle a week prior to the victory at Almondvale when Greg Taylor came off the bench to score the winning goal in the capital.

Abada also contributed heavily in that match, despite not starting, and had a goal chalked off for offside.

Against Hibs, almost a month ago now, the Scottish champions were aided by Maeda coming on to round off a 6- 1 victory with Abada also setting up that strike after being brought on in the second half himself.

The strength in depth that the Australian has at his disposal is second to none in the league and speaking earlier in the season he was well aware of how vital a component a strong squad is.

“The way we play is quite intense and it takes its toll physically and mentally,” he said.

“So

I don’t have a first XI, I don’t have a set midfield three and then another one.

“What I do have is players who can play in those areas and I want to get the very maximum out of all of them.

“The only way I can do that is by keeping them fresh for when they are needed.”

The term super- sub may be overused nowadays but it is clearly something that Postecoglou has in his considerable Parkhead arsenal and he is using it to great effect.

It is surely something that will be an important factor from now on if Celtic want to continue their domestic dominance this term.

The Celtic Digest takes you behind the scenes at Parkhead every afternoon. Sign up to get this newsletter delivered direct to your inbox at www. celticway. co. uk