Celtic 2-0 FC Den Bosch: Dedryck Boyata strolls through debut and Rogic shows he still has a lot to offer Bhoys on return
Boyata, signed in a £1million-plus deal from Manchester City, could have brought out a deckchair so untroubled was he on a balmy evening
Rogics nimble skills and willingness to drive forward provided many of the highlights in an easy win secured by a Mackay-Steven strike and an OG
By MARK WILSON FOR THE DAILY MAIL
PUBLISHED: 09:52 EST, 2 July 2015 | UPDATED: 09:52 EST, 2 July 2015
The first steps on the road towards the Champions League qualifiers were positive both for a Celtic debutant and a man who must feel like he is starting all over again.
Dedryck Boyata, signed in a £1million-plus deal from Manchester City, could have brought out a deckchair so untroubled was he on a balmy evening in Paisley.
Watched from the stand by the club’s newly-arrived second summer addition, Saidy Janko, Boyata positively sauntered through an hour in central defence alongside Virgil van Dijk. This was far from a taxing start to his career with the Premiership champions.
Drawing firm conclusions from a low-key game against Dutch second-tier opposition would be foolish. But there were signs of decent pace and comfort in possession from the Belgian, who wasn’t afraid to carry the ball forward when required.
More eye-catching overall, perhaps, was the return of a player who had probably been erased from the memory banks of many Celtic fans.
Tom Rogic pitched up in Glasgow carrying a burgeoning reputation back in January 2013, but promptly faded from view.
A loan spell back in Australia was followed by a year of injury woes. The 22-year-old didn’t make a single first-team appearance during Ronny Deila’s debut season in charge.
Perhaps not surprisingly, then, he looked like a man with a point to prove. Operating in central midfield, Rogic’s nimble skills and willingness to drive forward provided many of the highlights in a comfortable win secured by a Gary Mackay-Steven strike and an own goal.
If he can stay fit and finally begin to fulfil his undoubted potential, Rogic may yet provide an unexpected bonus to Deila’s plans for the coming campaign.
The one negative for the Parkhead boss came when Stuart Armstrong appeared to tweak a calf muscle during the first half. Deila played down fears afterwards, saying it only appeared to be a dead leg.
For the most part, though, this was a gentle re-introduction for Celtic after the summer break as they stepped up preparations ahead of the July 15 visit from Icelandic champions Stjarnan.
More strenuous tests may follow in Saturday’s meeting with Dukla Prague and, certainly, when they play David Moyes’ Real Sociedad a week tomorrow.
It was Deila’s decision for the Parkhead outfit to abandon the previous brand of schedule. No criss-crossing America. No training camps in central Europe. To the Norwegian, that level of travelling is damaging in terms of preparing players to be at their peak for Champions League qualifiers that will define so much of their season.
And so the passports have been locked away prior to Stjarnan. Instead, a swift jaunt down the M8 is as exotic as it will get.
The switch to St Mirren’s home has been necessitated by stadium development work at Celtic Park. There was something a little surreal about some of the signage and advertising hoardings being changed to suit the short-term tenants. The Paisley club will, however, surely reap a decent financial reward for the rental.
Deila’s starting line-up focused on those players first back to training after being spared international duty. Hence the likes of Craig Gordon, Scott Brown, Charlie Mulgrew, James Forrest, Leigh Griffiths, Adam Matthews, Nir Bitton and Stefan Johansen were nowhere to be seen.
Boyata’s debut was not, however, the only notable inclusion among those who did take to the field. Mikael Lustig wore the captain’s armband at right-back, having returned to fitness after an injury-scarred campaign last time round. He played 40 minutes before making way for Darnell Fisher.
Rogic was among those in front of him. While this was a long-awaited return for the Australian, his midfield partner hadn’t stopped playing all summer. Liam Henderson returned directly from a loan spell with Rosenborg to don a Celtic jersey again, looking sharp in his play.
Goalkeeper Leo Fasan, left-back Kieran Tierney and forward Luke Donnelly provided a further youthful dimension to the line-up.
It was, though, a couple of more established names who provided a third-minute lead.
Armstrong and Mackay- Steven retain a near-telepathic understanding from their time together at Dundee United. The former’s excellent through ball fed the latter, who skipped around despairing goalkeeper Kees Heemskerk before rolling the ball home.
That set the tone for an opening period in which Mackay-Steven ran Den Bosch ragged. Poor left-back Jordy van der Winden was particularly tormented. In between wishing he was still on holiday, his frustration boiled over with a reckless lunge on the winger that earned a booking from referee Kevin Clancy. From there on, he was the villain of the piece for the Celtic fans.
Tierney and Stefan Scepovic had shots saved by Heemskerk as Deila’s side maintained a good tempo before an unfortunate second concession by the Dutch outfit after 24 minutes.
Again, Mackay-Steven was central to the danger, clipping a shot that was blocked by Heemskerk before rebounding off defender Kadeem Pantophlet and into the Den Bosch net.
Donnelly saw an effort cleared off the line, and Lustig struck the bar with a header, before the one moment of real anxiety for Celtic.
Armstrong had indicated an issue with his calf and was replaced by Paul McMullan five minutes before the break. Lustig also exited.
Deila then removed pretty much every recognised first-team player just after the hour mark in a mass substitution, considering enough work had been done.
Derk Boerrigter — another who has been all but forgotten — was the one senior figure introduced alongside a raft of development squad hopefuls as Celtic saw out an incident-free second half.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sport/football/article-3146646/Celtic-2-0-FC-Den-Bosch-Dedryck-Boyata-strolls-debut-Rogic-shows-lot-offer-Bhoys-return.html#ixzz3egkuaOSo
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