Not just Schmeichel: “Kilmarnock-level” dud must not start for Celtic again
Celtic lost for the fifth time in seven matches under Wilfried Nancy with a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Motherwell in the Scottish Premiership on Tuesday night.
After successive wins for the French manager, when it looked like a corner had been turned after four straight losses, the Hoops have come crashing back down with another loss.
They remain three points behind Hearts in the Premiership table, but they are now only three points ahead of Rangers before their clash with their rivals on Saturday.
Whilst the focus will naturally be on the manager, given his poor start, players should also take responsibility for their poor performances on the pitch, including Kasper Schmeichel.
Why Kasper Schmeichel must be dropped
The experienced Dane missed out on the 4-2 win over Livingston through injury, which provided Viljami Sinisalo with his first appearance of the season between the sticks.
Schmeichel came straight back as the number one against Motherwell, though, and had produced a blunder with a wayward pass for Motherwell’s second goal.
Per FotMob, the veteran goalkeeper has now conceded 1.69 goals more than expected based on the xG against him in the Premiership, which places him 10th out of the 12 eligible goalkeepers in the division.
Last season, Sinisalo prevented 2.52 more goals than expected in six Premiership appearances for Celtic, per FotMob, which suggests that he has the potential to come in as an upgrade on the experienced stopper, whose powers appear to be waning.
Whilst Schmeichel should be dropped from the side for now, there is a Celtic player who should never start for the club again ahead of the January transfer window opening on Thursday.
The Celtic flop who must never start again
The Hoops have a couple of days to potentially bring a new signing in before their clash with Rangers, and they must push to do exactly that in order to drop one of their flops.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast’s Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
Anthony Ralston started for the fifth successive match as the right-sided centre-back in Nancy’s back three system, and once again failed to impress. 67HailHail handed him a 2/10 player rating for his performance and stated that he is ‘out of his depth’, as he was caught out for the opening goal, with the forward between him and Auston Trusty.
That follows his 4/10 player rating against Livingston, 5/10 rating against Aberdeen, 4/10 rating against Dundee United, and 5/10 rating against St Mirren in the League Cup final from the same website.
This speaks to how consistently poor he has been across the five matches that Nancy has handed him starts in, and is backed up by former ESPN writer Andrew Miller describing him as a “Kilmarnock-level” player at the end of last month.
The team’s record in the Premiership with and without Ralston in the starting line-up further backs up the idea that he should not start for the club again.
|
25/26 Premiership |
Without Ralston starting |
With Ralston starting |
|---|---|---|
|
Games |
8 |
11 |
|
Wins |
6 |
6 |
|
Draws |
0 |
2 |
|
Losses |
2 |
3 |
|
Goals conceded |
6 |
11 |
|
Clean sheets |
5 |
5 |
|
Stats via Transfermarkt |
||
As you can see in the table above, Celtic have a much better win rate and defensive record when they do not start with the Scottish dud in their defence.
Subscribe to the newsletter for sharper Celtic analysis
Looking for clearer context on Celtic’s managerial choices, player form, and January transfer targets? Subscribe to the newsletter for focused coverage and analysis of tactics, squad debates and potential signings to keep you informed.
By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.
What makes their record without Ralston all the more impressive is that he did not feature in either of the two losses against league leaders Hearts, which accounts for both losses and five of the six goals conceded in those eight games.
These statistics and his dismal performances in recent weeks under Nancy suggest that he should not be starting matches for Celtic, simply because they appear to be a worse team when he does.
It was reported earlier this week that the Hoops are eyeing a move to sign Julian Araujo, a right-back, on loan from Bournemouth in the January transfer window, and the club must push to get a deal over the line in the next couple of days.
Celtic could land Nancy's own Giakoumakis by signing "physical" £3m ST
Celtic could find their next version of Giorgos Giakoumakis by signing this reported transfer target.
By
Dan Emery
Signing Araujo would allow Nancy to instantly bench Ralston before Alistair Johnston returns from injury later in 2026, which would then leave at least two players ahead of the Scottish dud, preventing him from starting another game and possibly ending his Celtic career.
