In the Scottish Cup semi-final on Saturday, Celtic star Liam Scales was unable to contain the physicality of the Aberdeen attack, according to former first-team defender Richard Foster.
Celtic’s 3-3 draw with Aberdeen on Saturday allowed them to advance to the finals via a penalty shootout.
Bojan Miovski and Ester Sokler, two Aberdeen attackers, were difficult for the Celtic defence to contain, and Foster emphasised that Scales was the player who appeared uneasy the entire time.
He made the point that, in physical duels, the Celtic center-back consistently finished second, and that, once Sokler entered the attack, he truly appeared exhausted.
When crosses are delivered inside Celtic’s penalty box, the former defender thinks opposing teams will now know that the defence is questionable and that this is a vulnerable spot that could be exploited.
Foster told BBC Radio Scotland, “I felt that Scales had difficulty.”
Even Miovski’s physical attributes were a struggle for him; when he plays on the final line, they never really seem to get the structure behind the ball in the right place.
“Miovski was rushing back and forth between Scales and [Cameron] Carter-Vickers rather than having one picking up and one screening in front of him so many times when they were square.
“They simply couldn’t seem to handle him, and when Sokler entered the picture, he caused them a great deal of trouble.”
“I don’t believe he prevailed in any header against him.
“Liam Scales scored the second and third goals, in my opinion, both with balls into the box.
“He just keeps his eyes on the ball, allowing Sokler, the striker, and MacDonald, the defender, to float past him.”
Brendan Rodgers will be hoping that his team can avoid defensive lapses in time for the season’s last games, as Celtic leads the Scottish Premiership table by three points.
GET MORE NEWS HERE
Leave a Reply