Celtic had to show resilience to get over the line against Dundee yesterday at Dens Park to reclaim a three-point advantage at the Scottish Premiership summit.
The Bhoys didn’t produce their best performance on Tayside; however, James Forrest emerged as the hero, scoring two pivotal goals in a match otherwise bereft of quality on a dry surface.
When Celtic looked to have put the game beyond doubt, Antonio Portales fortuitously struck for the hosts to pull one back, as his volley from a corner was sliced past Joe Hart by the unfortunate Adam Idah.
After proceedings concluded, Brendan Rodgers admitted his side weren’t their free-flowing selves but did a sterling job of navigating past Tony Docherty’s men, as he stated: “The pitch makes a difference. It was dry and bumpy so that never makes for a fluid game, and you could see that in the play.
“There’s no doubt that Dundee have had a fantastic season. I’m so pleased for Tony Docherty and his staff. They can be a threat, so you have to overcome that.”
Now, Celtic have a favourable run of three home matches and one away clash left in the Scottish Premiership, signifying Rodgers’ group will have a raucous backing behind them in their final push to claim the league title.
The Irishman vowed the Hoops would ‘write our own story’ in the midst of some difficult moments this term, and they will be keen to live up to this statement against Heart of Midlothian this Saturday.
Brendan Rodgers’ tactical switch to help Celtic see off Dundee
Undoubtedly, Forrest will take the vast majority of the credit for his match-winning exploits against Dundee, which is fully deserved, as it would’ve been hard to envisage Celtic emerging victorious without his presence yesterday.
However, Rodgers also deserved plaudits for his decision to throw Tomoki Iwata into the engine room to shore things up on 62 minutes, giving Callum McGregor some respite, with the captain still working his way back to full fitness.
The Japan international didn’t do anything spectacular in his 28 minutes on the field; regardless, his ability to win the ball and recycle possession efficiently helped to take the sting out of late pressure from Dundee.
Per Fotmob, the 26-year-old completed 21 out of his 22 attempted passes in his cameo appearance, three of which entered the final third. He also only had 25 touches, demonstrating his appetite to receive and distribute rather than invite danger by holding on to possession for too long.
From a defensive standpoint, Iwata won 100% of his tackles, carried out one clearance, two ‘defensive actions’, and two ball recoveries, plus one successful ground duel.
Injuries flattened the earlier part of Iwata’s campaign, though he has now racked up 20 appearances for the Bhoys in all competitions this season, filling in as a squad player effectively [Transfermarkt].
Nevertheless, he is a useful commodity to have around at Parkhead, and he may have given Rodgers some food for thought against Dundee with the rest of the title run-in on the horizon.