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Rodgers signing who’s only played 1 game could end Ralston’s Celtic career
One of the more eyebrow-raising decisions made by Wilfried Nancy at Celtic in recent matches has been his call to start Anthony Ralston as a right-sided centre-back in the last three games.
The right-back has played on the right side of the back three for the new manager, despite being displaced by Colby Donovan under Brendan Rodgers and Martin O’Neill.
Ralston was given a 4/10 player rating by Glasgow World in the 3-1 League Cup final defeat to St Mirren and a 4/10 player rating by 67HailHail in the 2-1 loss to Dundee United in the Scottish Premiership.
Many may look to Donovan as the natural alternative to the experienced full-back, given that they are both natural right-backs, but that should not be the case.
Why Donovan should not replace Ralston
Love it or loathe it, Nancy has introduced a new system at Parkhead. The 3-4-2-1 formation has changed the dynamics in the squad and what is needed from each position.
Celtic do not play with a right-back anymore. It has, essentially, been split into two different roles: right-sided centre-back and right wing-back. This means that Donovan and Ralston are not competing for the same position anymore, because they fall into different roles now.
Whilst Ralston is more of an old-school defender who will dig in and fight for duels, rather than showing attacking flair and quality, he is more suited to the centre-back position.
Donovan, who assisted Kieran Tierney’s goal against Aberdeen on Sunday, is more suited to playing as a wing-back because of the quality that he can deliver into the box.
The academy graduate has produced three assists in all competitions, per Sofascore, including two assists in four starts in the Scottish Premiership.
Because of this formation change, Donovan may not be the player who ends Ralston’s career at Parkhead, amid his poor run of performances, as he should be competing with Hyun-jun Yang for a starting berth.
The rarely-seen star who could end Ralston’s Celtic career
Nancy does, however, have a rarely-seen star who does have the potential to end Ralston’s career by emerging as a starter in the right-sided centre-back role.
In the summer transfer window, Brendan Rodgers swooped to sign Jahmai Simpson-Pusey on loan from Manchester City and described the central defender as a “quick” and “dominant” player.
Unfortunately, the 20-year-old prospect did not play a single game for the Northern Irish head coach, as the likes of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Liam Scales, Dane Murray, and Auston Trusty were preferred ahead of him in the back four.
Martin O’Neill finally handed the youngster his debut for Celtic during his time in interim charge, but he started him as a right-back in a 4-0 win over Kilmarnock in the Premiership, despite being a natural centre-back.
In that win, the English defender showed that he has the physicality to deal with the rigours of Scottish football, as he won five of his eight duels and was not dribbled past a single time at right-back, per Sofascore.
|
Vs Kilmarnock |
Jahmai Simpson-Pusey |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
64 |
|
Duels won |
5/8 |
|
Interceptions |
1 |
|
Clearances |
4 |
|
Dribbled past |
0x |
|
Pass accuracy |
97% |
As you can see in the table above, Simpson-Pusey was also incredibly reliable defensively for the Scottish giants in that convincing win under the Northern Irish manager, whilst excelling defensively.
His experience at right-back on his debut for Celtic could make him the ideal player to displace the underperforming Ralston in the right-sided centre-back role, because he is a natural centre-back who has experience at right-back, making him the perfect player for that hybrid role.
Ralston has been dribbled past 0.6 times per match and only completed 86% of his attempted passes in the Premiership this season, per Sofascore, which shows that he has been susceptible defensively and wasteful at times in possession at right-back and right centre-back.
Whilst Simpson-Pusey only has the one game for Celtic as evidence of his strength defensively and on the ball, he also completed 97% of his attempted passes and was not dribbled past a single time, per Sofascore, in two EFL Trophy appearances for Manchester City’s U21s in the 2024/25 campaign.
The Cityzens loanee has been an unused substitute in the last two matches, against Dundee United and Aberdeen, which shows that he is available for selection and could feature for Nancy in the coming weeks.
With this in mind, the French head coach should finally unleash the rarely-seen star, who has made one first-team appearance this season, in Ralston’s role to finally end the defender’s career at Parkhead.
Not just Johnny Kenny: Nancy must finally drop Celtic flop who won 0 duels
Wilfried Nancy must finally drop this Celtic flop who was as bad as Johnny Kenny against Aberdeen.
Ralston’s underwhelming performances, as aforementioned, could leave him as a deep back-up option if Simpson-Pusey comes in to replace him and Alistair Johnston returns from injury, which could force him to consider his future at the club, essentially ending his career at the club.
