You get the feeling that Jason Denayer could have swapped his studs for slippers before lighting up a Cuban cigar and strolling through the final half hour of Lyon’s 2-0 Europa League victory over Rangers on Thursday night.
Yet it’s not as if the Belgium international did not find himself under some serious pressure in the second half, as Steven Gerrard’s side looked for a route back into a game that appeared to be slipping away from them.
James Tavernier and Borna Barisic did what James Tavernier and Borna Barisic do; firing cross after cross into the penalty area. Alfredo Morelos, meanwhile, was his typical ‘Buffalo in a China shop’ self, backing in, linking the play and running the lines.
But Lyon’s outstanding central defender dealt with everything that came his way. Denayer the denier. Nominative determinism at its very best.
Does Ange Postecoglou need his own Jason Denayer?
While plenty of Celtic supporters could not resist a little jab at their Old Firm rivals – a former Hoops star central to a result which leaves Rangers nailed to the bottom of an embryonic Group A table – Denayer’s near-faultless performance must have stung a little. Especially considering that Ange Postecoglou is crying out for a defender as solid and reliable as Lyon’s £11.5 million stopper.
A 4-3 defeat at Real Betis earlier on Thursday evening once again highlighted the defensive issues that continue to hold Ange Postecoglou back, undermining that courageous, forward-thinking attacking football at every turn.
The £4.5 million Carl Starfelt and USA international Cameron Carter-Vickers were exposed again and again as Betis ran riot, scoring four times in just 18 minutes either side of half-time.
Someone like Denayer would give Postecoglou the platform he needs to construct a new dynasty at Parkhead. Instead, it feels like the Celtic boss is building his house on sand.
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