Celtic ace Nir Bitton says he is learning the centre-back position.
Celtic midfielder Nir Bitton says that he is learning the ropes of playing at centre-back – a position he is willing to adapt to for the team.
The 26-year-old is a central midfielder but Brendan Rodgers has used him in central defence mainly because of injuries to Jozo Simunovic and Erik Sviatchenko, both of whom are now back in training.
Bitton has been operating as a makeshift centre-back for a while, a role that has seen him drawing criticism from fans and pundits.
The Israel international will face the fearsome trio of Neymar, Edinson Cavani and Kylian Mbappe when Celtic play PSG in the Champions League on Wednesday.
Bitton admits that he hasn’t played at central midfield for a long time now, but instead of voicing frustration he is happy to learn the trade and follow his manager’s instructions.
He says that he’s enjoying his football, and that if Rodgers asks him to play as goalkeeper, he would happily do that.
It only goes to show his confidence, and his trust in the manager. Celtic fans should feel very happy to have such a committed player in the side.
“I haven’t played centre midfield for a long time now. If the gaffer thinks I deserve to play centre back, that’s what I will do. If he thinks I should play as goalkeeper, that’s what I will do. I am enjoying it, I am enjoying my football and winning and I am just trying to keep that going,” said Bitton, as quoted by the Telegraph.
“I don’t know if it’s more aggression but as a centre-back you need to jump, you need to be strong, you need to press the strikers.
“For football players it’s all about confidence. When you get confidence from the manager and from the players around you, you can do things you didn’t do before, but it’s still an early stage for me as a centre-back and I’m still trying to learn the position. I’m trying to be better and there are a lot of things to do.”
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