Brendan Rodgers took a risk sending out Nir Bitton to play at centre-half against Astana – but it’s fair to say it all worked out in the end.
It appears everything Brendan Rodgers touches at the moment turns to gold.
Just when you thought Nir Bitton’s Celtic career was grinding to a half, an ingenious, if forced, tactical shuffle appears to have shunted the Israeli midfielder back into The Hoops’ first-team plans for the foreseeable future.
With centre-backs Erik Sviatchenko and Dedryck Boyata ruled out with untimely injuries, Rodgers was left with a selection headache ahead of Celtic’s crucial Champions League qualifier against Astana of Kazakhstan.
However, Rodgers not only found a solution to the problem but also re-launched the career of a player who looked set to depart just a few weeks ago.
Bitton had been trialled in an unfamiliar centre-half role in recent weeks in preparation for the clash at Parkhead but, when the time came to perform, the 25-year-old produced a performance Rodgers could only have dreamed about.
Though it’s fair to say the Kazakhstani visitors were hardly the most testing of opposition, going down to a 5-0 defeat which renders next week’s return leg rather moot, Bitton did everything that was asked off him in typically stylish fashion.
Though he has always been renowned for his impressive distribution, Bitton’s positional sense really stood out on Wednesday as Celtic secured an always important clean sheet. His ability without the ball was just as essential as his class with it.
While goalscorers Scott Sinclair, Leigh Griffiths and James Forrest will hog the headlines, Bitton’s performances was a personal victory for both the midfielder and his manager with the Midas Touch.
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