Is there anything Cameron Carter-Vickers can’t do? Celtic’s centre-back sensation showcased another string to his bow during Saturday’s thumping 5-1 win over Kilmarnock, with the United States international rifling home in stunning fashion for the game’s third goal.
Having driven forward with the ball from deep, the former Tottenham Hotspur man unleashed a simply remarkable strike from range that soared into the roof of the net, with the 27-year-old arguably bettering the effort of teammate, Reo Hatate, which opened the scoring.
Previously described as potentially the “best centre-back outside of the top five leagues” by The Athletic’s EuroExpert, the towering defender has proven to be a simply masterful signing following his initial loan arrival back in the summer of 2021.
After a string of temporary spells away from Spurs, the Southend-born titan has found a real home for himself at Parkhead, having now racked up 154 appearances for the Hoops to date, scoring eight times in the process.
The key man at the heart of the backline, the only issue has been finding a permanent partner to Carter-Vickers in recent times, with Rodgers still seemingly yet to settle on the likes of Auston Trusty and Liam Scales in that left-sided berth.
Celtic's centre-back conundrum
Recent weeks, in particular, have seen real rotation and alteration in the centre-back ranks, with Maik Nawrocki handed rare starts against both Rangers and Hearts, while Trusty and Scales have since featured against St Johnstone and Kilmarnock, respectively.
For Carter-Vickers to have had three different partners in just the last three games is far from an ideal scenario, with that epitomising the unsettled nature of the backline of late.
Indeed, there has been a real merry-go-round of centre-backs at Celtic Park in recent years, with the decision to fork out £4.3m on Nawrocki and £3m on Gustav Lagerbielke backfiring, with the former having made just 17 appearances for the club, while the latter man is now on loan at FC Twente.
Meanwhile, the likes of Nat Phillips and Yuki Kobayashi have come and gone over the last year or so, while academy graduate Stephen Welsh finally secured a long-awaited move away from the club to join Belgian side Mechelen on a temporary basis in January, with the Scotsman enduring a bit-part role prior to that.
A resurgent Scales was the main man last term – following his return from Aberdeen – after making 45 appearances in all competitions, although the £6m signing of Trusty in the summer has altered the pecking order, with the American starting nine of his side’s ten Champions League games.
That said, the ex-Sheffield United star has hardly been perfect, as the defeat to St Johnstone showcased, with Rodgers also branding his display “a bit soft” following the 3-3 draw with Dundee in January.
This season could still end with a domestic treble, following an encouraging European run, so there are little in the way of complaints. That said, Rodgers may now be regretting selling a potential centre-back upgrade…
Celtic have already sold an upgrade on Trusty & Scales
As Rodgers walked back in the door as the successor to Ange Postecoglou in the summer of 2023, the Northern Irishman was dealt a notable blow amid the £25m sale of talisman, Jota, with the Hoops also losing Aaron Mooy amid the Australian’s shock decision to retire.
Where Are They Now
Defensively too, it proved to be a summer of change as first-choice centre-back, Carl Starfelt opted to join LaLiga side, Celta Vigo, with Rodgers suggesting the club had found it “hard…to compete” financially, amid the lure of Spanish football.
Signed initially from Rubin Kazan on a £4m deal in 2021, Starfelt endured a shaky debut away at Hearts after being thrust straight into the action by Postecoglou, with the experienced Swede lining up alongside the makeshift presence of Nir Bitton on the day.
Despite that iffy beginning, the towering defender went on to fashion a remarkably solid partnership with Carter-Vickers over the next two years, with John Hartson describing him as a “pivotal” presence in the centre of defence.
Equally, another former Parkhead hero – Chris Sutton – felt that Starfelt remained unfairly judged for his early woes, with the striker-turned-pundit describing him as an ‘absolute giant’ and ‘every bit as important to Celtic’s defence as Carter-Vickers’.
Carl Starfelt
64
2.59
W – 53, D – 7, L – 4
Liam Scales
57
2.51
W – 46, D – 5, L – 6
Nir Bitton
30
2.50
W – 24, D – 3, L – 3
Auston Trusty
25
2.32
W – 18, D – 4, L – 3
Stephen Welsh
16
2.31
W – 12, D – 1, L – 3
Moritz Jenz
14
2.29
W – 10, D – 2, L – 2
Maik Nawrocki
6
2.50
W – 5, D – 0, L – 1
Yuki Kobayashi
1
3.00
W -1, D – 0, D – 0
Nat Phillips
1
1.00
W – 0, D – 1, L – 0
As the table above showcases, it is Starfelt who remains the best partner that Carter-Vickers has had during his time in Glasgow, with the pair enjoying the best points-per-game ratio – excluding Kobayashi – having lost just four times in 64 games when paired together.
That illustrates why the now 29-year-old remains an upgrade on the likes of Scales and Trusty, as too does his current form back in LaLiga, with the 14-cap Sweden international coming out on top across a string of metrics, including tackles, interceptions and pass accuracy.
Games (starts)
28 (26)
22 (17)
20 (20)
Goals
1
2
1
Assists
0
3
1
Pass accuracy*
94%
92%
94%
Tackles*
1.4
0.9
1.8
Interceptions*
1.1
0.8
0.6
Clearances*
4.6
4.4
3.5
Total duels won*
58%
74%
64%
Aerial duels won*
55%
75%
63%
Possession lost*
4.0
8.7
8.1
To put that form into greater perspective too, the Celta man also ranks in the top 4% among his European peers for pass completion, as well as in the top 18% for interceptions, as per FBref, thus highlighting his quality both in possession and at regaining possession.
While Starfelt may not have been the most glamourous defender to have graced the Parkhead turf, the unsung hero has arguably not truly been replaced as yet, with the wait still on for someone to nail down that starting berth next to Carter-Vickers.
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Celtic edged ever closer to the title following Saturday’s thumping win over Kilmarnock
ByRobbie Walls