That night in Dortmund stands as a blot on the copybook, yet Scottish champions Celtic have looked rather imperious otherwise in the early knockings of the new season, having made a faultless start to the defence of their league crown.
Seven wins from seven have been secured in the Scottish Premiership thus far, with new number one Kasper Schmeichel having conceded just once in the competition in that time, as Ronan Hale fired home from the penalty spot in Dingwall last time out. Even that required a second attempt from the Irishman.
Schmeichel, it must be said, is more than proving his worth following his free transfer arrival from Anderlecht over the summer, with the 37-year-old having comfortably taken over the mantle from fellow veteran, Joe Hart, in the sticks.
Club
Games
Goals conceded
Clean sheets
Leicester City
479
586
147
Notts County
49
39
25
Nice
46
47
13
Leeds
40
55
10
Anderlecht
32
33
8
Bury
29
27
11
Cardiff City
14
14
5
Falkirk
11
15
3
Celtic
11
12
6
Man City
10
11
4
Coventry
9
12
2
Darlington
4
1
3
Total
734
852
237
That bargain capture of the experienced Dane came amid what was, in the end, an impressive window for the Old Firm side, with Brendan Rodgers and co already reaping the rewards of their summer business.
Celtic's new stars are shining
Ahead of Schmeichel, it does appear too early to judge new man Auston Trusty, with the left-footer having been forced to slot into an unorthodox, right centre-back berth amid Cameron Carter-Vickers’ absence, although another new defender – Alex Valle – has already caught the eye following his notable, back-heeled assist against St Johnstone.
At the top end of the pitch, £9.5m man Adam Idah has made an encouraging start to life back at Parkhead with four goals in ten games thus far, taking his total tally for the club to 13 goals and two assists in just 28 games across all fronts.
The ex-Norwich City man was not the only former loanee to sign permanently, as Paulo Bernardo – who already has two goals this season – joined from Benfica, while the midfield ranks were strengthened even further with the £1m addition of Dundee’s Luke McCowan.
McCowan has slotted in smoothly having got off the mark in the 2-0 win over Hearts back in September, a game that also saw fellow new arrival – and club-record signing – Arne Engels get up and running in a Hoops shirt.
Arne Engels' market value in 2024
It is, of course, still early days, yet Celtic’s £11m signing doesn’t appear to have been weighed down too heavily by that hefty price tag, nor by the pressure to try and fill Matt O’Riley’s shoes in Glasgow.
In just seven appearances in green and white, the promising Belgian has already chalked up three goals and two assists from his creative midfield berth, having previously contributed 12 goal involvements in 53 outings for former club Augsburg.
Not that it’s all been plain-sailing – with Engels hooked on the hour mark against Ross County last week – but it does look as if Rodgers is on to a winner with this marquee signing already.
That point is only heightened by the fact that, remarkably, the 21-year-old – whom teammate Callum McGregor dubbed a “powerhouse” – may already be worth more than what the club paid for him just a matter of months ago.
That’s according to CIES Football Observatory, who deem the playmaker to be worth as much as €20m (£18m), representing an increase of £7m in relation to his £11m transfer fee.
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Not that Celtic will be looking to cash in any time soon, but it does bode well for the potential profit that could be made in the future, with the Old Firm outfit having raked in £25m apiece for Jota and O’Riley across the last two summer windows.
The question now is whether young Engels can mirror that pair and cement himself as something of a talisman at Celtic Park. Only time will tell.
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