Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will surely have been disappointed with his side’s performance in their 2-0 loss to Braga in the Europa League at Parkhead on Thursday night.
The Scottish giants have picked up one point from their first two matches in the league phase of the competition after they failed to qualify for the Champions League.
Celtic were unfortunate not to score an equaliser when they were 1-0 down, though, as Kelechi Iheanacho’s goal was ruled out for an alleged handball, although the footage released of the incident so far suggests that there was no offence.
Irrespective of whether or not that goal should have stood, Celtic have not done enough at the top end of the pitch in their last nine matches in all competitions.
Braga (H)
2-0 loss
Hibernian (H)
0-0 draw
Red Star Belgrade (A)
1-1 draw
Partick Thistle (A)
4-0 win
Kilmarnock (A)
2-1 win
Rangers (A)
0-0 draw
Kairat (A)
0-0 draw (loss on penalties)
Livingston (H)
3-0 win
Kairat (H)
0-0 draw
As you can see in the table above, the Hoops have failed to score in five of their last nine games, four of their last nine if you want to count Iheanacho’s disallowed strike as a plus in that column.
Supporters want to see excitement. They want to see attacking play that results in goals. One former Celtic player who provided those things was Aiden McGeady.
Why Aiden McGeady was a Celtic fan favourite
The Ireland international, who came up through the youth ranks at Parkhead after his move from Queen’s Park as a teenager, was a fan favourite because of his style of play on the left wing.
McGeady got supporters off their feet with his impressive dribbling skills, to the point where he had a skill move named after him. “The McGeady spin” is up there with the “Ronaldo chop” and “the Maradona turn” for skills associated with one player.
The Irish winger being referenced for a skill move pulled off by a Ballon d’Or contender playing for Barcelona in 2025 speaks to the impact that he had on the game with his skills on the left wing for Celtic and other clubs.
McGeady also had end product to his skilful performances for the Scottish Premiership giants, with a return of 37 goals and 48 assists in 240 matches, per Transfermarkt.
That is why he was a fan favourite for the Parkhead crowd because he was able to back up his dribbles and exciting wing play with goals and assists to help the team in the final third.
Jota
£24m
Nicolas Kuhn
£16.5m
Aidan McGeady
£10m
Liel Abada
£6.7m
Mikey Johnston
£2.9m
Sead Haksabanovic
£1.6m
His £10m move to Spartak Moscow in 2010 also still ranks in the top three biggest winger sales in the club’s history, only knocked out of the top two in the recent summer transfer window by Nicolas Kuhn’s move to Como.
McGeady was a fantastic left-winger for the Hoops who provided skills, goals, assists, and value to the club, with his eventual exit, and the club are now brewing their next version of the Irish forward.
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Celtic swooped to sign left-sided attacker Sebastian Tounekti from Hammarby on deadline day at the start of last month to bolster their options at the top end of the pitch, and he has made a bright start to life in Glasgow.
Why Sebastian Touneki is the next Aiden McGeady in the making
The Tunisia international’s first month or so with the Bhoys suggests that he has all the tools to become the next McGeady at Parkhead on the left wing if he is able to kick on and become consistent.
Tounekti has only scored one goal and failed to provide any assists in five matches for Celtic in all competitions to date, per Sofascore, but those numbers do not tell the full story.
He has created seven chances for his teammates in four outings in the Scottish Premiership and Europa League for the Hoops, per Sofascore, but his teammates have not rewarded him with an assist because they have been too wasteful in front of goal.
As you can see in the clips above, he was unfortunate not to record an assist on his debut against Kilmarnock after teeing up Benjamin Nygren for two good chances.
Tounekti’s bright performances have also earned him plaudits from multiple pundits and former players who have been impressed by what he has shown for the Scottish giants.
During the Premier Sports coverage of the match, pundit Michael Stewart described the 23-year-old star as the Celtic “danger man” and claimed that he “unsettles defences” with his direct play. He was also called the “danger man” for the Hoops by Joe Hart in TNT Sports’ coverage of the 2-0 defeat to Braga.
The next step for Tounekti is to add more consistency to his end product because his performance against Braga showcased the best and worst of him.
Minutes
90
Shots
3
Key passes
1
Big chances created
0
Crosses completed
0/1
Dribbles completed
6/8
Duels won
9/21
As you can see in the table above, the left winger was McGeady-esque with his six completed dribbles, but he only created one chance for his teammates and only attempted one cross.
Instead of constantly looking for the cut-back, which can be effective at times, the Tunisia international should look to switch up his game by going down the line to put more crosses in, adding variation to keep defenders second-guessing.
The one cross that he did put in was a teasing left-footed ball to the back post that a Celtic player should have anticipated and got on the end of to score. That was his only attempted cross, though, and that is why Rodgers and the coaching staff should encourage him to try more of those balls into the six-yard box.
Tounekti has the dribbling ability to get fans off their seats, as McGeady did, but the next step is for him to add more goals and assists to his game, as the Irishman did, to cement himself as a true fan favourite in the months and years to come.
