An elite individual talent at work

Winning as comfortably as Celtic are these days, it is easy to forget those times when we struggle to breakdown packed defences.  This has been a feature of Celtic games for as long as I’ve been watching.  We have always and will always come up against teams who will put 10 men behind the ball and seldom leave their final third.

In most games we will move the ball around quickly enough for cracks to open up.  The same is true for our main title rivals.  Often, the league is won and lost on how well the contenders are able to overcome a packed defence that sticks to task.

Leagues are won by players and actions that set the champions apart.  In this particular area, David Turnbull excels.  His technique when shooting from outside the box is exceptional.  In less than a combined 90 minute action against packed defences in recent weeks, he has scored three times from outside the area.

Low shots, hard and bullet fast, this is not about how Celtic move the ball or their ability to create space, it is an elite individual talent at work.  When we are comfortably ahead of St Mirren, Morton or St Johnstone, this is of little consequence, but when struggling to make the breakthrough, David Turnbull is an outstanding asset.

He is still only 23, lots of road ahead. Talk of a new contract is not premature.