Gordon Dalziel believes Celtic’s defensive issues were laid bare in their 2-2 draw with Aberdeen at Celtic Park on Saturday, highlighting just how much the team misses Cameron Carter-Vickers at the heart of their backline.
The clash between the Scottish Premiership’s top two saw Celtic race to a 2-0 lead, only for Aberdeen to fight back and secure a draw. Despite ten minutes of stoppage time, neither side could find a winner, leaving the points shared.
Celtic’s centre-backs Liam Scales and Auston Trusty came under scrutiny after the match, with many questioning their performance.
However, former striker Dalziel sees the bigger issue as the absence of Carter-Vickers, whom he views as a crucial figure in the team’s defence.
Speaking on Clyde 1’s Superscoreboard, Dalziel explained:
“Celtic’s big problem is… Carter-Vickers is so important to the [centre-back] partnership. When he plays with Scales, Scales has been brilliant for Celtic.
“Now, maybe when Carter-Vickers plays with Trusty… but what it tells me is Carter-Vickers is such an important part of that defensive team.”
Dalziel also dismissed criticism aimed at left-back Alex Valle, adding:
“I would not jump on the bandwagon of saying ‘oh Greg Taylor was’. I don’t think the boy [Valle] played that badly today.”
Carter-Vickers had been expected to return for the Aberdeen match, but his absence was felt as Celtic’s defence struggled to cope.
Now, the focus shifts to whether the key defender will be fit in time for Celtic’s midweek Champions League clash against Atalanta.