Brian Laudrup has branded Celtic “clueless” after his former side dismantled them on their own patch with consummate ease in Saturday’s 2-0 Old Firm derby win at Parkhead.
Writing in his Daliy Mail column, and reported by The Daily Record, Laudrup reveals who he felt was man of the match and “crucial” to Rangers dominance throughout the 90 minutes.
So what has Laudrup said?
When reflecting on one of the easiest wins of the season, never mind a derby win, he said:
“I thought (Glen) Kamara was the best player on the park in the Old Firm game. Just outstanding. He was crucial to the control Rangers had.
“That control left Celtic looking pretty clueless at points in their attempts to produce an attacking threat. Even in my own time in Scotland, I don’t think I can recall them looking as weak in a derby performance. That must be very worrying for boss Neil Lennon right now.
“But their failings and the players they had missing shouldn’t take anything away from the composure and professionalism shown by Gerrard’s team.
“If you didn’t know much about him (Kamara) and looked at stats in terms of goals and assists, you would wonder what the fuss was about. But football is much more complex than those basic numbers.
“Kamara’s decision-making sets him apart. It is exceptional when he is at his best. On Saturday, his footballing brain was in top gear to run beside his technical qualities.
“The most difficult thing in the game is to keep it simple. It’s a cliché, but true nonetheless. Kamara’s patience on the ball, his movement into space and his pass selection were all top class.”
So is Laudrup correct?
Absolutely, it was arguably Kamara‘s finest performance in a Light Blue shirt, he frequently received or won the ball under pressure only to calmly escape and retain possession or start an attack.
His technical ability has never been in doubt and he has shown in the Europa League just how important he can be to Steven Gerrard’s tactics, that Jeremie Frimpong was rendered impotent is much to do with the Finland international’s work off the ball to prevent him from getting any space to run into.
Is Kamara one of the first names on the team-sheet just now?
Yes
No
Not only did Kamara beat several players with his close control and dribbling ability – something we have seen more often this season – but as Laudrup rightly says, his passing was excellent too, bypassing Celtic’s midfield on more than one occasion with radar like accuracy, despite Connor Goldson scoring two goals and ultimately being the match-winner, the Fin’ s presence deserved praise from the highest level – and it doesn’t come much higher than from God himself.