Maik Nawrocki has his say on early months at Celtic
Maik Nawrocki has his say on early months at Celtic
Following a winning run of five games under Brendan Rodgers, Celtic have enjoyed a good run of form.
To be honest, it is difficult to understand how the Hoops managed to lose three straight games till the
end of December. However, going into the Scottish Premiership comeback, things at Parkhead appear to
be improving.
Defensively, Rodgers’ men have conceded just once in their quintet of victories courtesy of a James
Tavernier set-piece consolation in the Glasgow Derby.
Notably, Maik Nawrocki made his first appearance for Celtic since late August during the affair,
replacing Stephen Welsh after just 35 minutes [Transfermarkt].
Despite his lack of match sharpness, the Pole turned in a solid display against Philippe Clement’s men
and hasn’t looked back since, featuring in wins over St Mirren and Buckie Thistle.
Signed for £4.3 million in the summer, it has taken a while for the Bremen-born defender to get fully up
to speed; nevertheless, he is beginning to establish himself at Parkhead.
Celtic defender Nawrocki explains how he claimed starting berth
Nawrocki has been made to wait for his chance at Celtic due to the excellent form of Liam Scales, who
has become one of the biggest ‘surprises’ of Rodgers’ managerial career, according to the Irishman
himself.
Nonetheless, the 22-year-old now looks to be thriving in green and white after a period in the
wilderness.
Explaining how he managed to claim a starting slot, the Hoops’ centre-back stated [Football Scotland]:
“I think the only thing that wasn’t good was the injury.
“The rest was really fine with the team and the people, I felt very welcomed everywhere, so it wasn’t a
problem. I’m happy that I can finally play now, I think in the beginning I played three games before
Rangers, and yeah, it was a hard time to get into the team.
“The only thing I could do was work hard, be prepared in the moment, and it happened. The only thing
was I didn’t play, that’s sometimes football, I work hard in training and that’s the only thing I could do.”
Realistically, Nawrocki is still early into his career at Celtic and will need to continue his recent positive
form over a longer sample period.
With Nat Phillips now back at Liverpool, there will be plenty of chances for the Polish defender to add to
his six appearances across all competitions so far this term [Transfermarkt].
Holding his own in the Scottish Premiership, the former Legia Warsaw man has excelled in several key
metrics. Sofascore note that he has made an average of 3.8 clearances, 1.8 interceptions and 1.5
successful tackles per league fixture.
Coupled with a match rating of 7.15/10, Nawrocki has shown resilience to recover from a difficult start
and it will be intriguing to see if he can dislodge Cameron Carter-Vickers or Scales long-term.
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