Mark Wilson Tells Celtic Which Position Needs January Improvement

Former Celtic defender Mark Wilson believes the club need to strengthen their midfield after the 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund exposed glaring weaknesses.

Speaking on Clyde 1 Superscoreboard, Wilson pointed to the holding midfield role as a priority, arguing that captain Callum McGregor struggled to handle the pressure on his own, with little support from teaMMAtes Arne Engels and Paulo Bernardo.

McGregor, who has often played in the deep-lying role in Europe, was left isolated as Dortmund ran riot, exploiting the space in Celtic’s midfield. Wilson highlighted the need for a more physical presence in the heart of the team, someone who can break up attacks and provide defensive solidity in high-pressure European fixtures.

“I think I’ve said for a number of years now, Celtic have been missing that real physical presence, maybe in these European nights in there,” Wilson explained. “Callum McGregor is brilliant on the ball and he’ll start moves. But is he that player that will break up attacks? Maybe not.”

Wilson didn’t shy away from criticising McGregor’s performance, acknowledging that the skipper had a poor Game by his high standards, but he also suggested that the lack of support from Bernardo and Engels left McGregor overwhelmed. “I don’t think he was helped by Bernardo and Engels. I thought they were too easy to play through. As good as Engels has been, I thought he just got overrun,” Wilson added.

A defensively-minded holding midfielder could be key to taking a step forward on nights like Tuesday.

In Scotland, Celtic can get away without a holding mideilder. On paper, the captain does play there, but when you look at the positions he takes up during the matches, he’s actually quite advanced.