Celtic boss Neil Lennon has hailed the performances of Beram Kayal and Daniel Majstorovic after the new signings played a key role in last night’s 2-0 Europa League win against FC Utrecht.
Israel international Kayal, who joined the club on a four-year deal from Maccabi Haifa last month, impressed throughout the match. The 22-year-old created Celtic’s opening goal with a top-notch pass to Efrain Juarez, who lofted the ball about the Utrecht ‘keeper.
The official site quoted Lennon as saying: “Kayal has a bit of everything. He started off making tackles, he was passing the ball very well, and he showed in the second-half that he can brush past people as well.”
If Celtic’s midfield looked out of shape last season, the defence looked truly woeful at times and the performance of veteran Sweden international centre-back Daniel Majstorovic suggests Lennon may have found a player who can dominate the back line.
Lennon said: “It was a very composed debut from Majstorovic. We thought he might bring that in the team and obviously that physical presence as well. He’s comfortable on the ball and he can defend his corner. We have a lot of work to do with the back four and the midfield as a defensive unit, but there are very encouraging signs.”
Lennon’s comments about needing to work with the back four can’t be denied and the fact Majstorovic impressed as much as he did within a few days of joining the club perhaps speaks volumes about the other players in the squad, but hopefully things are now moving in the right direction.
However, with all the talk of players coming in it’s easy to overlook the effort put in by one player who many assumed to be on his way out. Georgios Samaras grabbed the second goal of the game and played like a different player to the one who often frustrated last season. Something for Lennon to ponder as the transfer window draws to a close.
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