Got to love Russell Boyce.
The Bhoycie Bus host and friend of Vital Celtic isn’t afraid to offer his opinion on his YouTube podcast as well as on social media and this is one opinion that will certainly split the Celtic support.
Josip Juranovic.
Much touted for a move from Celtic over the summer and also expected to be the subject of transfer speculation in the January window, the Croatian right-back has proven to be a quality footballer since his move to the Hoops last summer.
Or has he?
Not according to Boyce who posted this after last night’s 5-1 defeat at the hands of Real Madrid:
The Juranovic penny finally dropping with the masses on Twitter now. 🤷♂️
Decent player. No more than that.
— Russell Boyce (@RussellBoyce1) November 2, 2022
It’s fair to say that Russell’s opinion has caused quite a stir and to be fair to him, he has been consistent with this and it’s not just a reaction to last night’s performance.
So, let’s look at Juranovic’s stats since joining the club.
In 49 appearances, Josip has scored six goals and created 3 in all competitions [Transfermarkt].
Not the best considering our style of football and how far up he plays his football.
Commanding domestically, Juranovic this season has averaged a match rating of 7.31 [Sofascore] in seven appearances.
Las season he was 7.21 over 26 appearances.
In the SPFL this season he has a passing accuracy of 85%, has won 63% of ground duels and 38% of his ariel battles.
He has lost possession on average almost 14 times and averages less than 1 interception each game.
In the Champions League, he has averaged a match rating of 6.93 in six games. His passing accuracy remains at 85% and has won 64% of his ground duels and just 50% of his ariel duels.
He lost possession just over 11 times on average and has made less than 1 interception per game.
What has been significant is how much Juranovic has been caught out of possession this Champions League campaign but considering how Ange wants him to play, that’s hardly surprising.
So, bang average or still a great player for us?
Let me know in the poll below:
Again getting the balance and realistic view of spl and 99% of players very average, and the step up to the best in world in CL. A nightmare for Celtic to adjust their players from playing legbreakers every week, to outright class, for a short period.