Sometimes I am loathe to do articles like this. Just because the only stat that matters is the league table.
And the two of the league tables Celtic are in, they sit 6th in the Scottish Premiership and bottom of their Europa League group on goal difference.
But looking at the wider issue, there are signs and stats that back up what Ange Postecoglou is trying to achieve at Celtic Park and glaring, obvious facts that show where he must focus all his attention.
Let’s start with the positives.
Looking at the stats (compiled by Whoscored.com) Celtic’s Europa League attacking stats are amongst the best in the competition so far.
Out of 32 teams, Celtic sit 18th with 34 shots at goal, better than Brendan Rodger’s Leicester and Italian giants Napoli.
The Hoops passing stats are amongst the best in the competition at 6th with most passes completed, just behind Leverkusen, Lyon and Marseille.
But most importantly they are also 6th with most completed ‘key’ passes at 12.5 per match with Leverkusen topping that table with 15.
Celtic’s ball retention is also a highlight as they sit almost bottom of the stats league for being dispossessed at 23rd with the Parkhead club only losing the ball 14 times per 90 minutes.
As if we already didn’t know, Celtic’s defensive record leaves a lot to be desired as they have so far only completed 14 tackles per game putting them in 22nd place but probably most alarming is that for attempted tackles, Celtic are 29th out of 32 teams with only 19.5 attempts at stopping their opponents.
The only saving grace for the Hoops defensive stats is goalkeeper, Joe Hart, who is number 1 in the shot stopping department with 5.5 saves per match. Which of course, backs up the Parkhead sides defensive frailties.
If Celtic are to progress in Europe then clearly they need to take the January transfer window and prioritise their defence because if we DO win this league and get automatic entry into the Champions League group stages, we will be on a hiding to nothing in Europe next season.