Celtic player ratings vs PSG: A lot of lessons learned

Celtic took on Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday in a preseason friendly. Here are the player ratings from that intense match.

Celtic had a tough go of things when they visited France’s capital on Tuesday to take on Paris Saint-Germain in a preseason friendly. Despite losing 4-0, the Hoops were able to walk away with quite a few lessons learned. Facing off against one of the best clubs in the world will do that for a club.

Glaring holes at goalkeeper and left-back were evident, but not all was negative. In fact, many of the club’s stars turned out and put on a great performance while some of the youngsters are beginning to solidify themselves as a real threat to making the case for first team minutes. Here are your Celtic player ratings from the match:

Scott Bain: 6

Bain is all that remains of Celtic’s keepers that have any meaningful first team experience. The Hoops have yet to come to terms with a number of keepers that they have been connected to. Bain was unable to keep a clean sheet throughout their French tour and Tuesday was no exception.

Bain may be able to survive in Scotland, but if Celtic want to compete in Europe and ultimately make the Champions League Group Stage then Bain will need to be a backup to a quality keeper. That much was clear on Tuesday.

Christopher Jullien: 8

It is hard to justify giving anyone on the backline a good rating after giving up four goals. However, Jullien made some incredible tackles against the best in the world while also representing the best opportunity for a Celtic goal when his header went off the left post. Jullien is picking up right where he left off and should be the bright spot once again this season.

Greg Taylor: 6.5

Taylor didn’t look bad in the first half, but nearly all of PSG’s attack came from the left side. Taylor was brought in a year ago to help reinforce the left-back position. If this preseason tour is anything to judge things off of then he has likely won the bulk of starts at the position over Boli Bolingoli-Mbombo. However, his second half against PSG looked a lot like his entire match against Nice: rough.

This is one position that has been neglected since Kieran Tierney left for Arsenal. It can’t happen again.

Nir Bitton: 5

Not much to say other than he looked out of his league in this match. Bitton, when he is in form, can add an electricity to a match. Not on Tuesday.

Ryan Christie: 7

A couple of scuffles with Neymar and some missed chances highlighted Christie’s performance. But, you have to give the veteran credit: he never quit and was always in position to make something happen. Unfortunately, he never fully executed.

Olivier Ntcahm: 7.5

We were actually fans of Ntcham against PSG. He didn’t make many mistakes and played hard. Other than a lack of aggressiveness on the defensive side of the ball as well as a lack of assertiveness from nearly the entire midfield, Ntcham was a highlight.

Odsonne Edouard: 6

Decision making was not on the Frenchman’s side when he faced off against his old club on Tuesday. Whether he wished to score and prove a point, or if he just wasn’t aware of his surroundings, the club needs better from its paragon. Eddie had an incredible chance to help put the Hoops on the board early when he made a great move to recover the ball. He drove down the field right into the box, and rather than toss it off the Mohamed Elyounoussi wide open on the left, he inexplicably kept the ball and ran straight into two defenders who made quick work.

Mohamed Elyounoussi: 8

When Elyounoussi was afforded opportunities he looked like he belonged with the upper competition of Europe’s power clubs. He was quick, made good runs and was decisive. He looks poised to once again shred Scottish competition. Look for him to have a huge year if he stays healthy.

Jeremie Frimpong: 8.5

Man of the Match. We said on Twitter that he will be Scotland’s best full-back this season, book it. He was electric on Tuesday and gave PSG fits. He was great on defence and was apart of some of Celtic’s most aggressive attacks. What a great match for the youngster.

Kristoffer Ajer: 7

Whether he was trying to prove he deserves a move to a Italian or English side or whether he was playing to prove he belongs at Celtic, Ajer played well. He was a leader on the pitch, and despite a few mistakes that are to be expected during preseason, Ajer looked solid.

Callum McGregor: 7.5

After a small knock to Scott Brown CalMac was asked to assume the captaincy, something he will need to get used to when Brown retires. CalMac did well to be assertive and command while also helping his squad face adversity of being in a losing position.

The Celtic Bhoy never let up and he never gave up. He put himself and others in a good position to score as well as defend. Much of the Hoops’ solid run of minutes was largely due to his leadership.