The importance of Jozo Simunovic to the Celtic defence

Bought from Dinamo Zagreb, many Celtic fans were sceptical about such a large outlay on an unknown quantity. That scepticism appeared justified as the Bosnian took 11 games to get match fit, upon which he tore ligaments in his knee, keeping him out for the best part of a year.

Indeed, upon arriving at Parkhead, Brendan Rodgers was quite happy to see Simunovic go. A deal was agreed with Torino, and the centre back was in Italy to seal the deal before a last minute hitch saw him fly back to Glasgow.

Since then, the Bosnian hasn’t looked back. Last season, he was part of a treble winning Celtic squad. Furthemore, on a personal level, he also clocked more playing minutes than he had ever managed before.

This season, Simunovic’s influence has only grown. Despite some knee trouble, he has been on the park for twelve Celtic games. Of those, Celtic have conceded in just two of them: one late consolation goal for Hearts, and five in the PSG battering.

That’s a pretty impressive record considering that a) most teams Celtic play are not PSG and b) they’ve only kept a clean sheet in four of the eight matches without him.

So what exactly does Simunovic bring to Celtic’s defence that makes him so important?

Looking at the stats, there are a few obvious ones. He’s the most aerially dominant of all the Celtic defenders, winning about 70% of balls that come into the box. Teams generally will cross more against Celtic than against other sides: as Celtic usually squeeze the centre, the only space the opponents really have is out wide. Having a guy like Simunovic who can defend these balls into the box is handy.

As well as that, he rarely commits fouls (just under one per game). The fouls he does commit are all at least ten yards from the penalty box (aside from a moment of madness against PSG). Many domestic sides will see set pieces as their best chance to score against Celtic, so Simunovic’s ability to defend the counter well ensures that his team face a limited amount of them.

However, Simunovic’s real strength lies in an area that has currently been left alone by conventional statistics: decision making.

Simunovic knows when to slide in, and when to stay on his feet. He knows when to step up in a defensive line, and when to cover back. He knows how close he needs to be to the other centre back(s), how best to cover the fullbacks and what to do if he’s left one on one. The Bosnian has built a reputation for consistently making sensible decisions.

This display of footballing intelligence makes him an ideal starter in a Brendan Rodgers side. In a team who dominate possession and territory, you’re probably not going to be up against your opposing striker long enough to get to know his habits. This is where a good decision making process is vital.

I heard the story of a Scottish Premiership defender last season who cost his side a goal from a corner because he didn’t understand his team-mate’s instruction to swap who they were marking. On the training ground, he only knew his job at corners; not how the whole system worked. Consequently, he couldn’t adapt to the new instruction, and the player he was supposed to mark headed home unchallenged.

While tactical systems underlie much of a coach’s work, their success will often live and die on the players’ individual decisions. If they do not understand how their part fits into the whole, then they become vulnerable to the situation described above. Jozo Simunovic is a million miles from that.

Bayern Munich will provide an incredibly difficult challenge for Celtic on Wednesday night. It’s a good thing they have Jozo back

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