Celtic cannot axe 83% star again, his in-depth stats vs St Johnstone are telling

Celtic narrowly beat St Johnstone on Wednesday with Mika Baur’s sole goal proving to be enough to achieve a 1-0 win.

However, it was far from a convincing display from Martin O’Neill’s side as they struggled to create many chances throughout the game.

That was until Benjamin Nygren was introduced off the bench, with the midfielder giving the visitors the creative spark they had been looking for.

The Sweden international had been surprisingly dropped for the clash despite his solid start to the new campaign.

However, against St Johnstone, it became obvious just how much Celtic depend on the 25-year-old to be their creative spark.

Now, the Hoops cannot afford to drop Nygren again anytime soon, especially with two Old Firm derbies around the corner.

How good was Benjamin Nygren vs St Johnstone?

Despite being on the pitch for just 23 minutes, Nygren was still one of Celtic’s best performers on the night.

The attacking midfielder was an instant nuisance to the St Johnstone backline, and he was extremely unlucky not to pick up an assist.

According to Fotmob on 10 September, he created the most chances in the game at five, created two big chances, completed 83 per cent of his passes, had an xA of 0.11, had one shot, which hit the target, had an xG of 0.18 and won both of his ground duels.

Celtic just cannot have a player of this quality sitting on the bench, or it could cost them valuable points going forward.

Therefore, O’Neill must not repeat this error, or he risks potentially losing out on the Scottish Premiership title.

Did Celtic deserve to beat St Johnstone?

Overall, Celtic were deserved winners against St Johnstone.

According to the stats, they had 60 per cent possession, 15 shots, nine of which were on target, a 2.22 xG, 38 touches in the opposition box and five big chances.

In comparison, St Johnstone had 40 per cent possession, nine shots, three of which were on target, a 0.77 xG, 13 touches in the opposition box and one big chance.

Therefore, while it was not the big win Celtic were looking for before the derby match, it was a solid display.