Celtic moved up to 13th in the league phase of the Champions League on Tuesday night with a fantastic 3-1 win over Bundesliga side RB Leipzig.
The Hoops have now won two and drawn one of their opening four matches in the competition, which means that they have already outperformed their tally in the group stage of the 2023/24 campaign, before the change in format.
Brendan Rodgers’ side only won one match and registered four points, as they finished bottom of their group, and the change in format has seemingly benefitted the Scottish giants this term.
Aside from the devastating 7-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund in Germany, the Bhoys have impressed on the continent, with a 5-1 win over SK Slovan, a 0-0 draw away at Atalanta, and a 3-1 win over Leipzig.
It was the away side, however, that took the lead at Parkhead on Tuesday night, through Christoph Baumgartner’s header at the back post from a corner.
A brace from Nicolas Kuhn before half-time put the home side in front, though, and Reo Hatate then secured all three points for Celtic with a third.
Nicolas Kuhn's performance against RB Leipzig
The match-winner and game-changer for Celtic was, yet, again Kuhn, as he produced a phenomenal display in Europe against Leipzig, which was praised by goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel after the match.
He had not scored a goal in the Champions League prior to Tuesday night, with one assist in the first three matches, and announced himself on the European stage against the German side.
His first goal was a thing of pure beauty. The left-footed magician cut inside from the right flank and curled a sublime shot into the far corner from the edge of the box to make it 1-1 on the night.
Kuhn was then perfectly positioned for Greg Taylor’s cross to convert the ball into an almost empty net, after Daizen Maeda completely fluffed his lines by missing the ball.
The 24-year-old star also created two chances for his teammates on the night, which speaks to his creativity and unselfishness, but did not register an assist.
As you can see in the graphic above, Kuhn’s two goals also came from an xG of just 0.56 and this shows that his finishing against the Bundesliga side was ruthless.
His performance for the Scottish giants was far from a surprise, though, as the former Rapid Vienna sensation has been in stunning form throughout the campaign so far for Rodgers.
Nicolas Kuhn's form this season
The German attacker has produced nine goals and ten assists in 16 matches in all competitions for the Hoops so far this term, which is a staggering return for this point in the season.
To be on the verge of a double double for goals and assists before the November international break is a big achievement and shows that he has emerged as the star in this Celtic team.
Appearances
9
Starts
7
Goals
3
Assists
5
Key passes per game
2.2
As you can see in the table above, the talented ace has been directly involved in eight goals in seven starts in the Scottish Premiership for the Bhoys.
The former Bayern Munich youngster only managed three goals and three assists in 18 games during his first season at Parkhead, which shows that he has taken a huge step forward this year.
Rodgers could already have his next Kuhn at the club in the form of South Korean prospect Hyun-jun Yang, who produced a positive performance off the bench on Tuesday and has the potential to also take a huge step forward.
Why Hyun-jun Yang could be the next Nicolas Kuhn
Firstly, the young winger came off the bench to complete 100% (1/1) of his attempted dribbles and 93% (13/14) of his attempted passes, whilst winning two of his three duels.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
He proved to Rodgers that he has the energy and the quality to come in and hold his own against a top-quality side in Leipzig, who are second in the Bundesliga, in a big European game, even if it was only as a substitute on this occasion.
At the age of 22, Yang has plenty of time left to develop and improve during his time with the Hoops and could look to follow in Kuhn’s footsteps by emerging as a key player for the club out wide.
The South Korean wizard has all the attributes he needs to become a star for Celtic in the future but it is about showing them consistently and adjusting to the physicality and intensity of the game in Scotland, and in Europe.
Celtic signed Yang from Gangwon in the summer of 2023 and their president Kim Byung-ji heaped praise on the youngster at the time of the move. He said: “I hope Yang will continue to grow. He could easily become a world class player like Son Heung-min.
“He was a mainstay for our team and was an inspiration.”
These comments suggest that the young forward, who scored eight goals and supplied four assists in 31 K League 1 games during the 2022 campaign, has far more to show in a Celtic shirt.
Yang was recently handed a start against Dundee in the Premiership and made a positive impression, completing 90% of his attempted passes and creating one ‘big chance’.
It was his first start of the season and his performance was good enough to suggest that Rodgers should keep him around the first-team and provide him with more opportunities moving forward.
Appearances
24
Starts
10
Goals
1
Big chances created
5
Assists
3
As you can see in the table above, Yang showed signs of quality in his first season at the club last term, with six goals and ‘big chances’ created combined in ten starts.
It was his first year in Europe, away from South Korea, and that meant that it was mainly about him learning and adapting to football in this continent, rather than one where he was expected to be an instant success.
The 22-year-old ace now has over a year’s worth of experience in Scotland and could now look to kick on and fulfill his potential, by emerging as a key player for the Hoops moving forward.
Worth more than Kuhn: Celtic lost a real star whose value's soared 1,300%
The former Celtic forward has thrived since moving down south to the Premier League.
1 ByDan EmeryNov 3, 2024
It is down to him to keep impressing when he gets on the pitch, by scoring goals and creating ‘big chances’, to then earn a place in the starting XI out wide, as Kuhn did on his path to being the team’s main man.
