Move over Kuhn: Celtic star who made 106 passes is becoming their star man

Celtic continued their strong start to the new-look edition of the Champions League format with a hard-fought 0-0 draw away at Dinamo Zagreb on Tuesday night.

The Scottish giants have only lost one of their six matches in the league phase and are unbeaten in their last four matches in the competition, with one win and three draws.

This has left the Hoops in 19th place in the league and they are on course to make it through the play-off round, as the cut-off to be knocked out is 25th and below.

Brendan Rodgers‘ side have also been fantastic domestically and have a League Cup final clash with Rangers at Hampden Park to look forward to.

The Bhoys are currently nine points clear at the top of the Scottish Premiership table and have won an incredible 14 of their 15 matches in the division, conceding four goals and scoring a whopping 44 – beating Hibernian 3-0 most recently.

Celtic have been lethal at the top end of the pitch in the top-flight and one of the main reasons why they have been so impressive in the final third has been the form of German forward Nicolas Kuhn.

Nicolas Kuhn’s form this season

The January signing from Rapid Vienna only managed two goals and two assists in 14 appearances in the Premiership during the second half of last season.

That five months allowed him to slowly settle into life in Glasgow and in the Scottish top-flight, though, and he used that experience to hit the ground running in the current campaign.

The left-footed wizard has already hit double figures for both goals and assists in all competitions, with an eye-catching 11 goals and 11 assists in 22 matches.

Kuhn is unfortunate not to have more assists in the Champions League, though, as the winger has created four ‘big chances’ and racked up 1.99 xA to only be rewarded with one assist, which suggests that his teammates have let him down with their wasteful finishing at times.

The 24-year-old star has also scored two goals from 0.65 xG in Europe and this illustrates the ruthless nature that he has displayed in front of goal this season for the Hoops.

As well as being a key performer in the Champions League, Kuhn has also been a major contributor for Rodgers as an attacking presence down the right flank in the Premiership.

As you can see in the table above, the former Bayern Munich and Ajax youngster has offered plenty of quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals.

However, Kuhn is currently going through a quiet spell, by his standards, with no goals or assists in his last four appearances in all competitions for the Bhoys.

Whilst the German forward is slowing down, another Celtic player is becoming the star man for Rodgers with his performances at the heart of the defence – Auston Trusty.

Auston Trusty’s performance against Dinamo Zagreb

The USA international was selected ahead of Liam Scales to play on the left side of the centre-back pairing in the Champions League clash on Tuesday night and caught the eye with his superb display.

Celtic had 69% of the possession on the night and needed their defenders to be switched on and ready to defend in transition when the home side won the ball back and broke quickly.

Trusty was sharp throughout the match and showcased his qualities both in and out of possession, with three tackles, two blocks, and three clearances to help his team out defensively.

As you can see in the table above, the summer signing from Sheffield United outperformed his centre-back partner with his play on both sides of the game.

Trusty was dominant in his duels, both on the deck and in the air, and was constantly looking to get on the ball to progress play with his passes, having more touches and completing more passes than Cameron Carter-Vickers.

It was a performance in keeping with his outstanding form over the last couple of months, as the defender is quickly becoming the star man for Rodgers.

Auston Trusty’s form this season

Starting from the 0-0 draw with Atalanta in the Champions League in October, Celtic have conceded three goals in Trusty’s last 11 appearances in all competitions.

Whilst defending and keeping clean sheets is a team game, Trusty – as shown by his outstanding display on Tuesday night – has played a major role in the club’s impressive clean sheet record.

The Scottish giants have kept six clean sheets in his nine starts in the Premiership and two clean sheets in his five starts in the Champions League, which shows that he has been an integral part of a rock solid defence.

Whilst Kuhn’s has had a minor blip, with his lack of contributions in the final third in recent weeks, Trusty appears to have found his top gear in a Celtic shirt, making himself undroppable at the back.

As you can see in the table above, the American defender has only lost possession 26 times from a staggering 393 touches of the ball so far this month, which speaks to how incredibly reliable he has been, particularly this month.

He has also won the majority of his duels on the deck and in the air to keep three clean sheets in three matches in December, domestically and in Europe.

These statistics illustrate how influential Trusty has been in and out of possession for Celtic this month, and this season, and that is why he is becoming the star man for Rodgers with his sublime performances week-in-week-out.