Originally published at: Celtic boss says squad balance has led to Liam Scales missing matchday squads
Ange Postecoglou has stated that Celtic defender Liam Scales hasn’t been making matchday squads due to squad balance. Scales was one of Ange’s summer signings when he arrived from Shamrock Rovers back in August. It took several months for Liam to get some opportunities too. However, when Greg Taylor was out injured over the festive…
1 Like
To be fair, totally forgot about the potential Scales had playing in the squad.
Think the effort that’s went in from the whole squad to get us to where we are today may have been overlooked as we look quite content.
Greg Taylor has looked solid at left back for us, you can’t drop a guy who’s doing the basics well?
Like Ange says though, it’s all about building a solid squad and hopefully big Scales can be a part of it all 
For me Liam should be in every matchday squad in the SPFL. He can cover at left back, left centre half and midfield… who else can do that ?
Hail Hail
2 Likes
Scales will feature more when Ange starts to deploy different systems in order to change things up.
He’s not in the same mould as Taylor a solid Left Back who has developed into a player who can come inside to affect games.
Scales could slot into a 3-5-2 ,3-4-3 or 4-3-3 without wingers easily enough as either a LCB in a back 3 or a LWB encouraged to overlap on the outside which as we know Taylor has struggled to cope with since his arrival and hence why Juranovic has been that option when it is tactically required.
Now Juranovic is out the opportunity for Scales to be reintroduced has come about.
With the current 4-3-3 setup and use of wingers his chances will be limited of course and Taylor is the natural and obvious option.
With having Juranovic either on the Park or on the bench then Scales won’t feature.
However should as in the case of the St.Johnstone away game around Christmas (3-5-2)Ange be forced to field a side without two natural wingers or alternatively decide to opt for 3 Forwards (One Striker and two inside Forwards) as a tactical option in Kyogo Giakoumakis Maeda then the need for wingers is negated and you get that width from a wingback now going outside instead of inverting inside.
Scales offers that solution more than any other player in the squad be it as the Wingback or the LCB covering that area of the Park.
That’s why he was deployed as the LWB in that game and remains the option for as and when Ange decides to alter things.
He’s far from being out the picture,his problem is simply the system which may have to be altered in order to accommodate all 3 front men effectively.
Incidentally Abada was MOTM in that game deployed in striker partnership with Kyogo outwith his usual wing role.
4 Likes