At Leicester, Kasper Schmeichel was one like a wall. The goalkeeper who saved the club to the historic Premier League title in the 20215/16 season. Then came the move to Ratcliffe’s Ligue 1 club, Nice. After a somewhat slow run-in, the Danish national team goalkeeper once again showed he holds his level. Then came a move to Celtic in 2024, where Schmeichel had a terrific season under Brendan Rodgers. This season has arrived, not just gravel, but pebbles in the machinery. It all came to a head on Thursday.
“I will consider all possible (goalkeeper options) before the next game, but Kasper has done very well since I came to the club,” interim coach Martin O’Neill said. So what was it that happened on the Celtic line that made the coach step out and defend his goalkeeper giant?
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It was Celtic’s ugly 1-4 loss to Stuttgart in the Europa League play-offs, the first of two games. With that, Celtic are well on their way out of the fun in Europe. Kasper Schmeichel was in focus, where he is criticized for two of the Stuttgart goals in particular, while during the game he was also met with boos from his own fans.
The Celtic coach is of course also disappointed, but puts it in perspective.
“We won earlier in the tournament against Feyenoord, where he made an incredible save – if he hadn’t done that, we probably wouldn’t have been here playing tonight (Thursday night).
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Celtic captain Callum McGregor also defends the Danish 39-year-old. while interim manager Martin O’Neill also supports the Dane.
“It’s a tough night for us. In many ways, we were our own worst enemy and conceded some ugly goals. Kasper Schmeichel has made some fantastic saves while I’ve been here. This is a collective, there is no doubt about that, the Celtic captain concludes.
