When the season got underway, one of the biggest concerns for Celtic were their full-backs.
Ange Postecoglou took over at Parkhead but had limited options to work with defensively. Anthony Ralston was their sole representative at right-back, while Greg Taylor was the left-back option.
This was an issue for the new head coach, who was having to work with a set of unconvincing options. Ralston had only played once in the entirety of last season while Taylor was an inconsistent player, someone who has had his own struggles this term.
That being said, both of them seem to have come out the other side as better players. While Celtic have completed a deal for Josip Juranovic, Ralston continues to impress. He has scored twice in the Premiership already this season and claimed the assist for Liel Abada’s opener on Saturday.
This was yet another emphatic display of attacking football from Celtic, who demolished St Mirren 6-0 in front of a packed Parkhead.
David Turnbull scored a hat-trick while Abada picked up two goals himself. However, it was their questioned full-backs who deserved equal praise.
Taylor has attracted his fair share of criticism this season, but against St Mirren, he returned to form in some style. His offensive play was first-class as he played a delicious cross for Celtic’s second goal of the game.
The Scot was exceptional down the left-hand side, supplying four crosses and completing 100% of his dribbles from two attempted.
Taylor was supreme in possession of the ball, completing 90% of his passes and touching the ball on 102 occasions. For context, only Turnbull had more touches by any player on the field of play.
What should delight Postecoglou the most is his left-back’s commitment in physical situations. The 23-year-old proved capable defensively, losing just one duel, which meant that, from the seven that Taylor competed, he won a whopping 85.7%.
With few options behind him in the pecking order, the defender really needed to step up this season. It’s taken him a few weeks to get going, but on Saturday's evidence, he is a valuable player to the manager.