RODGERS STILL TO MAKE DECISION ON SCHMEICHEL

Kasper Schmeichel and Viljami Sinisalo ( right) 

will battle it out for the No. 1 jersey at Celtic this season

Sinisalo pushing for start but veteran is still best option

John McGinley

16 lug 2025 - Glasgow Times

KASPER Schmeichel’s error in the Scottish Cup final was glaring. A mistake from the most exper ienced player on the pitch, in the showpiece finale of the season, that ultimately cost Celtic the chance of winning a treble.

It reopened the debate about Celtic’s goalkeeping future. Signed at 37, Schmeichel was never a long- term fix. But is he still the best option right now? With Viljami Sinisalo waiting in the wings and a new Champions League campaign on the horizon, manager Brendan Rodgers has a decision to make.

Yet there is no indication of any major re-think. The message coming from within the Celtic camp is that Schmeichel stays in place. He is due to get his first pre- season action imminently, if not tonight away to Sporting CP then against Newcastle on Saturday. Error and age aside, he did the job, both domestically and at the elite level across 2024/ 25.

The cup final mistake was hard to ignore, though. Celtic were in control, 1– 0 up, closing in on another clean sweep of trophies. Then came the lapse in concentration, a flap and a gift- wrapped goal for Aberdeen. The momentum of the final flipped, Celtic lost on penalties, and attention turned to the man in gloves.

Schmeichel took ownership postmatch, as expected. But fans and pundits questioned in the aftermath whether this was the beginning of the end. It is natural to consider decline when a goalkeeper approaches 40, especially since Sinisalo had performed admirably in the weeks prior to the Dane’s return from injury.

Rodgers, notably, did not flinch. He praised Schmeichel ’ s contribution across the season and moved on. Internally there was no appetite to turn a one- off error into a detrimental witch hunt.

The numbers, and the context, back that stance.

It is true that Rodgers has a long history with Schmeichel going back to their Leicester days. There is little doubt that will play into his thinking moving forward. Regardless of that familiarity, the Celtic boss values goalkeepers who have experienced intense pressure, absorbed it, and excelled regardless. That is exactly the profile Schmeichel brought when he arrived on a free from Anderlecht last summer.

He finished with 19 clean sheets in the top flight – no one in the division has registered more since Craig Gordon in 2016/17. While that can be an indication of wider defensive efforts and Celtic’s dominance, the underlying data supports the headline number. As a pure shot-stopper, Schmeichel has been outstanding for the Scottish champions.

Per Statsbomb, Schmeichel saved 3.3 goals above average (GSAA) in the Premiership. That is based on post- shot xG – in simple terms, how many goals a keeper prevents above expectation. He is a distance clear from his closest challenger in this area, Hibernian’s standout Jordan Smith, who prevented 1.9 goals above average. Also ranking top when it comes to save and expected-save percentage, Schmeichel was undoubtedly the most effective shotstopper in Scotland last year.

With the ball, Rodgers does not need his goalkeepers to be outright possession weapons, as is a growing trend across football. They just have to be calm, composed, and clean under pressure. Schmeichel offers that. His passing is very tidy and his communication constant.

When it comes to distribution, in comparison to his Premiership peers who played more than 600 minutes, Schmeichel far outperformed everyone with a pass completion rate of 90 per cent and a pass under pressure completion rate of 86 per cent. The next closest in both metrics was double digits below those numbers.

Off the pitch, he is respected greatly. In a squad that requires a relentless winning mindset, Schmeichel’s presence and voice matter. He is one of the players with extensive experience at the highest level who sets standards, in a way few other goalkeepers could offer.

It is the entire package that Rodgers values. His performances go hand in hand with presence. If we take last season as a whole into account, there is little sign of his strengths diminishing.

Crucially, Schmeichel’s efforts transferred well into the Champions League scene, too.

He was a key figure as Celtic progressed from the League Phase into a knockout tie for the first time in more than a decade. He made appearances in all 10 matches, had a big hand in three crucial clean sheets, and posted a save percentage of 75 per cent, above the competition average.

When it comes to that important GSAA metric, Schmeichel ranked highly with 2.61 in total. This was the eighth highest out of the 31 goalkeepers to play 600 minutes or more. The data reinforces the perception that Schmeichel kept Celtic competitive by bailing them out when they needed him most. Few fans will forget massive highlight moments against Atalanta, RB Leipzig and Young Boys that contributed directly to points earned.

More than just the saves, though, it was his composure that stood out, managing tempo, calming defenders, and absorbing pressure when Celtic were pinned back. It is on this stage that his value in distribution stood out.

No goalkeeper in the entire competition, including all the big names you can think of renowned for their skill with the ball, had a higher pass under pressure completion rate than Schmeichel’s 86 per cent. In a high- intensity environment where the goalkeeper can serve as a crucial outlet for Celtic’s defenders, he was utterly dependable.

Over the last decade, Celtic have lost many games in Europe because of panic at the back. With Schmeichel, they have gained a degree of control and that is not easily replaced, nor should it be tinkered with.

Sinisalo, 23, arrived from Aston Villa last summer with a long-term plan to one day take over from Schmeichel when the inevitable retirement comes. He deputised during a brief Schmeichel injury spell and looked assured with neat footwork, decent positioning, and a couple of strong saves. He passed his audition without concern.

As a result, there were calls from some sections of the Celtic support to persist with this potential rather than revert to Schmeichel. But he has not had a real run of games, and he has not yet shown he can lead a defence across a full season, let alone in Europe.

Technically, he suits this Rodgers team. But there is inherent risk in promoting promise over proven ability, especially in a position that can quickly contribute to an unravelling.

The sample size for comparing the goalkeepers with data directly is too small to draw meaningful conclusions, but Sinisalo shows up well across all relevant metrics. He will be eager to add more evidence to his successor status with minutes in League Cup and Scottish Cup games this season. That would be a sensible and prudent way forward if Schmeichel maintains his standards.

Ross Doohan, brought back in 2025 after spells in England’s lower leagues and at Aberdeen, is firmly a third-choice option. The homegrown talent is familiar, and useful around the squad with consideration to UEFA registration rules, but not realistically in contention to start.

Celtic clearly rate both players but neither is pushing hard enough to displace Schmeichel. Not quite yet.

Rodgers will not be blind to the jeopardy of a declining goalkeeper. However, he also does not overreact to single moments. The Scottish Cup final mistake was brutal, and no-one will know that more than Schmeichel. It came at the end of a season where Celtic regained their title, lifted a League Cup, and made European progress. He was a big part of that.

For now, stability trumps change. Schmeichel remains the safest pair of hands Celtic have. That does not mean the long term is not a consideration. Celtic will likely reassess next summer. Sinisalo may yet emerge. A new keeper could arrive, but that is for 2026.

The data, the performances, and the European nights all say the same thing: Schmeichel is still Celtic’s No. 1.