CELTIC, unfortunately, have never really had a player fully settled in the left-back position this season.

Greg Taylor held the role initially but succumbed to a long injury lay-off. Ange Postecoglou was then forced to play youth prospect Adam Montgomery for a spell before Josip Juranovic was signed and played on his unnatural side up until early December. Liam Scales has also filled in, especially in December, as the squad fell apart with injuries and fatigue.

With Taylor back and ready to go it is likely Postecoglou will return the Scotsman back to his regular starting XI role. Postecoglou is clearly a big fan of Taylor based on previous comments and the Scotland international has proved effective in the inverted full-back role.

When examining social media, Juranovic and Scales have picked up popularity with many keen to see them maintain spots in the starting XI. A poll I ran proved this, as the fans seem split on who should start for Celtic at left-back. Taylor edged the near 5,000-vote poll but both Juranovic and Scales had substantial support.

Using StatsBomb it isn’t easy to filter based on position for radars but it can be done based on dates played, so a comparison between Taylor and Juranovic while at left-back can be generated as seen below.

Celtic Way:

Using the full-back template on StatsBomb it looks pretty clear who is more at home on the left-hand side. In the important defensive metric Tackled/Dribble Past% which indicates how often they are bypassed shows Juranovic in the fourth percentile to Taylor in the 70th.

This indicates positional discipline from Taylor and demonstrates Juranovic may not have the same on his unfavoured side. Taylor is also able to press and create more effectively with more pressures p90 and a higher xGBuildup.

READ MORE: Why Greg Taylor is Celtic's first-choice left-back and deserved his new deal - Sean Martin

Using WyScout it is easy to see that a lot of Juranovic’s main talents are neutralised on his weaker side. At left-back, he has only created one chance in the league amounting to 0.01xA. Even with fewer minutes on the right-hand side, he has generated 0.48xA. He came with a reputation as a strong crosser but, on his weaker foot, this is an ineffective tool. He attempts a whole one fewer crosses p90 on his unfavoured side.

Trying to compare Juranovic at left-back and right-back is difficult. The diagram below depicts his stats overall in blue (left-back+right-back) and his metrics at left-back in red.

When at left-back there is a noticeable reduction across the board indicating better performance occurs in his favoured position. Juranovic on his favoured side is bypassed less as seen with an increase in his Tackled/Dribble Past %. Offensively he is also stronger with higher values in xGBuildup and successful dribbles making him more of a threat.

Celtic Way:

Using the same analysis, but this time for OBV metrics, unsurprisingly the biggest change is in pass OBV which increases. This will be because Juranovic can angle passes in towards half-spaces in the final third and the box increasing the threat he can create on the ball.

Celtic Way:

Overall, it does look like Taylor is the superior left-back and that he will be starting going forward.

Taylor suits the style and has just had a great performance in a high-pressure cup final. Juranovic did well filling in at left-back but it now looks like he is going to take up the right-bacl slot and compete with Anthony Ralston to keep it.

Come summer another backup left-back may need to be brought in to improve squad depth in that area but, for now, both Josip and Reo Hatate could fill in when required.