For a moment, Celtic dared to dream. A spirited performance saw the Scottish champions push Bayern Munich to the brink in the Champions League playoff game, only for Alphonso Davies’ stoppage-time strike to send the German giants through by the slimmest of margins.
Brendan Rodgers’ men, however, left the pitch with their heads held high, having made life difficult for a club accustomed to deep European runs.
But throughout the 95 odd minutes played, one player, and more specifically, one duel stood out to fans tuned in: Jeffrey Schlupp versus Michael Olise.
Rodgers made a bold call by starting Schlupp at left-back, a move that proved inspired. Signed on deadline day, the former Crystal Palace man repaid his manager’s faith with a stellar display, winning the most duels (8) against Bayern’s attacking stars, including Olise and Leroy Sane. This was also Schlupp’s Champions League debut.
Over the course of 90 minutes, Schlupp recorded 9 clearances, 7 ball recoveries, 5 interceptions, and completed 3 of his 4 attempted long passes—figures that tell the story of a player who stood tall on the big occasion.
It wasn’t just Celtic fans who took notice. Crystal Palace supporters, who watched Schlupp and Olise play together at Selhurst Park under veteran Roy Hodgson, were drawn to the clash as well. Although the winning goal by Davies did come on the side Schlupp was playing, his performance to pocket one of Bayern’s most dangerous in Olise was fantastic.
What makes Rodgers’ decision even more surprising is that Schlupp isn’t a left back and was played out of position. The 32-year-old is more of a midfielder than a defender.
Throughout his career, he’s played 119 games as a left midfielder and 83 games as a central midfielder, scoring 19 goals in these 2 positions.
The debate over whether Palace had underutilized Schlupp at left-back also surfaced. “Maybe Schlupp is the LWB we’ve been missing…” mused @CPFCWiII, while @CPFCDavid7 added: “Let’s hope he comes back and we re-sign him for another year and try him out.”
“Schlupp would fully improve us in all of these positions. He’s pocketed Olise so far,” said one Crystal Palace fan missing Schlupp’s service.
The Schlupp v Olise battle had not just Celtic and Palace fans engaged, but the whole of football Twitter as well.
One X post used the famous “Hey look at us” Paul Rudd clip to highlight the unexpected nature of this battle, “Olise and Schlupp after going from Roy’s Palace to the Champions League.” “Never thought I’d be watching Olise v Schlupp in the Champions League but here we are,” added another fan.
“Jeffrey Schlupp is currently playing against Michael Olise in the Champions League. Crystal Palace are massive,” tweeted @ThePalaceWay.
