Boyata, Dedryck

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“He [Brendan Rodgers] wanted me just to play simple and to play as I did in training and he said that everything would go well if I did whatever he told me.”
Dedryck Boyata

The Ronnie Deila era
Dedryck joined Celtic from Man City at the start of the summer transfer window of 2015-16 season, amazing supporters over an early transfer move. Concerns over forthcoming departures of the lauded members of the Celtic defence (van Dijk & Denayer) and forthcoming early Champions League matches meant that new personnel was vital and bedding in was needed to be done soon else the club would repeat the errors of the last season.

Coming from the monied and over-pampered set up at Man City which was spending as if money had an expiry date, Boyata was hoped to be following in the footsteps of Denayer who was a fabulous player in his one season on loanat Celtic. Looking strong and athletic, many thought he had parallels with Bobo Balde physically and hopes were for a second coming here. It was not to be as simple as that.

A brilliant debut where he scored the first goal in a win over Stjarnan (Iceland) in the Champions League qualifiers to get Celtic going, he then followed it up with the important winning goal in a 1-0 victory over Qarabag in the next round. His first few games convinced that he had the talent to build on. That actually was to be his peak spell at Celtic in that debut season, and the season hadn’t even got going yet.

Things turned sour as the Deila managerial experiment hit the skids. Shambolic defending at set-pieces, poorly worked zonal-marking and unstable defensive partnerships saw the club suffer humiliations in Europe and then domestically, and Boyata only escaped from the worst of the criticism due to the even worse form of some of his colleagues. Not that he was covering himself in glory either and he was the butt of the criticism in time as his weaknesses came to the fore.

A number of unconvincing performances with poor results didn’t help his case. It also didn’t help that the manager’s tactics were not supporting the defence, and as morale slumped so did the defenders’ performances.

Probably the final nail in the coffin for Boyata was the Scottish Cup semi-final match v TheRangers (then in the second tier). As Celtic stumbled, he was humiliatingly subbed off in the first half after an ineffective and concerning performance. A rare site in any match, and his replacement (Sviatchenko) went on to be Celtic’s best player in the game.

Some stats pointed to that he was a good tackler and a fair passer of the ball, but that hides the truth that he was too often actually as a whole really a poor tackler and his positional sense was suspect. Those who stated he was statistically one of our better defenders in the Europa League were damning him with faint praise, as Cetic finished bottom humiliatingly in the weakest group the first team had yet played in, with some dire scorelines. In some ways, he played better in Europe than domestically, which is quite a curiosity.

The number of poor results when he was in the first team, including a 3-1 loss to Ross County in the league cup and then his red card in a 1-1 draw with Hamilton, meant he wasn’t convincing of his long-term value. In the air he could be quite poor, jittery on the ball (lack of confidence) and he couldn’t develop a working relationship with his fellow central defenders, who could also be quite woeful that season.

A part of the problem was that he needed to still learn his trade, but he needed to develop himself without the need for others to do it all for him. Despite the privilege of being from the rich Manchester City training stable, he really was not a naturally gifted footballer, and few were convinced he would make it at Celtic or at any club with high ambitions. He was out of his depth, and early endorsements appeared to be way off the mark.

The Belgian national manager rated him highly but noted a problem was that Boyata was too nice, which can be reflected partly in that Boyata did not stamp his authority in games and often got brushed off instead of instilling fear into the opponents despite his size. Youth was probably a contributing factor, but at 25 he was really past the rookie tag.

Still, he managed to score a handful of goals which should be noted and respected. At a floundering Celtic, he found himself in an unwelcome situation, but he never seemed to spit the dummy out but carry on. His first season was quite a poor time at Celtic with Deila leaving at the end of the season.

Things were to change under Brendan Rodgers….

The Brendan Rodgers Reboot phase
Boyata claimed he knocked back transfer offers in Jan 2017 to instead try at Celtic, and Rodgers praised Boyata stating that even despite when he was not in the side he was actually working hard in the gym putting in the hours even till after midnight. You had to admire him for that at least. It showed dedication, effort and commitment. Rodgers having made it clear he was impressed, he was one to repay hard work, which he did with Boyata.

After spells out of the picture, he was brought back in by Rodgers, and Boyata finally truly came to the fore around early 2017 (starting with the winning goal v St Johnstone in a 1-0 victory), and finally cemented a first team place.

Working as part of the central defence he was providing fair cover, but his key strength was most often in attack where his size and strength at set pieces made him a potent threat. He scored a fine goal away v Sevco in a 5-1 victory which cemented this reputation and finally made him a favoured son by the support. He was a late comer to the wonderful InVIncibles season which say Celtic win the treble undefeated domestically, and in which Brendan Rodgers could seemingly do no wrong.

Assisted by coaching given by Kolo Toure, an invaluable source of experience, Boyata seemed to be growing into the role. A welcome surprise after earlier being written off.

In September 2017, played v Sevco in the league, and strolled the game with a wonderful albeit unheralded performance which put to bed his prior poor years when he was under question. He finally had shown the promise in defence that his sympathisers had been arguing he could manage.

Great performance in Belgium in the Champions League v Anderlecht won him an international call up, and the turnaround was complete. It was astonishing.

The big problem was simply that despite the good runs, he seemed to be stunted in improving in what should have been his key defensive duties. The return of the merry go round at the central defence, didn’t help, but he wasn’t really convincing. After a poor Champions League Group run in 2017-18 which saw major defeats to PSG and Bayern, the critics were rightly out in force, and for Rodgers he knew that the central defence was again an Achilles heel for the first team.

An injury at the start of the second half of the 2017-18 season pushed Boyata time out the side, which was needed but you could see his frustration as he was taken off the pitch.

Despite the high notes, the truth was that the central defence throughout Rodgers’ two first seasons had not settled, and in his second season was the first team’s biggest weakness which was impacting negatively the rest of the side. Despite the back-to back trebles in those two seasons (an astonishing achievement), the first team was showing signs of a decline with the concerns at the back being the crux of the problem.

Boyata’s strength was more often going forward, and often his concentration could lapse badly (as happened against Sevco to let them in for the opening clumsy goal in a 3-2 victory). Boyata couldn’t settle into a partnership so far with the wide number of others partners he was given, although in fairness partly this was not his fault alone. Calls were repeatedly made for new central defenders, and it showed that despite the progress many were still unconvinced of Boyata.

Away from Celtic, Dedryk Boyata made the Belgian national squad after an outstanding match v Anderlcht in the Champions League in 2017. On the back of his recovery at Celtic, he won a place in the Belgian national side for the World Cup in Russia in 2018, a great marker to reflect his continuing development, in what was a highly feted squad of players. He even made it ahead of the highly rated ex-Celt Denayer who unfortunately never even made the final squad. Boyata then went onto win a 3rd place medal with the Belgium side in this World Cup having played in all the group stage games (3 matches, 3 victories), although was replaced by his more experienced Belgian colleague Kompany for the more crucial KO matches.

An incredible personal achievement for Boyata, who despite not having played in the KO stages, played his part with Belgium and had proven himself in those games he had played in. It was all unimaginable only 18 months previously, and it was clearly a marker to just how far he had come along.

Post-2018 World Cup Debacle
It all then went immediately wrong as he returned back from the World Cup to Celtic, and that was before a ball had even been kicked. The whole World Cup experience had gone to Boyata’s head fuelled by his agent (whom many said was just trouble making), and they were pushing for a transfer with claims that Celtic knocked back a £9m bid from Fulham.

Celtic were desperate for central defenders, and with Boyata allegedly injured, he missed key Champion League qualifiers which Celtic failed to go overcome after a defeat to AEK Athens, which was achievable. He’d sold out his teammates and his manager. It was petulant and unprofessional.

As if it were scripted, on his first game back in the first team, he was to score the winner in a 1-0 win over Hamilton (Aug 2018). Notably, the game began with a banner unfurled by the Green Brigade highlighting the thoughts of the support:

“Boyata – Not Fit To Wear The Jersey”

Celtic legend Bertie Auld summed it up perfectly:

“If I was the manager, would I play Boyata again? No chance. Never! In fact, I wouldn’t even let him train with the squad at Lennoxtown. I would have him escorted to Glasgow Green every day to train on his own on the public parks. The way he has treated Brendan Rodgers, his colleagues and everyone at Celtic and the supporters has been an absolute disgrace, totally unacceptable.”

It just all seemed to have turned on its head. Prior to the 2018 World Cup, Boyata was a dedicated professional who despite all the setbacks, never hit back but worked harder. Yet now with some praise, his entourage were hitting out on those who had supported him trying to engineer a move out for him. Only two years earlier his career was effectively seen to be over at the highest levels, but Rodgers had rejuvenated him and given him a priceless chance. The support was mostly patient with him, despite the lows and his setbacks.

He didn’t get his move at the end of the summer of 2018, and against the demands of all outwith of Celtic, Rodgers gave Boyata a second chance, and he was in imperious form in defence, and when partnered up with loan signing Benkovic, they were an excellent centre half pairing. Frustrating only in that if he had played for Celtic at the start of the season the first team would have been in the Champions League.

In Dec 2018, Aberdeen faced Celtic in the League Cup final which Celtic were to win 1-0. However, near to half-time a accidental heavy head collision with ex-Celt Gary Mackay Steven flattened, and there was serious concern over Mackay-Steven’s condition as he seemed to be fully out. Thankfully, reports later stated that he was up and recovering but it was a frightening scene for all watching. Boyata actually just put bandages on his head and set up the goal that won Celtic the final.

He played a number of games and despite the initial headaches, he was in that season a dependable central defender, but all knew he was to leave at the end of his contract at the end of the season on a free. As Brendan Rodgers left during the season, sentiment softened towards Boyata as maybe he wasn’t the full problem (or the biggest problem now at hand).

Boyata’s confirmation of his departure was announced just one hour before the final league match of the season, which was poor timing as it should have been left till the next day. Celtic were to celebrate their eighth league title in a row trophy presentation, a cynic could argue the announcement was timed to hide his departure.

Anyhow, his last match was a fine performance as Celtic defeated Sevco 2-1 in the league in March 2019, which really effectively won Celtic the title. He hobbled off with a hamstring injury that ended his season.

Despite any lows, it should be admired that he worked hard to turn things around and made a career for himself whilst others in similar situations just sulk.

We wish him the best.

Post-Celtic

He spent a few years at Hertha Berlin, and was even made captain there. His success there helped him gain further international caps with his national side, a great achievement as the Belgian squad was rated as one of the best in the world at the time. However, he didn’t manage to make the World Cup squad in 2022 in which Belgium really surprised everyone by their poor showing, not that necessarily that Boyata would have made much difference.

He later moved back to Belgium to play for Bruges, playing with ex-Celt Jack Hendry, and then under the management of ex-Celtic manager Ronnie Deila.

[….]

Quotes

“He [Brendan Rodgers] wanted me just to play simple and to play as I did in training and he said that everything would go well if I did whatever he told me.”
Dedryck Boyata

“I was making mistakes at Celtic initially and had problems concentrating. Then along came Brendan Rodgers and he listed a number of things I had to improve. I had to defend from the front, stop misplacing passes – not even in training. He wanted my fitness to improve and he wanted me to increase my concentration. I got back into the side and I like to think I have carried my form on to the World Cup.”
Boyata (July 2018)

“Previously there was interest from Fulham, Olympiakos and Fenerbahce. Offers of £7million and £8m – but apparently Celtic is financially strong enough not to go into that. It’s strange, because on the other hand, the club apparently does not have the money to make Dedryck a dignified new contract proposal. Despite Dedryck’s love for Celtic fans, he cannot put his future and his family’s future in danger by playing without being 100 per cent. On 1 January he will sign elsewhere by being free without reporting anything to Celtic.”
Boyata’s agent’s stomach churning criticism of Celtic (Aug 2018)

“Dedryck Boyata should be grateful Celtic gave him the opportunity to play… while he has some good attributes he has been a bombscare at times. He is a disgrace. Celtic need to get him out of the building ASAP. Important thing is to get a quality centre half in now.”
Chris Sutton (Aug 2018)

“If I was the manager, would I play Boyata again? No chance. Never! In fact, I wouldn’t even let him train with the squad at Lennoxtown. I would have him escorted to Glasgow Green every day to train on his own on the public parks.The way he has treated Brendan Rodgers, his colleagues and everyone at Celtic and the supporters has been an absolute disgrace, totally unacceptable.”
Ex-Celt & Lisbon Lion Bertie Auld on Boyata (Aug 2018)

Playing Career

Honours with Celtic

Scottish League

• 2015-16, 2016-17, 2017-18, 2018-19
  

Scottish Cup

• 2017, 2018, 2018-19
  

Scottish League Cup

• 2017-18, 2018-19

Articles

• Celtic sign defender Boyata from Manchester City [BBC]

Pictures

• Player Pics

Songs

• We didn’ sign….

KDS Threads

• Dedryk Boyata rumour and signing thread (2015)

Articles

Boyata May 2016

Celtic defender Dedryck Boyata has been dubbed “too nice” by Belgium boss Marc Wilmots, despite landing a spot in his squad for Euro 2016.

The 25-year-old, who boasts two caps for the full national side, has been named in the final party for the summer showpiece in France, with the Red Devils manager lauding his technique and speed.

Nevertheless, Wilmots wants to see him unleash his aggressive side and strike fear into the hearts of opposition strikers.

“Dedryck is someone I have followed for many years and he enjoyed a fantastic season at Celtic – after getting regular first-team football, he did not disappoint.

“He is technically superb, he is fast and is an excellent passer of the ball, so there is no doubt about his quality.

“But sometimes he is a little too nice for my liking! I love to see my central defenders cause a bit of fear for the other teams’ strikers.”

Boyata, meanwhile, admits he feared his dream of representing the Red Devils in France was over after he limped out of Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final defeat against Rangers with a hamstring strain.

He was replaced by Erik Sviatchenko after just 25 minutes at Hampden and has not kicked a ball since.

Nevertheless, he fought his way back in time for the summer showpiece and Wilmots has kept faith with the rusty stopper.

Boyata said: “Euro 2016 was the goal for me and I have worked so hard for it all season. This is a reward for that. When I was injured I was afraid that I would miss the tournament, but everything is looking positive now.

“I have had a very long season and played more games that I ever have before, so I have learned a lot, improved and I am ready for the competition.”

http://www.deadlinenews.co.uk/2016/05/25/celtic-star-dedryck-boyata-dubbed-nice-manager-ahead-euro-2016/

‘Possibly it’s time for Boyata to go to a bigger league,’ ex-Belgian assistant boss

By Editor — 17 July, 2018
http://www.thecelticwiki.com/whatsnew

VITAL BORKELMANS, the former Belgium assistant manager who scouted Dedryck Boyata for the national side, has spoken about the Celtic star’s excellent performances at the World Cup and despite having the greatest of respect for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic, reckons that it may be time for the big defender to move to a bigger league.

“I like Dedryck very much as a player and as a person. I watched all of Belgium’s games in Russia and I thought he was excellent.

“It was a late decision for him to play because of Kompany’s situation, but throughout the group games Dedryck more than justified his selection.
I thought he looked very comfortable on that stage.

“Kompany was always going to return to the team and that was probably harsh for Dedryck because he certainly didn’t deserve to lose his place.

“But Kompany is such a massive player for Belgium, such an inspirational figure. As soon as he was fit he had to play. But there will come a time in the future when it will end for him and I definitely see Boyata as someone who could be his long-term replacement. He is good enough, he has all the necessary qualities.

“He is the future of Belgium. I can’t speak any more highly of him.

“Just being a regular part of the squad allows him to learn from Kompany, to prepare for the day when he is considered a main part of the team and not a stand-in.

“Dedryck did not make any mistakes. I know sometimes he can for Celtic, but at the World Cup he played very consistently and I was delighted for him.

“There was a lot of pressure on him with Kompany on the sidelines, but he rose to the challenge and I believe many more people now recognise him as a top player.

“I still feel, though, Dedryck has to believe in himself more when he plays for the country.

“I still don’t think he has the same confidence like he does for Celtic. That must change after the quality of his displays at the World Cup.

“I know it is a vital time for Dedryck with his future. He has only a year left of his Celtic contract. It is certain there will be many clubs now interested in him.

“But Dedryck is playing every week for Celtic and also in the Champions League. Sure, he could earn more money elsewhere and get a higher profile, but what happens if he goes to Italy, Spain or to England and doesn’t play so much? That would badly affect him for Belgium.”

“He is at a great club in Celtic and I was happy when he chose to go there from Manchester City. At that time I publicly said how good he could become.

“It took time for Dedryck to fully settle and he had several injuries, but, especially with Brendan Rodgers, he has performed at a high level for Celtic domestically and in Europe.

“Rodgers is a great manager. You have to think very carefully about leaving a club like Celtic.

“I have always enjoyed my visits there and I have huge respect for the people at the club. I know Dedryck has been very happy in Scotland.

“But possibly he is now thinking it is time to play for another big club at a better league and I mean that with the greatest respect to Scotland’s premier division.

“It could also be good for Celtic to get a lot of money for Dedryck, but, yes, maybe he will decide to stay in Scotland.

“It is a good position for Dedryck to be in. Every player wants that kind of situation and I am very interested to see what he does.”

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/45193757?ns_linkname=scotland&ns_campaign=bbc_sportsound&ns_source=twitter&ns_mchannel=social

Dedryck Boyata let down his Celtic team-mates, the club’s fans, and himself by not playing against AEK Athens, says Paul Lambert.Manager Brendan Rodgers said the Belgium was fit to play in Tuesday’s Champions League qualifying defeat.But defender Boyata, who was a target for Fulham last week, insists he is “not yet 100% operational”.”If he’s fit, he has let himself down,” former Parkhead midfielder Lambert said. “I think he’s made his bed.”Boyata failed to travel to Greece with the squad for the second leg of the third qualifying round tie, and has yet to make an appearance this season.The 27-year-old, who was with Belgium at the World Cup earlier in the summer, posted a video of himself on Instagram receiving treatment before the game.Lambert says Boyata, who joined Celtic from Manchester City in 2015, has been “badly advised” and that the situation was “a distraction” for Celtic.”It didn’t help them,” he told BBC Scotland after two defensive lapses allowed AEK to win 2-1 on the night and 3-2 on aggregate to progress to the play-off round.”Maybe the stronger ones in the team will go back and say, ‘OK, if you don’t want to play with us, don’t. Don’t try to come back in’.”I don’t know how he can win the Celtic supporters round. I don’t think they will be too forgiving.”There have been reports of unrest between Rodgers and the board, with the manager saying after the defeat that it is “not rocket science” to say they should have made more signings in the summer.Lambert agrees that the Scottish champions have paid the price of not being active enough in the transfer market, but does not think any rift is unrepairable.”Looking at Celtic at the minute, I’m not sure they’ve got a big enough squad to go and compete on all fronts,” he said.”I don’t think Brendan said anything derogatory to the board. I think he’s just stating what every manager wants to do, strengthen their team.”And I don’t think Brendan is the kind of guy who would walk away – he is not that type.”

LISBON LION BERTIE ON BOYATA, BRENDAN AND BROKEN PROMISES

https://www.celticquicknews.co.uk/part-one-lisbon-lion-bertie-on-boyata-brendan-and-broken-promises/

By CQN Magazine on 16th August 2018 Latest NewsLISBON Lion Bertie Auld insists Dedryck Boyata’s antics are a complete embarrassment for Celtic.And the Hoops legend reckons his team-mates must be sickened by the behaviour of the Belgian international defender.Auld, a sprightly 80-year-old, raged: “If I was the manager, would I play Boyata again? No chance. Never!“In fact, I wouldn’t even let him train with the squad at Lennoxtown. I would have him escorted to Glasgow Green every day to train on his own on the public parks.“The way he has treated Brendan Rodgers, his colleagues and everyone at Celtic and the supporters has been an absolute disgrace, totally unacceptable.“The player claims he is unfit and couldn’t have played against AEK in Athens. The manager says he is fit. Who do you believe?“Boyata’s agent has already mouthed off and made threatening noises about his client downing tools and being disappointed after a £9million bid from Fulham had been knocked back.“He has also claimed Celtic have broken promises to his player. Where does it say anywhere Celtic have to accept a bid for a player who is still under contract?“Where does it say they even have to talk to a club who want to make an offer for one of their players?“What a load of rubbish. Goodness knows how my old boss Jock Stein would have dealt with this situation.“Listen, I know times have changed and players have representatives coming out of the woodwork. But there are ways and means of dealing with things and this has been a complete embarrassment for the club.“Big Jock wouldn’t have let an agent anywhere near Parkhead. He wouldn’t have given them the time of day.”Auld pondered the impact Boyata’s non-appearance may have had on the team against the Greeks.He said: “Obviously, the players will not come out and criticise one of their own in public. That’s not the done thing.“However, I would be hugely surprised if they are not sickened by their colleague.“Tuesday night was an evening for the Celtic players to stand tall, shoulder to shoulder and get a good result for the club in such an important game.“While they tried their best to turn the tie around, their team-mate was sitting at home. I wonder if he even bothered to watch the game on TV.“I wouldn’t want to share a dressing room with a guy like that. He’s not the sort of bloke you want beside you when the going gets tough, that’s for sure.“There can be disagreements between players away from the public gaze. But this is premeditated and that is entirely different.“It’s a disgusting way to treat a club that has been good to him and a manager in Brendan Rodgers who has worked hard to get him to where he is.“Do you think he would have been at the World Cup Finals with Belgium if it hadn’t been for the efforts of the Celtic manager?“He wouldn’t have been anywhere near Russia, but he appears to have forgotten that little detail.“I know Brendan worked hard with him. He brought him back into the team for a Scottish Cup-tie against Albion Rovers after the winter break a couple of Januarys ago.“A lot of people had forgotten Boyata was still at the club. But Brendan had been impressed by his attitude during the break in Dubai and went out of his way to encourage him to better himself.“In a lot of eyes, the Celtic boss was taking a chance in bringing him back into the first team. Let;s face it, he hadn’t been anything special under Ronny Deila, who bought him in the first place from Manchester City.“So, Brendan took a wee chance and this is how Boyata repays him. I think it’s reprehensible.“Obviously, I wouldn’t even attempt to offer the manager any advice on how to deal with the situation.“However, as the former gaffer at Partick Thistle and Hibs, I can tell you I wouldn’t have him anywhere near the first team.“He would be either training with the youths or on his own down at Glasgow Green.“No-one is bigger than Celtic Football Club. Dedryck Boyata – and his agent – will find that out in the coming days and weeks.”

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