Luis Palma: The key thing Palma did in the 2:0 win over Dundee United, 08/01/25, that you may not have noticed

Celtic 2:0 Dundee United, 09/01/25

It was another excellent win for Celtic on 8th of January 2025 against a game, well-organised, resilient Dundee United team – Celtic had 78% possession, and it was a display of great professionalism in grinding out the win.

What was most notable though, was arguably that when Luis Palma entered the game in minute 75, he really did play noticeably excellently – it was a maverick 20 minutes from him.

Palma was extremely dangerous when he was coming inside & whipping in shots – his drop of the shoulder, quick feet, & whipping technique all looked really sharp.

When Palma was going down the wing getting crosses in, either with his left foot or the outside of his right foot, he also looked really slick – he had craft & conviction that he was going to make assists.

Palma’s goal in the Champions League vs Atletico Madrid was an epic goal last season – it was arguably the best passing move with an emphatic finish goal the team scored last season – it was also crucial because that result standing up to Diego Simeone’s men was a key part of the team getting their confidence in themselves last season. It looks like Palma is showing signs that he is back at the level, if not better.

Putting in assists is extremely difficult for any winger. You are moving at speed & trying to judge the runs of teammates then drop the ball in for them with exactly the right weight & angle (as well as disguise this to stop defenders reading it), & even the great Luis Figo went through spells in his career of struggling with this – putting in a cross it is a bit like a golfer’s approach-shot with the pitching wedge to the greens, and slotting the ball across is a bit like a golfer trying to sink a putt (it is really hard to get it exactly accurate) – Palma certainly looked like he has the craft, confidence & conviction for this though.

Palma in particular gained the secondary assist for Reo Hatate’s goal – it was his exquisite outside of the boot cross to Daizen Maeda who then played the ball into Hatate who finished emphatically – this was very important because Dundee United at that stage were starting to press for an equaliser & looked quite dangerous.

What was most encouraging from Palma was a subtle point though, and you may not have picked up on this, but he came onto the pitch with a short-sleeved top on – it was -7 degrees on the pitch!

That is Palma taking a page out the book of Scott Brown, Kieran Tierney, and Wim Hof with arctic ice-cold plunges! Even many of the weather hardened Glaswegian Celtic fans brought blankets with them & had hot water bottles inside their jackets on what was a Batman-esque Dr Freeze night!

I think that shows Palma has adapted to life in Scotland & has the mentality required to succeed – some may wonder if Palma will ever have the top 1% running power in his pressing game to play week-in week-out at the absolute elite level, however Palma most certainly has the heart & skill for it!

This is also a resolute mindset that Palma has gradually developed – when he played a friendly for Celtic against Sligo earlier in the season he scored a hattrick, & he showed real leadership in Celtic team with a lot of young players, and that was a freezing night on a very muddy pitch in Ireland, which shows Palma firmly has the attitude for performing in all training sessions & all games at all times. That is the 100% all-in approach it takes to succeed.

Palma has a massive fanbase back in Honduras who follow his career with great passion – the Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles, the home stadium of the Honduras National Team, is up there with Celtic Park as having one of the best atmospheres in world-football, & at home the Honduran crowd there can lift their team to beat any other nation there, and they have great belief in Palma – they want to see him do well in Europe so that he arrives back for national team games primed to put in heroic displays for them to get historic wins! It certainly looks like Palma shares this same passion & has the same size of heart as the Estadio Nacional Chelato Ucles faithful.

This evolution of Palma is very encouraging for Celtic as we now start to approach the business end of the season.

This is especially the case as Nicolas Kuhn picked up a thigh strain in the warm-up vs Dundee United, so Palma might now need to step up to the plate as a key figure in replacing him to provide guile & craft on the wing.

From that recent cameo display it indicates that we can count on Palma.

Even if Palma does leave this transfer window, it is likely to be a departure on the final day of the window on the 31st of January, because we will certainly need him in the 2 Champions League games vs Swiss Champions, YB Berne, 22nd of January, and English Premier League juggernauts Aston Villa, 29th of January.

It’s getting close to ‘squeaky-bum’ time in the Champions League campaign, & this Christmas & winter period is a key phase of the domestic season - Palma looks like has the craft as well as the mindset for these challenges that lie ahead in these coming weeks!