In a post-match interview with CeltsAreHere, Brendan Rodgers shed light on his decision to substitute Luis Palma at half-time against Kilmarnock.
The Irishman also emphasised the need for greater efficiency on the pitch, particularly on Palma’s side, who was experiencing challenges in ball retention and creating chances.
Rodgers said: “We weren’t getting enough efficiency on that side of the pitch. We were losing the ball too easily.”
This insight into the tactical adjustment highlights Palma’s poor first half and was in fact not substituted due to an injury.
The substitution saw Yang Hyun-jun introduced into the game, with Rodgers expressing hope that Yang’s playing style would inject more directness into Celtic’s attacks.
He said: “We bring Yang in to be hopefully a bit more direct and get in behind and try and beat the fullback in the one vs one.”
Ultimately, Yang was ineffective in the second half, as was Palma in the first, with each player failing to replace Jota’s output.
Celtic looks to have seriously regressed, particularly in wide areas in failing to replace the Portuguese winger.
Despite signing three wingers in the summer to replace one player, Celtic have underinvested in players whose immediate impact is not at the level of Jota’s in his two seasons at the club.
Despite impressive performances this season, Palma continues to fail to find consistency.
Is it really surprising? Rodgers ran out of ideas and was exposed as fraud in his last year here and got worse as he tanked Leicester.
Desmond and the board got him in because he was so desperate, that they could pocket all the cash
And let the useful idiot face the fans and media.
It is going to get a lot worse with the new Champions league format set to lock us out of the cash injection it brings.
Fully agree with Dan’s comments.
Rodgers is a Dud.
A winning team has been reduced to mediocre with his boring negative side passing style, a style that left Celtic in decline previously, we know what happened when he ran away when Gerrard and his ordinary team put in a tiny challenge.
We then hung on to Lennon to long and the damage was complete.
Keeping Rodgers is just the same, he will drive the team backwards and do more damage.
I have said for some time that Rodgers has to go.
The league will be lost under his tenure.
Lawell can get same Taxi out of Celtic.
I will cheer the players, they are only following the instructions of their mgr.
Hail Hail.