Celtic’s underwhelming performance against Kilmarnock last Sunday didn’t come as a total surprise, considering their outings against Ross County and Aberdeen.
Brendan Rodgers’ squad hasn’t yet hit their stride this season, and the manager will be keen to turn things around when they face St Johnstone this Saturday. Given the poor form of the visitors, Celtic should be aiming to assert their dominance and notch up a few goals.
Rewinding to last Sunday, a controversial moment marked Celtic’s match against Kilmarnock. Many fans and players felt that a penalty should have been awarded when Haksabanovic was brought down in the box. Despite vehement appeals, both the referee and VAR disagreed, and play continued without a penalty kick.
Following the match, Brendan Rodgers commented on the incident but did not use it as an excuse for the team’s poor showing. “There is a little bit of that. It’s one that’s gone. I did see a clip of it. I can see why you could say it maybe was or why it isn’t, but I never get overly hung up on it because we didn’t get it.
“And I’m not going to kill my own joy and analyse something like that. Of course, if it is repetitive you can look at it. I felt at the time that it was in the balance, but we didn’t get it.” [Daily Record]
The controversial penalty decision could have offered a lifeline in the cup game for Celtic, but ultimately, the side must move on. With almost a week to regroup, Celtic will look to bounce back and rediscover their form. A convincing win against St Johnstone would certainly serve as a step in the right direction.
Dinny underestimate the opposition, Saint Johnstone ain’t gonna just lie down to us . We need to fight hard for everything we can get today . Attitude from the start has to spot on and all through the 95 minutes.