Celtic suffered a 1-0 defeat to Kilmarnock, leading to their early exit from the Viaplay Sports Cup before even reaching the quarter-finals.
It was a dreadful game at Rugby Park, but you can’t say a result like this wasn’t coming. Fair play to the fans at the match, though. They were in fine voice for the full 90, despite the disaster they were watching unfold before them.
Here are three key takeaways from the match:
- Immediate Improvements Required:
- Greg Taylor’s Struggles: Once a standout performer under Ange Postecoglou, left-back Greg Taylor struggled immensely in the game. His offensive contributions were lacklustre, and he left much to be desired defensively. It’s becoming increasingly clear that Taylor might not be the best fit for Brendan Rodgers’ system. With the transfer window still open, it might be time to consider reinforcements in this position.
- Winger Woes: Both Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada had a day to forget. The duo failed to create any significant chances, and their lack of conviction with the ball was evident. The departure of Jota has left a gaping hole in the squad, and his absence was felt more than ever. A replacement for Jota seems imperative for Celtic to regain their competitive edge.
- Lacklustre Play: This might have been one of the laziest performances from Celtic in recent memory. The players seemed disinterested, with minimal movement off the ball. The wingers, instead of driving the play forward, often chose to slow down the game, leading to a lack of creativity. The entire match felt like it was being played in slow motion, with Celtic’s usual flair and dynamism conspicuously absent.
- A Silver Lining – Gustav Lagerbielke: In a game dominated by negatives for Celtic, one of the only positives was Gustav Lagerbielke’s on-the-ball play. His direct approach and penetrating passes, especially down the left flank, were a breath of fresh air in the uninspiring Celtic team. On a different day, his contributions could have been the difference-maker for Celtic. Despite the team’s overall poor performance, Lagerbielke’s display offers a glimmer of hope for the future. Must improve on his passing, though!
Lost 3-0 ? What game did you watch ?
Fine voice?
I could only hear the usual IRA chants, Roll of honour etc.
Not sure how that inspires our overseas players…or any of our players for that matter
Worst performance in over77 years of following Celtic. Disgraceful performance. You can understand a player having an off day but the whole team. They were just not interested
The three takeaways I got from the match are as follows:
1. Rodgers needs to go immediately.
2. A hungry young foreign manager with proven ability needs to be appointed.
3. Mega millions need to be spent on quality players in the next two weeks.
If these three takeaways are not taken up by the Board, then we’re looking at the decline of high-flying Leicester City mark 2.
1 Aye after 1 defeat? nonsensical over-reaction.
2 if such a manager exists, he’ll have been snapped up by the higher paying major leagues
3 as above, spend mega millions = mega wages which we can’t compete with.
Leicester were not high-flying when he joined them yet won them the FA Cup for only time in their history
You state Taylor unsuited to Rodgers system. If you can work out what that system actually is you go top of the class
It’s not the deafeat, it’s been the disastrous way the team has played in the last three matches at least. The mega millions is what we know Rodgers had in the kitty when he came in, £30 million to be precise, and then £25 million was added with the sale of Jota. Outlay on new players (projects) thus far adds up to about £14 million, which leaves £41 million. So, mega millions are there to be spent and Rodgers seriously needs to spend them. If you can’t beat Killie in the cup then you have zero chance of success in Europe. Leicester were a decent EPL team when Rodgers arrived, certainly able to hold their own in the league. Now they are relegated to the Championship, thanks in no small measure to the run down that took place under Rodgers.
If you believe that then why were you happy to see him return? Why did he get the job at Leicester? Because the last guy got the tin-tack. More likely you are the type to change his mind after 1 poor result. Yes, no doubt Celtic have the millions in the bank to spend but you seem to have no idea how football works these days. If a £25m player is available, he will be looking for, and will get from the EPL among others, 120-150k per week. Our top players are on around 30-35k pw.
Chris Sutton doesn’t agree with you. I agree with him though, that some serious quality signings should have been made by now. I think Sutton’s opinion carries more weight than yours.
I totally agree with Sutton, we do need quality signings.
Not as simple as saying “just spend the money ” though, as I’ve tried to explain.
I may have missed it, but I can’t recall seeing Sutton making a knee-jerk call for Brendan sacking already though!
And his opinion surely carries more weight than yours?
Well, if you think that shambles, not to mention the last two disjointed games, is not an omen of worse things to come, then you’re far more optimistic than I. Ange had a great team playing a fast-passing, high-pressing game. Now it’s backs to the wall, can’t pass the ball, no one up front, lose to lowly Killie. Oh yes, he’s doing well, just a few tweeks here and there and we’re good to go against Rangers and in Europe. You obviously can’t see the writing on the wall even when it’s writ large.