Martin O’Neill was put on the spot over Kasper Schmeichel’s injury situation, and the reaction that followed it. Chris Sutton had taken aim at the way the news came out, suggesting the focus had drifted away from Celtic.
The whole thing has picked up pace over the last few days. Schmeichel chose to speak about his injury on live television rather than through the club, which caught plenty of people off guard.
Sutton didn’t hold back. He questioned the approach and called it selfish, pointing to the lack of reference to Celtic when the goalkeeper spoke. It was the kind of comment that was always going to come up at the next press conference.
O’Neill didn’t make much of it. Speaking ahead of the Dundee United game, he played it down and refused to let it turn into something bigger.
He said: (Celtic FC YouTube), “I like Chris. I like Chris a lot, but not that much!
“Chris is entitled his own opinion, but it’s no serious issue for me.
“I don’t know whether he would have been in a position to know that it was all about Denmark. I don’t know.
“I haven’t spoken to Chris. I will do now, for him to mind his own business. No, it’s not. He’s entitled an opinion.”
Viljami Sinisalo has stepped in and is getting more comfortable with each match. The back line is starting to read his game, which helps in matches where the ball is coming into the box more often.
That will matter at Tannadice. It can turn into a direct game, and the goalkeeper has to deal with crosses and second balls more than usual.
O’Neill’s stance keeps things simple. There’s no interest in dragging the situation further. The attention is on the next match and how the team handles it.
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2 responses
There was nothing to adjust to.
We now have a far superior goalkeeper in Vin Sinisalo, who should have been playing long before now. Scheicher was a big mistake.
Schmeichel