Celtic’s midfield issues at Ibrox did not appear from nowhere.
The warning signs were already there against LASK.
The problem comes when possession is lost.
LASK found space to run through the middle of Celtic far too easily and punished them heavily. Rangers then provided the next proper test of that midfield balance and exposed many of the same problems.
This time there was nowhere to hide.
Martin O’Neill admitted afterwards that Rangers looked “physically stronger” than Celtic and said something had to be done about it.
That should bring Oliver Sørensen straight into the discussion.
Sørensen was sitting on the bench at Ibrox and was not used.
When he arrived at Celtic, the midfielder openly described himself as a different profile to the other options available to O’Neill. His game is based much more around running power and covering ground.
Those were exactly the qualities Celtic were crying out for as Rangers started to take control.
McGregor was left with too much space to cover. Baur was unable to put out every fire around him, while Nygren naturally wants to operate higher up the pitch and influence the game closer to goal.
Once Rangers broke through that first line, Celtic struggled to recover.
The number of chances even Scottish opposition sides have been able to create against Celtic this season is another major concern.
It makes Sørensen’s lack of involvement difficult to understand.
That does not mean throwing him on would automatically have changed the result. Rangers were better all over the pitch. But when the biggest problem is a lack of legs and physical presence in midfield, leaving one of your more athletic options sitting on the bench deserves scrutiny.
Joël van den Berg is another interesting case.
The 19-year-old was not even included in the squad at Ibrox and is still waiting for his first Celtic appearance.
Nobody should be expecting a teenager who has just arrived from PSV to solve Celtic’s midfield overnight, but again his profile is worth noting. He brings size, energy and a willingness to cover ground.
Celtic spent the summer changing the midfield but have ended up with a glaring imbalance when games become more physical.
That brings Arne Engels back into the debate.
Celtic received £22 million for the Belgian when he moved to West Ham. Whatever anyone thought of Engels during his time in Glasgow, he gave Celtic running power through the middle and could cover large distances.
Baur has quality. Nygren has attacking ability. McGregor can still dictate games.
But putting good footballers together does not automatically create a balanced midfield.
Against weaker domestic opposition, Celtic may be able to dominate the ball for long enough that the issue barely appears.
Against LASK, it appeared.
O’Neill now has a decision to make before Rangers arrive at Celtic Park next Sunday.
The answer might already be sitting on his bench.
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