Celtic Star Accused of Showing “Arrogance”

Former Celtic player Peter Grant has delivered a sharp critique of Kasper Schmeichel’s display against Braga, accusing the veteran goalkeeper of being “sloppy” during key moments of the Europa League defeat.

Grant, who worked under previous Celtic regimes, didn’t hold back when analysing Schmeichel’s performance on pundit duty, suggesting the Dane showed a touch of arrogance in his decision-making. This is after he only gave three players pass marks during the Europa defeat.

“I just thought he was being sloppy,” said Grant. “He had a couple of kicks and he put them out the park and made the wrong choice. I think it was at that stage that he was showing a little bit of – and it’s maybe the wrong word to use – arrogance, to say that ‘I’m good at that.’ But the fans started getting on him a little bit.” he said on Go Radio.

Grant went on to reference long-time goalkeeping coach Stevie Woods, insisting that such standards wouldn’t have been tolerated during his own time at Lennoxtown.

“I’m not a goalkeeper, but I listen to Stevie Woods, even when I was there – and I know how Stevie Woods works. Stevie wouldn’t be allowing that. The goalkeepers I’ve worked with, they always had to make saves. So they always had to be prepared. I thought Kasper looked sloppy in that 20-minute period, everything he done. And he never reacted the way I thought he should’ve done.”

Kasper Schmeichel Celtic’s Number One

Despite the criticism, Schmeichel remains Celtic’s undisputed number one and retains the confidence of Brendan Rodgers. The Celtic boss has been clear in his backing of the 38-year-old, whose experience was vital last season.

However, the upcoming League Cup semi-final against Rangers presents an intriguing selection dilemma. Viljami Sinisalo has been between the sticks for every round of the competition so far, and Rodgers must now decide whether to stay loyal to the young Finn or turn to Schmeichel for the derby clash.

Stevie Woods, who has worked with a long line of Celtic goalkeepers from Fraser Forster to Joe Hart, will know Schmeichel is capable of much better than what he showed against Braga. Whether the veteran’s dip is just a blip or an early sign of age catching up will become clearer in the weeks ahead.

While Kasper’s performance was poor, we can’t agree with Peter’s assessment that it was due to arrogance. He is an honest player.