Martin O’Neill has explained why he started Sam Johnstone in Celtic’s 3-0 defeat to Rangers at Ibrox after the goalkeeper endured a difficult afternoon.
Asked after the match why he had opted for Johnstone, O’Neill made it clear that part of his thinking was about seeing how players handled this type of occasion.
He said: (TCW), “I want people to experience these games, because what other way am I going to learn about what people can or cannot do?
“What I don’t want to do is just put people in so that I can learn something from it. The main object is obviously to try and win, and it’s a fine balancing act from me.”
It was not an easy afternoon for Johnstone.
An early clearance put Celtic under pressure, while there were other moments when Rangers’ intensity caused problems around his box.
He was far from the only player to struggle, though, and O’Neill stopped short of making the goalkeeper the focus of the defeat.
The manager’s answer also gives an indication of how he is assessing this Celtic squad in the bigger fixtures.
That does not mean the game was treated as an experiment.
O’Neill was clear that winning remained the priority, but he also acknowledged the balance between picking a side to get a result and learning more about the players available to him.
Johnstone will know his performance will come under scrutiny after a difficult day, especially with competition for places continuing in goal.
Celtic now have little time to dwell on the defeat before another major week, with Ferencváros visiting Celtic Park in midweek and Rangers heading across Glasgow next Sunday.
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