Brendan Rodgers refused to make use of the absence of Callum McGregor as an excuse for Celtic’s show as they misplaced at dwelling to Rangers for the primary time in 5 years.
With the skipper unable to play resulting from a calf subject, the house facet didn’t get going within the first half and located themselves two objectives down on the break.
An improved second-half show noticed Celtic bounce again to degree phrases, just for extra defensive errors to let Hamza Igamane seal a 3-2 win for interim supervisor Barry Ferguson.
Whereas Rodgers felt McGregor’s presence was missed, he claimed those that had been accessible to him didn’t carry out to the extent he anticipated.
‘I believe we missed Callum at the moment,’ he mentioned. ‘I don’t suppose there’s any doubt in that.
‘I discussed earlier than in regards to the tactical steadiness he offers the crew. He’s the man that opens up every part for us. His motion, his high quality, his contact will get us by way of the pitch good and rapidly.
Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers admits that his crew weren’t as fluid with out Callum McGregor
Cameron Carter-Vickers buries his face in his shirt after Celtic’s 3-2 defeat by Rangers
‘So, you can see it wasn’t wherever close to as fluid. That’s the truth. However others need to step up as a result of, if he’s not taking part in, then we have to be higher.’
Celtic stay 13 factors forward within the title race, and Rodgers was adamant that his crew’s comfy place within the Premiership couldn’t be cited as a purpose for the efficiency.
‘There’s no excuse,’ he added. ‘If it’s a one-point hole or 16, there’s no excuse.
‘We didn’t defend nicely sufficient. We weren’t sharp sufficient mentally within the recreation, with and with out the ball. For those who don’t (defend nicely), a superb crew can punish you.’
The Celtic supervisor was irked on the method through which his facet conceded the objectives to Nicolas Raskin, Mohamed Diomande and Igamane.
‘I believe all three objectives had been positions we must always have had higher management in,’ he mentioned.
‘It’s simply readability of pondering. The nook, we had been in a superb place. The younger man Raskin, he’s finished it a couple of instances, he’s fast throughout the bottom and will get the contact. However we’re goal-side, so we’ve got to cope with that higher.
‘The second the ball goes again and we’ve received to open up the pitch faster. We find yourself with it going out for a throw-in for them. So, we’re accountable for that.
‘The third one is a punt up the pitch, miss the primary header, slip. In equity, the man finishes it very well. However we will cope with these issues a lot better.
‘It’s simply a kind of days that you’ve got generally. The primary half was not so good. Second half, we received the early objective, a extremely good objective.
‘From there, it regarded like we’re the crew within the ascendancy and will go on to win the sport.
‘We received to 2-2 and there was a superb feeling, good power within the stadium. I simply hoped for us to go on and take the following steps to get the objectives.
‘Jack Butland made some nice saves however, when you can’t win it, then don’t lose it.’
Celtic have now conceded three objectives in every of their previous three conferences with Rangers.
‘Yeah, that’s one thing to consider, for certain,’ mentioned Rodgers. ‘I discussed that afterwards.
‘That you must be higher. That you must be defensively a lot better, far more safe. But in addition a part of that comes from giving the ball away and never dominating it like we do.
‘You hand a bit of little bit of onus to the opposition.’
Cameron Carter-Vickers vowed that Celtic would reply to the most recent reverse to Rangers — simply as they did when defeated at Ibrox in January.
After shedding the festive conflict 3-0, Brendan Rodgers’ facet gained six and drew one in every of their subsequent seven league video games to place themselves inside touching distance of the title.
Raskin scores the primary of three objectives that led Rodgers to query his crew’s defending
Having suffered only a third league defeat in 30 video games, the defender urged his team-mates to mud themselves down in the identical method and shut out a thirteenth title in 14 years in fashion.
‘That’s what we’re going to do each recreation,’ mentioned the American worldwide. ‘We’re going to look to carry out nicely and win.
‘We’ve received a global break now however, after that, our focus might be on the following league recreation.
‘We’ve received a cushty lead within the desk and that’s good. That reveals the nice work we’ve finished up thus far. However we undoubtedly wish to proceed till the top of the season.
‘Our efficiency at the moment was not ok — and we’ve received to enhance.’
Regardless of the enviable place Celtic are nonetheless in, Carter-Vickers may take little solace from a uncommon dangerous day on the workplace.
‘You wish to be as many factors forward as you might be,’ he mentioned. ‘That doesn’t imply that you may lose video games of soccer.
‘We all know that. We by no means wish to lose and we at all times attempt to win and carry out nicely.
‘I don’t suppose there’s actually a mindset swap from us in any respect. We’re conscious of the factors hole, however we wish to add to that if something. Clearly, that wasn’t the case at the moment.’
Having bounced again from being two objectives down at half-time, Carter-Vickers felt certain Celtic would go on to win the sport.
‘That’s the best way it regarded,’ he mentioned. ‘Clearly, we all know in these video games something can occur.
‘We’ve received to defend the third objective higher. However, second half, it was undoubtedly us who had been the crew trying to rating.
‘We had been 2-0 down, we’ve received to go for it. It made them really feel like they’ll sit again and include.
‘Even when it went to 2-2, I assumed we had been in all probability the crew attempting to attain the winner. Nevertheless it simply didn’t come.’
