Not many Celtic gamers might emerge from the derby defeat with their heads held excessive, so poor was their total efficiency, within the first half a minimum of.
Daizen Maeda is exempt from criticism for the same old causes — he put in a shift, scored a aim and set the form of requirements which might be often met by his team-mates.
Reo Hatate might declare to deserve cross marks for pulling Celtic degree within the 3-2 defeat by Rangers, though he and his fellow midfielders had been no substitute for the injured Callum McGregor.
However there’s one different participant whose comparatively strong efficiency provided a sliver of comfort on an in any other case depressing day for Celtic.
Whereas it might be stretching it to counsel that Maik Nawrocki was excellent, the Polish centre half confirmed resolve the place these round him had been uncharacteristically ragged.
It was a efficiency robust sufficient to make a thriller of the 24-year-old’s long-standing exclusion from Brendan Rodgers’ group and the participant’s unsure future at Celtic.
Maik Nawrocki beats Cyriel Dessers to a excessive ball in a formidable show on the again for Celtic
The defender has been used sparingly by Brendan Rodgers however confirmed up effectively on derby day
The 24-year-old rises above Vaclav Cerny and can hope to have achieved sufficient to maintain his place
Like Gustaf Lagerbielke, Nawrocki was signed shortly after Rodgers arrived in June 2023. They had been reported to have price about £3million and £4m respectively, however the supervisor has not taken to both participant.
Lagerbielke is on mortgage at Dutch prime flight facet FC Twente, the place he’s performing effectively and more likely to keep. Nawrocki has made solely 16 appearances for Celtic, simply 10 of them from the beginning.
After recovering from an damage final season, the Pole struggled to get again within the supervisor’s plans. With Lagerbielke additionally out of favour, Rodgers publicly questioned the 2 gamers’ personalities and the way in which they educated.
Nawrocki solely performed on Sunday as a result of Liam Scales and Auston Trusty had been injured. He had made simply two earlier appearances this season, in its place in opposition to Falkirk and Raith Rovers.
And but, he regarded just like the common within the again 4 as Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston made errors, failed to attach with the midfield and got no confidence by Kasper Schmeichel’s eccentric distribution.
Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alastair Johnston did not benefit from the biggest of matches final week
So what now for the younger defender? With a contract that runs till 2028, this has the potential to be a turning level in his Celtic profession. Or it could possibly be that he realises there is no such thing as a prospect of profitable over the supervisor.
If Rodgers doesn’t give him extra recreation time now, you watched he by no means will.
Turning tide might make issues awkward for Rodgers
A lot for all of the fuss about St Johnstone’s resolution to allocate three of their stands to Celtic followers on April 6. The title occasion is unlikely to be at McDiarmid Park.
With 13 factors separating Celtic from second-placed Rangers, a celebration in Perth continues to be doable, however it might require Barry Ferguson’s facet to undergo defeats in every of their subsequent two video games.
Given the way in which they carried out within the derby on Sunday, the sensible cash can be on Celtic’s huge day being delayed, maybe even into the post-split programme.
If each groups had been to win all of their subsequent three matches, the deal could possibly be sealed within the first of the Premiership’s remaining 5 video games.
Celtic supervisor Rodgers has a lot pondering to do after struggling one other Previous Agency setback
That’s later than Celtic had been anticipating, however it isn’t late sufficient to throw up the prospect of the title being clinched at Ibrox when the groups meet for the final time this season. That conflict will nonetheless be ‘meaningless’.
Which is when Rangers appear to be at their most harmful. In spite of everything, their uncommon victories within the fixture’s current historical past have been when there’s nothing tangible at stake. They’ve received their final two video games in opposition to Celtic, each when there was no prospect of profitable the title.
In the event that they had been to make it three in a row, issues might get awkward for Brendan Rodgers. For all that he has dominated the fixture throughout his two spells in Glasgow, a tide is threatening to show within the derby.
Two consecutive defeats by Rangers might simply as simply have been three, on condition that they wanted a penalty shootout to see off their crisis-ridden rivals within the Premier Sports activities Cup remaining. In these three Previous Agency video games, Rodgers’ group have conceded 9 objectives. After the match on Sunday, he admitted that he had ‘a wee little bit of pondering to do’.
After all, Celtic will win the championship, in all probability carry the Scottish Cup and, in so doing, declare a home treble. In addition they reached the Champions League knockout spherical play-offs, the place they pushed Bayern Munich all the way in which.
The sight of Rangers celebrating a derby victory at Celtic Park was not welcome for dwelling followers
In any regular world, that degree of success can be greater than sufficient to outweigh a couple of setbacks in meaningless derbies. However Glasgow soccer is just not a traditional world, and a poor report in opposition to Rangers is rarely useful for a Celtic supervisor, whatever the greater image.
Rodgers can be effectively suggested to protect in opposition to complacency within the subsequent assembly of those groups, nonetheless little seems to be using on it.
Palma has designs on a double success in Greece
Honduran winger Luis Palma could have been frozen out at Celtic underneath Brendan Rodgers however he might but take pleasure in a scorching finish to the season underneath a heat Greek solar with Olympiakos.
Palma was farmed out to the reigning UEFA Convention League champions in January following the return of Jota to Parkhead, and it’s protected to say he’s landed on his toes with the Greek Tremendous League leaders.
Whereas he’s but to finish 90 minutes for the Piraeus membership — a feat he managed solely 4 instances in his 48 appearances for Celtic — Palma has performed his half as Olympiakos have moved seven factors clear on the prime of the desk.
Palma has hit the bottom working at Olympiakos and will win a everlasting transfer to Greece
The Honduran began brightly at Celtic however quickly turned a supply of frustration for followers
As well as, he claimed his first aim and help for the membership of their 6-0 dismantling of AEK Athens within the first leg of their Greek Cup semi-final final month.
Following the worldwide break, Palma will hope to get in on the motion within the iconic derby conflict at dwelling to Panathinaikos, earlier than finishing the formalities of that Greek Cup semi-final second leg in opposition to AEK.
The membership’s European bubble was burst with a bruising Europa League exit by the hands of Bodo/Glimt, however with a possible double on the horizon, Palma will little doubt be pinching himself at having swapped a seat on the bench in Scotland for the prospect to carve out some profession highlights in southern Europe.
Extra importantly for Celtic, given Palma is contracted to the Parkhead membership till 2028, any additional success might see Olympiakos pull the set off on the option-to-buy they secured on a participant who the Celtic assist simply by no means actually warmed to.
Crunch time for Welsh on Mechelen journey
Not all loans lead to glamour and glory, in fact. Simply ask Stephen Welsh.
The long-time Celtic central-defensive prospect was additionally shipped out of Parkhead on a brief foundation throughout the newest window, in his case to the Belgian Professional League.
Stephen Welsh faces former Celtic pal Ewan Henderson in Mechelen’s defeat by Beerschot
The Celtic defender has had a combined time thus far in Mechelen’s well-known pink and yellow package
Given he managed solely two appearances for Celtic all season whilst Brendan Rodgers’ backline endured damage issues, Welsh’s transfer to Mechelen clearly wasn’t only a case of providing him some recreation time. It was additionally a chance to indicate his value as soon as and for all away from the comforts of his boyhood membership.
This, in spite of everything, is a participant with a number of appearances in Europe to his identify and who was wished by Toulouse and Udinese, amongst others, previously few years. However his loyalty to Celtic has not been rewarded with a run of video games in Rodgers’ first-team, for one cause or one other.
His Belgian journey acquired off to an inauspicious begin together with his new membership struggling three straight defeats — and Welsh being hooked at half-time in two of these. He has began solely two of seven video games since, though he was again in favour for Mechelen’s most up-to-date outing, a 2-1 win at dwelling to FCV Dender.
All his membership need to play for now, within the Professional League’s convoluted break up format, is a play-off place for a possible Convention League spot. For Welsh, although, the remaining 10 league fixtures — ought to he handle to be chosen — are much more vital than that. It’s starting to really feel like make-or-break if the now 25-year-old desires to play on the highest degree.
Sadiku’s facet are shedding type on the mistaken time
Celtic ladies’s coach Elena Sadiku has questioned her gamers’ skill to deal with the stress after their title hopes suffered one other setback in Edinburgh on Sunday.
A 3-1 defeat by Hearts within the first fixture of the post-split programme leaves Celtic fourth within the desk, three factors behind Glasgow Metropolis, 4 behind Rangers and 6 behind leaders Hibs.
Already out of the 2 cups, they now have important floor to make up within the SWPL if they’re to forestall a trophyless season, simply 12 months after being topped champions for the primary time.
Worse nonetheless, they’ve gone three matches with out a win and have triumphed in simply one in all their final 5. Their newest disappointment means they’re solely two factors forward of fifth-placed Hearts.
Elena Sadiku is staring down the barrel at a trophyless season after final 12 months’s title excessive
Two objectives down at Oriam, Celtic gave themselves a lifeline by Saoirse Noonan’s overhead kick, but it surely took solely three minutes for Hearts to revive their two-goal lead and successfully finish the competition.
As Celtic enter the closing stretch of a season that has included an exciting journey within the Champions League, Sadiku admits that the burden of defending their title is affecting a few of her gamers.
‘There may be huge stress on us from exterior elements, followers,’ she stated. ‘We all know we’re the champions, we wish to defend the title and I feel that comes with it.
‘Stress is the most effective factor ever. It’s a privilege. It ought to maintain you in your toes, however I feel that’s one thing the gamers aren’t used to but.’
