It was a deeply disappointing Sunday for Celtic after Kilmarnock beat the reigning Scottish League Cup holders 1-0 at Rugby Park to knock them out of this season’s tournament.
The brutal truth is that Celtic didn’t deserve anything from the encounter, failing to create enough quality chances to really test opposition goalkeeper Will Dennis in any meaningful way.
Marley Watkins was the hero of the hour for Killie, who will go on to host a tie against Hearts in the quarter-finals of the competition.
The intensity and desire from Celtic felt missing, or at least at lower levels than usual. Injuries are no doubt a factor, but the Bhoys should have the depth to be able to take care of these matches with a few key stars out.
Brendan Rodgers was obviously not happy after the match, speaking to BBC Radio Scotland. He said: “We didn’t do enough to win the game. We had a couple of good moments in the first half and had some pressure in the second half.
“We’re disappointed with the goal, the goal came from a throw in. Even though we were a man down at the time, the ball shouldn’t get that far, we have to defend it better. On the other side of it, we didn’t do enough when we had the ball or showed enough quality or personality when we had it.
“I thought Yang came on and made a difference for us, Haksabanovic looked a threat as well. But other than that we didn’t have the quality to win the game.
“You have to give all the credit to Kilmarnock. They defended strongly, got the blocks in when they had to and took one of the few chances of the game. I have to analyse ourselves and our quality wasn’t good enough in the game. There are no excuses, we weren’t good enough today.”
No messing about then from the manager. He wasn’t pleased with what he witnessed from the team and nor should he be. Fans aren’t happy with anything we have seen today.
Ultimately it is on Rodgers to regroup the squad and have them push on in a more productive fashion. We need key players back from injuries, some quality players in the door and a positive forward momentum.
One trophy is beyond us already this season. It’s not where we want to be, it has to be a wake-up call for the rest of the campaign.
In other news, Dominik Livakovic at centre of wild Saturday night drama that banks Celtic extra UEFA cash.
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