Celtic fans will be glad that the international break is now here because that performance against Rangers was shocking.
From a defensive and control aspect, Brendan Rodgers watched his team perform like they are the ones miles behind Rangers in the Premiership table.
The only saving grace is the fact that Celtic will be crowned champions of Scotland sooner rather than later and this defeat has just delayed the inevitable.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 29 | 24 | 3 | 2 | 87 | 17 | 70 | 75 |
| 2 |  RangersRangers | 29 | 18 | 5 | 6 | 59 | 26 | 33 | 59 |
| 3 |  HibernianHibernian | 30 | 11 | 11 | 8 | 45 | 41 | 4 | 44 |
| 4 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 30 | 12 | 7 | 11 | 38 | 46 | -8 | 43 |
But still, that doesn’t make Celtic’s 3-2 defeat to Rangers acceptable because, from the get-go, the team were off it and played like a bunch of players lacking confidence.
Before a ball was kicked, some interesting changes were made to Celtic’s XI, with Auston Trusty and Liam Scales injured, so it meant that Maik Nawrocki was handed a rare start.
But the biggest news of them all was the absence of Callum McGregor, with the skipper missing his first Glasgow derby since 2016 because of a calf issue.
Brendan Rodgers’ honest verdict on Celtic’s defeat to Rangers and Callum McGregor claim
It shouldn’t be an excuse, but it is rather worrying how much Celtic missed McGregor and how off-colour they looked, especially on the ball.
Rodgers noted how Celtic just ‘didn’t play well enough’ during those opening 45 minutes, and despite the second half comeback, he was ‘very disappointing’ by what was produced, before Hamza Igamane’s very late dagger to the heart.
He explained how a reason for that abject first half showing was ‘no doubt’ because McGregor wasn’t in the XI, as he told Sky Sports.
“A very disappointing result,” said Rodgers. “In the first half, we never got going at all. When you concede early in the game, it puts us back and I don’t think we played well enough in the first half.
“In the second half, we come out and get the early goal. The momentum is with us. It’s 2-2, then we look like the team that’s going to go and win the game.
“Sadly, we make a mistake in the long ball and the boy finishes it well, to be fair. It looked like we were going to take something from the game having been 2-0 down and showed a good mentality to come back. Very disappointed to lose.
On the reason for first half showing: “There is no doubt we missed Callum. I have said before, he gives us real tactical balance in the game. Having to shift a couple of things around.
“But, you see the importance of him and how quickly he gets through. How tactically he is really good for the team, so we missed him.
“I thought we were too rushed in our game. It was too slow and we gave the ball up too cheaply. That was my thinking for the first half.”
Rodgers tells Celtic players to take ‘responsibility’ after defeat to Rangers
Just because Celtic have won the title and might end up with the Treble this season, it doesn’t mean a result or performance like this should be brushed under the carpet.
That’s back-to-back derby defeats, and after Rodgers had only lost once in this fixture before the turn of the year, he has now suffered that bitter taste in succession.
Rodgers was clear in his post-match thoughts because he thinks ‘everyone’ in green and white colours needs to take responsibility.
“You give credit to Rangers, they come here and they have won the game,” said Rodgers. “That’s never a nice feeling as a player or manager here. We are obviously disappointed.
“You will have days like today. You never want it to be at home. Going 2-0 down. There is responsibility on everyone.”
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