There was a lot to take from Celtic’s win over Aberdeen on Sunday.
First of all, it was great to see Wilfried Nancy picking up his first win as the Celtic boss, after a nightmare start for the recently-appointed coach.
But in these coming weeks, as Nancy becomes more familiar with the players, you wonder what types of changes he is going to make to his XI, and whether that includes the goalkeeping department.
Kasper Schmeichel has divided opinion all season long, including legendary keeper Pat Bonner calling for him to be dropped, and things haven’t changed despite Celtic’s win over Aberdeen.
Should Viljami Sinisalo be the long-term replacement for Kasper Schmeichel?
Celtic fans react to Kasper Schmeichel’s performance against Aberdeen
First of all, before Aberdeen equalised, Celtic should have been out of sight; there is a clear issue in the striker department.
But the manner in which Jimmy Thelin’s men scored, from Auston Trusty’s abject one-v-one defending, and Schmeichel’s weak effort to stop the shot, has left the supporters annoyed and wanting change.
Viljami Sinisalo is Celtic’s back-up keeper, and there are already calls for the Finland international to come in and replace Schmeichel in between the sticks because the fans have seen enough.
@Aidxn_67 summed up how he felt: ‘Me next time Schmeichel is in the starting line-up.’
@Champions_67 analysed Celtic’s conceded goal against Aberdeen: ‘I know Schmeichel was poor at the goal, but Trusty not getting this ball is absolutely criminal.’
@HitTheByline with an indirect call for Viljami Sinisalo to start: ‘Kasper Schmeichel yet again costing Celtic when it matters. If only Celtic had a younger, internationally proven goalkeeper on the bench that could replace him…’
@Rich322020 didn’t mince his words: ‘I cannot stand Kasper Schmeichel.’
@RG_CELTIC raised a simple question about Schmeichel: ‘What more does Kasper Schmeichel need to do to be dropped?’
@bhoy_inOz thinks Celtic’s goalkeeping department needs sorting: ‘While we got the 3 points we deserved, Schmeichel didn’t cover himself in glory. If we aren’t going to give Sinisalo the nod, then I think we should look for a new GK in January.’
@McBrideAce had mixed views about Kasper and Sinisalo: ‘A couple of caps for Finland is hardly international proven. Agree, Kasper hasn’t been great recently. He is looking quite slow/immobile.’
@garym30 stated why Schmeichel is still starting: ‘Tough watch but a win at last, Schmeichel needs to be dropped pronto, been a liability for months, only still playing cause of his name.’
Another Celtic fan calling for change, as @iRuntheshow1 stated: ‘This team needs 2 quality Defenders and a quality CF as a priority. Schmeichel has to save that, time for a change in goals too.’
@DiamondBurkey was pretty brutal with his verdict on Celtic’s number one: ‘Nothing wrong with the system today, we played well and created enough chances to win three games. But we don’t have a proper striker, and Schmeichel is a horror show of a keeper. He was finished when we bought him, and he’s now two years older, fatter, and less mobile.’
Schmeichel’s Celtic career in numbers
Make no bones about it, Schmeichel has been a success at Celtic, and he has done very well to replace Joe Hart.
But at the age of 39, there have been too many iffy moments from the Denmark international this term, and you sense change is in the air.
Regardless, Schmeichel can hold his head up high because his record at Celtic overall has been pretty strong.
- Games: 76
- Goals conceded: 76
- Clean Sheets: 35
- Trophies: 2
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
