The Celtic players are getting away with a lot here.
Yes, there should be pressure on Wilfried Nancy, and time is seriously ticking on the under-fire Celtic coach.
But let’s be honest, even going back to last season, quite a lot of these Celtic players just haven’t been at it.
Whilst Nancy takes the headlines after Celtic’s defeat to Dundee United on Wednesday night, his fourth in a row, Chris Sutton decided to call out the players.
Who is the most important player in the Celtic squad?
Chris Sutton calls out Johnny Kenny, Shin Yamada, Kasper Schmeichel and Yang
Daizen Maeda opened the scoring against Dundee United, and in truth, it should have been more than 1-0 at the break.
But Johnny Kenny missed a lot of big chances during the first period, which angered Sutton, and he told Sky Sports that the Celtic striker is ‘second-rate’, alongside Shin Yamada, who came on as a substitute.
Now it’s unfair to verbally bash someone like Yamada like that because he has hardly been used this season.
So, when he comes out from the cold to be used now and again, and doesn’t perform, you can’t exactly conclude that he just isn’t good enough.
It’s fair enough for Sutton to state that Celtic’s number one goalkeeper, Kasper Schmeichel, is ‘miles off it’, because he has been underperforming for a while, and he should be dropped.
Sutton also spoke about Yang’s situation and how, during the 2025 summer transfer window, he was supposed to leave, but a move to Birmingham City collapsed, and, all of a sudden, he has become a ‘key component’ in the side.
“The bottom line with Celtic, and it has been like it all season, I don’t care what anybody else says, they have some bang average players,” said Sutton.
“They have second-rate strikers. That’s the issue. Missed unbelievable chances against Dundee United. These players aren’t good enough to play for Celtic. Bad in both boxes.
“They were papering over the cracks (under Martin O’Neill). Martin did unbelievably well – let’s not make out that this Celtic team is a good team, it isn’t. It’s bang average. January is going to be key. This Celtic team looks like a third-placed team.
“All season, I have said, I don’t know how Celtic are going to score a goal – Celtic have too many sub-standard players. They have players who aren’t performing from previous seasons.
“They have a goalkeeper who is miles off it. They look like they are going to concede goals. They don’t have strikers who are good enough to play for Celtic, so it doesn’t matter about budgets.
“People can’t tell me that Johnny Kenny is good enough to lead the line for Celtic. He is not. Shin Yamada. That’s an issue.
“Yang has become a key component. Celtic were trying to sell Yang (in the summer). That’s where the major fault lies.”
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