Celtic’s Scottish Cup defeat will hurt this summer.
In a season that has given Celtic supporters much joy, the Bhoys’ defeat to Aberdeen in the Scottish Cup final is a sore one to take.
Winning the Scottish Premiership and the League Cup left just the Scottish Cup for Brendan Rodgers and Celtic to complete another domestic clean sheet.
That should have been all the motivation the Celtic first-team should have needed to win the Scottish Cup but, in truth, the players didn’t turn up.
However, it was Hugh Keevins’ scathing criticism of Paulo Bernardo that was immediately shot down by Scott Allan as the Portuguese midfielder was subbed off in extra time.
- READ MORE: Chris Sutton sums up Celtic’s season perfectly despite Scottish Cup heartache vs Aberdeen
Hugh Keevins’ below the belt Paulo Bernardo comment as Celtic star was subbed vs Aberdeen
Hardly any of Celtic’s players were at the races in the final defeat to Aberdeen. However, it was what Keevins said as Bernardo was taken off in extra-time that was met with a blunt response by fellow pundit, Scott Allan.
Superscoreboard host Andrew MacLean was speaking about the Celtic midfielder’s contribution as Jeffrey Schlupp took his place when MacLean said [1h 3m], “Paulo Bernardo, I think both of you had said it earlier on that it looked as if his afternoon was done.
“He wasn’t quite having the influence that he wanted to have in the game. He is off, and Jeffrey Schlupp is on. So is it going to be a case of Jeffrey Schlupp going into midfield or go to left, back potentially, and Greg Taylor into midfield?”
Keevins: “Bernardo should have been taken off 90 minutes ago.”
Allan: “Come on Hugh.”
Keevins: “No, it’s poised a knife edge. But it’s astonishing that the Celtic side now, as Scott said, devoid of ideas. An almost Celtic reserves look about it.”
Whilst Bernardo didn’t have the best of games for Celtic, he wasn’t the only player. Balanced criticism of the team is fine but it’s clear that Keevins’ barb was a little too much for Allan.
Scott Allan’s Paulo Bernardo verdict on Celtic star’s missed ‘opportunity’ vs Aberdeen
With Reo Hatate out injured, Bernardo got his big chance with a starting spot in Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic cup final team.
However, Allan believes the Celtic midfielder will look back on this chance with a hint of regret.
Allan continued, “It’s a day where Brendan Rodgers finds out a lot about the squad players in his side and what happens next season for me now. I think it will tell him an awful lot about them.
“It was an opportunity for Bernardo coming in today, obviously, not maybe playing as many minutes as you would have wanted this season to really put a marker down.
“And for me, he let the chance pass him by.”
With his second season at Celtic under his belt, next year will be huge for the Portuguese midfielder.
His influence over last season’s Scottish Cup win is now null and void and, as Allan says, if Bernardo has any intention of proving he is up to becoming a regular first-team player for Celtic, he will need to show more than he did in yesterday’s final defeat.
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