Michael Stewart reckons there was a marked difference in performance between Celtic’s first-half and second-half showings against AC Milan.
Neil Lennon’s men may have fallen to a second successive home defeat last night – the first time that has happened since December 2015.
However, there were green shoots of recovery in the latter stages of the 3-1 loss to the Serie A leaders.
And Celtic TV pundit Stewart was keen to point that out while on duty for BBC Radio Scotland.
“It is infinitely better,” he said of the change from 3-5-2 to 4-2-3-1 at the break. (BBC Sportsound podcast)
“There are less square pegs in round holes when they’re playing that shape and that formation.
“The best way for Celtic to play is quite clearly how they set up in that second-half.
“From the second-half there, it gives Celtic a platform to start to build from.
“The crazy thing for me is I don’t know how that wasn’t recognised long ago.”
4-2-3-1 isn’t a silver bullet for Celtic
Stewart’s comments are both promising and concerning, probably in equal measure.
The former Hearts man may be employed by Celtic for some home games this season, but he is a genuine neutral, who won’t view games through green tinted glasses.
The fact he reckons we were “infinitely” better while playing a 4-2-3-1 surely suggests that Lennon will go back to that setup for Sunday’s game at Aberdeen.
However, the concerning aspect is that it has taken our boss so long to note that 3-5-2 wasn’t working.
We may have won game after game prior to the international break, but it was clear the back three wasn’t working, with the 3-0 win over Hibernian perhaps the only impressive performance.
The formation has been badly shown up against better calibre opposition in our most recent two games – and with that standard set to remain the same for the rest of this month and beyond, we really must change it up.
4-2-3-1 isn’t a silver bullet. Many seem to forget we were far from convincing with it in some early games this season.
That’s the way we set up in the draw at Kilmarnock, as well as the defeat at home to Ferencvaros.
It’s not ideal. But it seems to suit our players a hell of a lot more.
In other news, Neil Lennon has delivered a promising update on the return of Hatem Abd Elhamed
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