Celtic fans witnessed a sight they aren’t normally not used to and that’s starting a game without Callum McGregor.
McGregor was absent through injury, with Brendan Rodgers not willing to risk the player for the trip to Fir Park.
The Bhoys produced an impressive performance against Atalanta and it clearly took a lot out of the players because all of them dug deep.
Many thought Celtic’s clash against Motherwell might prove to be more difficult than usual, but that wasn’t the case.
As soon as Luke McCowan opened the scoring for Celtic, life was far more easy for the away side, with the summer signing starting in midfield alongside Reo Hatate and Paulo Bernardo.
Hatate and Bernardo are the experienced ones, so it was McCowan’s time to shine and prove that he belongs, with Pat Bonner interested to know what roles they would all play.
Pat Bonner questions Paulo Bernardo as Callum McGregor’s replacement for Celtic
Before a ball was kicked, Pat Bonner was trying to work out who would fill in for McGregor or if it would be a case of all three rotating.
Given that Hatate is the main guy of the three, he did push his name forward.
But one thing Bonner made clear is that he didn’t think it would be Bernardo and he even questioned his ability to play that role, as he told The Scottish Football Podcast.
“The big talking point is in the middle of the pitch,” said Bonner pre-match. “McCowan and Bernardo. Those guys and how do you set up in the middle of the pitch?
“None of us want to see Callum McGregor getting injured, but what it does is it throws up a question that is probably sitting there for a while. Who would actually replace Callum McGregor in the middle of the pitch if he does get injured?
“There are a couple of ways he can go with it – they all have that flexibility when you look at it. Bernardo is probably the one that you wouldn’t ask to come back and do that role. But that’s the answer that is going to be answered (against Motherwell).”
Bonner doesn’t change his mind on Bernardo after Celtic beat Motherwell
First of all, it needs to be noted that Bernardo is only 22 and he is still learning his trade as a midfield player.
Yes, his strengths lie when he has the ball at his feet, rather than being that aggressor without the ball.
He received a rating of 6.60 by WhoScored and, after the match, Bonner still didn’t sound convinced about the player being deployed in that role.
The Celtic legend stated that ‘you can see the difference’ when McGregor isn’t playing and he felt that was evident against Motherwell.
Bonner explained that Bernardo is ‘easier’ to pick up from an opposition standpoint, even though he is comparing it to high standards of McGregor.
Post-match: “The midfield, from Celtic’s perspective, obviously, they were missing Callum McGregor. Paulo Bernardo started back in that position and did okay, but you can see the difference when Callum isn’t playing.
“Callum is always looking to move off his marker and get into little areas to get on the ball. And he dictates the game. Bernardo is a little more easier to pick up, let’s face it. And he got caught for that first opportunity – the problem is they don’t have another sitting type of midfielder.”
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