Brendan Rodgers slightly repaired a damaging reputation in the Champions League by helping Celtic pick up a point against Atalanta on Wednesday night.
After Celtic conceded seven to Borussia Dortmund last time out, it’s fair to say that expectations and belief in the team had dropped.
That’s why Celtic’s 0-0 draw against Atalanta came as a surprise because many were fearing another heavy loss.
Everything from team selection, tactics, individual displays, the defensive backline, Kasper Schmeichel’s performance to just the basics was spot on and should be applauded.
But as Celtic were pushing themselves over the line and trying to secure that clean sheet, Rodgers needed fresh legs on the field and he turned to his bench.
That’s where Simon Donnelly was taken aback because he didn’t expect the next move from the Celtic boss.
Simon Donnelly ‘surprised’ Luis Palma came onto the pitch during Celtic’s draw at Atalanta
Life has been difficult for Luis Palma this season and he has found that his game time has been reduced, as a result.
But with about 15 minutes left on the clock, Palma came on and Donnelly was left ‘surprised’ because of how he has been out of sorts, as he told Clyde 1.
In the end, Palma did his job and helped get Celtic over the line.
“Interesting,” responded Donnelly to Palma coming on. “A wee bit surprised (that he turned to Palma) because I don’t think he has hit the heights this season.
“He scored in the Champions League last season, but he has struggled to get into the team, so it’s an interesting substitution.”
Palma’s stats this season
It’s not something to shout about, but you can see why there are question marks over Palma’s head and how he needs a bit of confidence from somewhere.
With a WhoScored rating of 6.24 for the season so far, he needs to up his game as soon as possible, or else, he won’t be in the building long enough.
One of the main things that has improved from this summer is the depth in quality and you are going to be left behind if you don’t up your game.
| Tournament | Apps | Mins | Goals | Assists | SpG | PS% | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premiership | 0(2) | 37 | – | – | 0.5 | 81.8 | 6.36 |
| Champions League | 0(1) | 16 | – | – | – | 50 | 6.01 |
| League Cup | 1(1) | N/A | – | N/A | N/A | N/A | – |
| Total / Average | 5 | 53 | 0 | 0 | 0.3 | 71.2 | 6.24 |
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