Vasilis Barkas struggles again; Celtic fans are seriously concerned and rightly so

By John McGinley

December 3, 2020

Tonight’s Celtic match away to AC Milan felt like a mini-version of our season to date.

With the pressure on Neil Lennon and his Bhoys, Celtic started incredibly strongly at the San Siro, rushing to a 2-0 lead thanks to Tom Rogic and Odsonne Edouard.

Were Celtic back? Was this the moment our patience was to be rewarded?

Sadly not.

Defensive calamities would follow and our lead would quickly be squandered before the home side finished things off in the second half for a 4-2 victory.

In fairness to Celtic, the overall performance was far stronger than recent showings against Sparta Prague and Ross County. Although, it remains to be seen whether this will be the start of a consistent resurgence.

One of the big talking points coming out of the fixture is Celtic’s goalkeeping position. Unfortunately, expensive summer signing Vasilis Barkas was far from convincing again.

He was signed from AEK for a reported £4.5m during the transfer window (The Daily Record), a substantial fee for a goalkeeper arriving at Celtic.

Like some of his other teammates, he now appears to be devoid of confidence.

Pat Bonner was quick to point out his complicity for the first Milan goal, telling BBC Radio Scotland (18:22): “It goes right into the side that Barkas should be covering. Maybe he didn’t see it but he’s got to stay and protect that side. Poor goal to give away.”

His uncertainty and nervousness led to another chance for the Italians, which should have been punished.

Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas / (Photo by Craig Foy/SNS Group via Getty Images)

Some fans would also point out that he should have also done better for their third goal of the night, but in truth, the defending was so bad in front of him that it’s hard to find him at fault.

Where Barkas goes from here is a mystery. It’ll be interesting to see if the manager stands by him for Sunday’s match against St Johnstone.

Again, that’s looking like a must-win match for the Bhoys boss.

These supporters have taken to Twitter to share their thoughts on the Barkas issue…