Andy Halliday makes Jota claim amid what he is ‘hearing’ from Celtic fans about Nicolas Kuhn

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It will be interesting to see what Brendan Rodgers does when Celtic take to the field again.

On Saturday lunchtime, Celtic host Kilmarnock in the Premiership, less than a week after losing to St Johnstone, and in with a chance of getting closer to the title, but not everything is rosy in the garden.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	32	25	3	4	92	21	71	78
2	RangersRangers	32	20	5	7	66	33	33	65
3	HibernianHibernian	32	13	11	8	50	41	9	50
4	AberdeenAberdeen	32	14	7	11	43	47	-4	49

Several players have come under fire during the past week, including the struggling Nicolas Kuhn, after he was subbed at half-time in Perth.

This isn’t the first time that Rodgers has taken off Kuhn at the break, nor is it the first time supporters, the media or pundits have questioned his displays.

But Andy Halliday feels there is another man who isn’t at the level he should be as Celtic come under pressure from Rodgers for their performances.

• READ MORE: Jota shares interesting reason why time away didn’t give him more appreciation for Celtic

Comparing Nicolas Kuhn and Jota’s performances at Celtic

Halliday is in no doubt that Kuhn hasn’t been himself for months now, and he is also ‘hearing’ lots of Celtic supporters criticise the player.

The Motherwell star explained that, whilst he understands that criticism, he also feels Jota hasn’t hit the ground running since coming back.

There was a lot of hype and joy at Jota’s return, but Halliday told Clyde 1 Superscoreboard that ‘you want to see a lot more of him as well’.

“Nicolas Kuhn, when he got the ball, no real urgency to excel in one-v-one situations,” said Halliday. “He was coming back. Playing the same pass.

“I was hearing a lot of Celtic fans criticise Kuhn, week in and week out. Listen, quite rightly so. He has been off the boil compared to the start of the season.

“But Jota’s not performing to the level Jota was prior to getting his move to Saudi. I think you would want to see a lot more of him as well.”

Jota’s stats since returning to Celtic

It was a dream return for Jota when he scored upon his comeback against Motherwell, and since then, Rodgers has been careful with the player, and rightly so.

Jota was hardly playing before setting foot on the Celtic Park turf again, so that rhythm, fitness and sharpness needed building up again.

In the overall picture, WhoScored have rated Jota’s performances at just over seven.