Celtic had to share the spoils with managerless Aberdeen at Pittodrie today in a disappointing afternoon for the Scottish Premiership holders.
Nicolas Kuhn levelled with his first goal for the club after Bojan Miovski struck early in the second half to give the Dons something to hold on to.
To his credit, interim Aberdeen coach Peter Leven’s half-time team talk had the desired impact for the hosts, and either side could’ve come away with three points from their share of the chances.
Despite the game carrying an enjoyable intensity, the Hoops lacked intuition and a clinical edge and left with a point, which was about what Brendan Rodgers’ side deserved on the day.
Pittodrie is a difficult environment to function in; however, Celtic’s opponents came into today off the back of no victories in their last five encounters and won the midfield battle in the second half.
For two consecutive weeks, too many players simply haven’t been at the races. Hibernian await on Wednesday at Easter Road, which will be another difficult test amid the Bhoys’ patchy record in Leith.
Brendan Rodgers speaks after Celtic draw with Aberdeen
Despite concerns over spurning the chance to retain a healthy lead in the Scottish Premiership table, Celtic manager Rodgers is an experienced leader who doesn’t seem to be overawed by the swinging pendulum a title race can become.
In his post-match comments, the 51-year-old refuted the notion that the Hoops’ destiny regarding the league is now out of their hands, stating [Glasgow Times]: “Have we handed the initiative to Rangers? No, not at all.”
He then added: “Listen, there’s still a long way to go and many points to fight for. We just have to focus on ourselves and find a greater consistency.
“Before the break, we had good performances with speed in our game. We need that in every game. Last week we weren’t so good but won. Today, we weren’t so good and ended up with a draw.”
Celtic need to bounce back at Easter Road
By the time Celtic travel to face Hibernian at Easter Road, they may well be in second position depending on events the night before.
Regardless of whether that is the case or not, the only way to put today’s disappointment behind us is to react in Leith by securing three points.
Anything less is unlikely to be treated with kindness by the wider support amid the ongoing battle to secure league silverware.
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