Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers wants his staff and players to remain calm in the wake of defeat to Kilmarnock on Sunday.
The Bhoys slipped to their first Scottish Premiership loss of the season at Rugby Park – the same venue they were knocked out of the Scottish League Cup earlier in the campaign.
As is always the case when Celtic, there’s been quite a reaction to the second-half performance and results. Lots of fans are voicing their displeasure with various aspects of the club.
A sluggish transfer window, a dwindling league lead and some frustrating recent displays have all added up to raise questions about the future direction of the team and the club as a whole.
Rodgers has received criticism, too, for not getting the best out of star players such as Kyogo Furuhashi amongst other team issues.
Celtic boss wants strong response to Kilmarnock defeat
The manager accepts that this wave of criticism was inevitable in the wake of Sunday and now wants his team to show consistency in performances and results.
He said [Scottish Daily Mail, 13/12 print edition]: “When you are at the biggest clubs, the most fanatical clubs, then the highs are very high and lows are low. But the key is to remain calm. Listen, there was nobody more disappointed than ourselves at the weekend. The level in the second half was not what I would expect.
“One of the biggest words of my first time here was consistency. And that consistency is not quite there. That is something that needs to improve. A lot. I think one of the biggest things I would say is that in terms of technique, speed, quality and consistency those are what we will hope to improve over time.
“We have to move on from the weekend and we have a great chance in the Champions League on Wednesday night to do that.”
Celtic now have three consecutive home matches against Feyenoord, Hearts and Livingston. Supporters won’t be quiet in showing discontent if they feel there is no improvement on the pitch.
There’s a pressure to perform at Celtic Park – and rightly so. The players have a chance to start turning fan perception around and prove that they can find the consistency Rodgers is calling for.
In other news, Defensive absences, midfield call; Celtic team news and Predicted XI for Feyenoord test.
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