Celtic’s Greg Taylor names crucial ‘demands’ that players all need to ‘understand’ at Parkhead

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Celtic fans won’t be able to take much solace from events at the weekend as Brendan Rodgers’ side lost top spot in the Scottish Premiership.

Kilmarnock came to town last Saturday and snatched a point in stoppage time at Parkhead, as David Watson’s header cancelled out Kyogo Furuhashi’s opening effort on 32 minutes.

On a day with little positives to take amid another uninspiring performance from the Bhoys, Greg Taylor returned from a calf strain and slotted in for around an hour at left-back before being replaced by Alexandro Bernabei.

In truth, Taylor’s withdrawal, coupled with Rodgers moving back to a more familiar formation, led to Celtic losing their hold on possession; meanwhile, his replacement was at fault for the visitors’ late equaliser after being caught under the ball.

Of course, it is important not to rush players back to avoid any recurrent issues; nevertheless, the reigning champions were fragile in the latter stages of what turned out to be a blow in their hunt for the title.

Currently, 12 games remain in the Scottish Premiership as the Hoops aim to reverse the tide of a campaign that has taken a turn in the wrong direction.

Club captain Callum McGregor made it clear in the fall-out of Saturday’s events that there is a ‘certain standard required on the pitch’ at Parkhead.

However, his side’s performance in upcoming fixtures against Motherwell, Dundee and Heart of Midlothian will go a long way to proving whether they have the mettle to swing the title race back in their favour.

Greg Taylor issues reminder on ‘demands’ at Celtic

Undoubtedly, Celtic are a club that demand success, and Taylor has echoed that sentiment while assessing various aspects of the Bhoys’ stalemate against his former club.

The 26-year-old has urged collective responsibility among his teammates for their recent slump while detailing that everyone connected with the club will have to work in conjunction to produce satisfactory outcomes on the pitch between now and May.

Taylor explained [Scottish Sun]: “When you have leaders like Callum, Joe and myself, the lads have to get it. But it’s not just with the new lads; everyone needs to understand.

“There is no difference between boys who have come in and boys who have been here. It’s everyone as a collective, having to understand that this club demands success, and it demands a way of playing. And when you don’t hit those levels, the supporters are rightly disappointed.

He later added: “In the latter stages, we lost that control, and that’s disappointing. And it’s about us trying to work out why that is. I wouldn’t say it’s because of anxiety from the stands; the players here should be able to deal with that.

“There’s enough experience out there that we should be able to take full control in these games, especially once you get the goal.”

Celtic need to figure out why they’re not firing on all cylinders

There are many reasons why Celtic may not be firing on all cylinders; however, there isn’t much time to rectify the situation amid the ongoing battle for the league title.

Recruitment, the stage of the Hoops’ squad cycle and tactical changes since Rodgers’ appointment could all have played a role, though they need to address their recent performances before it is too late.

In Celtic’s last four Scottish Premiership matches, they have dropped points twice and won their other couple of fixtures by a solitary goal, living dangerously in the process.

Rodgers has a week on the training field to ready his side for the trip to face Motherwell this weekend, who will fancy their chances unless the Irishman can get to the root of his side’s fragility.