Former Celtic striker and pundit Chris Sutton doesn’t think Jozo Simunovic should be made the ‘fall guy’ for the Bhoys’ European exit last week at the hands of Copenhagen, The Daily Record report.
Simunovic made a critical error early in the second half against the Danish outfit, with his calamitous pass back allowing them to score and take control of the two-legged tie.
It stood out as a notable moment that swung the balance of victory away from Celtic.
However, Sutton thinks there was still a massive opportunity for Celtic to get the job done, especially in the wake of a subsequent Odsonne Edouard goal.
As quoted by The Daily Record, the former Hoops hero said: “They just didn’t keep the head. You can call it game management, naivety, whatever you want. Jozo Simunovic has been made a bit of a fall guy and yes, he should have stuck the ball in the stand rather than attempt a risky pass back to the goalkeeper.
“But I look at the reaction to going level. Greg Taylor was 70 yards up the pitch, Tom Rogic got caught trying to pull the ball down Callum McGregor was miles up the pitch. Celtic were left overloaded when they should have been seeing it out.
“They knew conceding again would have been game over so they shouldn’t have panicked. There was plenty of time left and an extra 30 minutes if need be, where you would have fancied Celtic to get the job done.”
Simunovic has received a lot of criticism for his error in the wake of Thursday’s match, especially when the result still felt raw.
There’s absolutely no doubt he should have done better and shown more composure with the speculative ball forward.
It also isn’t the first time the Croatian has made an error.
However, Sutton is right to suggest that the failings last week were a result of team-wide problems and not simply down to individual errors.
It doesn’t make sense to write Simunovic off completely, right now, with so many challenges ahead this season.
Like it or not, Lennon has placed his trust in the defender to provide crucial squad depth and he needs to continue to be supported.
The summer can be the time for long-term decisions on his future at the club.
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