‘Don’t want that’ – Alistair Johnston explains why Celtic were miles from their ‘standard’ vs Rangers

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Celtic face the challenge of recovering this weekend after putting up a poor showing in a 3-0 derby defeat to Rangers at Ibrox yesterday.

The Bhoys were miles off the pace on Glasgow’s southside and paid the penalty, coming out on the end of a resounding defeat that has cut their Scottish Premiership lead to 11 points.

Brendan Rodgers delivered a cutting verdict on Celtic’s display against Rangers, claiming his side made ‘too many slack passes’ that led to their downfall at Ibrox.

In the interest of honesty, the Bhoys failed to turn up against their rivals as several players fell below par. However, they will have plenty of chances to rectify a rare off-day as the campaign progresses.

There is no point in losing sight of the bigger picture at Celtic, which has been rosy for the vast majority of the season, but Alistair Johnston has delivered an honest reflection on the Hoops’ hard day at the office.

Alistair Johnston admits Celtic miles from ‘standard’ vs Rangers

Speaking post-match, Johnston admitted Celtic were nowhere near their usual high ‘standard’ against Rangers but urged his teammates to put the blip behind them as matches start to come thick and fast.

He stated: “We were just miles from our standard, unfortunately, and that comes down to us. And that’s the frustrating thing is that, you know, we had 90 minutes to recover it and we couldn’t find a way just to do the simple things, you know, just in terms of the physicality of winning duels and just being about it. I didn’t think that we were at the races at all.

“And that’s the most frustrating part of it. It’s one of the matches that you really don’t want that to happen in. That comes down to us as a group, not putting in that effort right from the get-go.

“That’s the unfortunate part. But at the same time is now, it’s a busy, busy period. We’ve got to try and put this behind us and get ready for Sunday because the matches come thick and fast.”

Celtic have no time to feel sorry for themselves after rare defeat

Without a winter break this year, Celtic have a chance to swiftly get back on their horse against St Mirren on Sunday and supporters will demand a visible improvement following their side’s showing at Ibrox.

Rodgers admitted the Bhoys ‘invited pressure’ against Rangers, which is something he will be keen to stamp out in the champions’ first home match of 2025.

Position	Team	Played MP	Won W	Drawn D	Lost L	For GF	Against GA	Diff GD	Points Pts
1	CelticCeltic	19	16	2	1	52	7	45	50
2	RangersRangers	19	12	3	4	34	13	21	39
3	Dundee UtdDundee Utd	20	9	7	4	30	21	9	34
4	AberdeenAberdeen	20	10	4	6	32	28	4	34

Key:

Position 1 – 6 : Championship Round
Position 7 – 12 : Relegation Round

Changes could be in the works to provide some freshness. Either way, the Irishman has plenty to stew over before a swift return to action.

Three points would help to banish some of the frustration felt on derby day. Moving on is the only option, so hopefully, the Bhoys can heed that advice.