Michael Stewart issues Celtic a Scottish Cup warning with Cameron Carter-Vickers comments

By Patrick Sinat

May 25, 2023

Celtic have been playing well below par. No one can deny that. Not even the most hardiest of Celtic fans. With the league wrapped up, it is natural for the player’s performance levels to dip.

But not only that, as well as giving fringe players some much-needed game time, we have been missing two key players over the last few weeks in Cameron Carter-Vickers and Alistair Johnston.

Michael Stewart was speaking about Carter-Vickers last night and said that Celtic are missing the American defender so much that he reckons it could affect their chances of winning the Scottish Cup next month.

Speaking on BBC Sportsound, Stewart said, “I don’t think you can underestimate how important Cameron Carter-Vickers is to this Celtic side.

“Without him that defence is just a shadow. And I know the intensity drops, I get all that, but as a side that rarely has an off day, even when they’ve won this [the league title], Cameron Carter-Vickers leaves a big gap in that defence.

“Maybe leaves Inverness with a chance and you’re saying that Aberdeen are guaranteed European group football, maybe not.”

I get the point Stewart is trying to make. We have looked shaky at the back since Carter-Vickers has been out injured and whilst we cannot take for granted that we are going to win the cup, this Celtic side should have enough quality in the ranks to lift the cup.

And I’m not saying that out of arrogance. I’m saying it because this isn’t a one-man team. We have had players from all over the pitch contributing to our successes this season.

The spread of goals isn’t just limited to our strikers. Full-backs and midfielders all contribute assists and our strikers are our first line of defence.

Whilst I agree that we do miss Carter-Vickers, to claim that we risk not winning the Scottish Cup because he is out injured is, for me, just a little bit of an overreaction by Stewart.

In other news, Former Celtic manager lands top Belgian club Head Coach role