Pat Bonner exonerates Kelechi Iheanacho after spotting the fatal flaw in Celtic’s tactics vs Dundee United

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The reverberations of Celtic’s defeat at Tannadice are still being felt, but the fallout from the latest clash with Dundee United has centered on one man, Kelechi Iheanacho.

While some sections of the punditry world were quick to point the finger at the Celtic striker’s lack of impact, Hoops legend Pat Bonner has stepped in to shift the blame away from the forward and onto a glaring tactical rigidity within Martin O’Neill’s side.

Speaking on BBC Radio Scotland, Bonner was clinical in his assessment. For the former Hoops goalkeeper, Iheanacho wasn’t the problem, the Celtic boss’ tactics were.

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Should Martin O’Neill take some of the blame for the loss to Dundee United?

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Martin O’Neill’s Celtic tactics exposed Kelechi Iheanacho

While pundits like Chris Sutton labelled Iheanacho ‘downright lazy’, Bonner had a different take on the Celtic striker’s poor performance.

Bonner said, “Yeah, just going back to Iheanacho up front, surely he would have peeled on to one or the other [Dundee United defenders], especially on the left side, the centre back, rather than up against Ross Graham.

“Get the goalkeeper to play it almost down the sides or down into those wider areas. Everything was straight up the middle and Ross Graham just outjumped him every single time, especially in the first half.

“I think the only good chance, where he manufactured himself, where it would have run down the side. But that was a different type of pass and a different type of situation on the pitch.

“But from the back to front, it was that type of game today where you had to play the ball long, but Celtic don’t have an idea of how to play it long and get the best out of him.”

Has Bonner revealed Martin O’Neill’s lack of Celtic Plan B?

The most damning part of Bonner’s analysis suggests a deeper issue: “Celtic don’t have an idea of how to play it long and get the best out of him.”

When United squeezed the midfield, Celtic’s Plan B, if there ever was one, lacked the necessary variation. By failing to play into the wider areas or down the sides of the centre-backs, the Hoops made it easy for Graham to dominate Iheanacho in the aerial battle.

As we look ahead to the next run of fixtures, the message from Bonner is clear: if Celtic want to see the best of Iheanacho, they have to stop playing into the opposition’s hands and start playing to their striker’s strengths.