Pundit says there is something Celtic have to alter after being ‘caught out badly’ vs Livingston

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Celtic managed to progress to the semi-final of the Scottish Cup following a dramatic 4-2 victory over Livingston last weekend.

Offensively, the Bhoys turned in an impressive display, which was capped off by a hat-trick from Daizen Maeda and Kyogo Furuhashi’s late strike.

Reflecting our dominance against the Lions, Celtic had 31 shots, 11 of which on target, alongside recording 77% possession at Parkhead on the day [BBC Sport].

Nevertheless, Brendan Rodgers’ men made heavy weather of the occasion from a domestic standpoint, affording Daniel MacKay and Tete Yengi far too much space to haul the visitors back into proceedings.

In his post-match press conference, Rodgers touched on the Bhoys flailing nature at the back and demanded more from Liam Scales and Stephen Welsh amid their difficulties in maintaining an efficient high line.

The Irishman stated: “I wasn’t comfortable. We gave them too many possibilities in the game. The two centre-halves needed to be higher up the pitch and just more aggressive to sustain the attacks.

“It was too easy. We gave away so much space, so that was the downside to the performance. In fairness to Livingston, they exploited it. We weren’t good enough in those moments.

Of course, Cameron Carter-Vickers’ absence due to injury has amplified the pressure on our other defenders to stand up and be counted; nevertheless, a higher standard than last Sunday’s showing if we are to bring the Scottish Premiership title to Parkhead.

Stephen McGinn thinks Celtic’s high line could be a problem

Playing a high line can come with distinct advantages; however, there is also the potential to be caught in transition very quickly, which can offer space for speedy attackers to exploit space left behind.

Celtic suffered from this phenomenon on two occasions last Sunday, both of which resulted in Livingston getting themselves back in a fixture we really should’ve put beyond doubt.

Without Carter-Vickers available, pundit Stephen McGinn believes Celtic simply can’t operate within this tactical framework and have the same success rate.

McGinn stated [Go Radio Football Show]: “Celtic play a high line, I don’t think the high line works without Carter-Vickers. You can argue the case all day who’s is the best defender in the league. Defensively, Rangers are sounder because they play a style of play that suits the defenders.

“Celtic play a style of play that doesn’t suit the defenders when Carter-Vickers isn’t playing. They got caught out badly on Saturday.

“Dan MacKay had the freedom of Celtic Park to pick his spot. It’s something under Ange Postecoglou when they played the high line; nearly never would a player just exploit them like that because Carter-Vickers and Carl Starfelt were so quick, Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales aren’t quick.”

Celtic can’t afford to keep shipping cheap goals

Celtic have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight matches across all competitions, which is nowhere near good enough for a side that has designs on claiming a domestic double.

Granted, Carter-Vickers is a crucial player for the Bhoys, and we do suffer when he isn’t in contention; however, added solidity is needed in defence to ensure we limit the number of chances we concede on a weekly basis.

Whether Rodgers needs to alter his style or not, Celtic have to cut out sloppy mistakes at the back heading into the season run-in.