Celtic fans will be hoping that Kieran Tierney’s return to the side will be sooner rather than later. The reason for this – Emilio Izaguirre’s dreadful performance against Valencia in the 2-0 defeat to the Spanish side.
The Bhoys’ stand-in left-back played Valencia striker Denis Cheryshev onside, which gave the Spanish side the vital away goal they craved.
He didn’t cover himself in glory at Valencia’s second goal either, as Ruben Sobrino was in acres of space to put the ball into the net.
The game was too much for the veteran left-back to cope with. Valencia’s speed on the break gave him problems all night.
If Celtic are to have any hope of doing anything in the tie, they need Tierney back in the side.
In fact, he needs to be in the side to ensure that the Hoops keep their six point lead in the Premiership.
So poor was Izaguirre’s performance, Jonny Hayes would be a better option at left-back if Tierney isn’t yet able to return.
Tierney is back in training so his return isn’t too far away.
You can now understand why Brendan Rodgers omitted Izaguirre from the Hoops side to play Rangers in December. He would not have helped the Hoops cause on the day.
His best days look far beyond him and it wouldn’t be a shock if Izaguirre left Celtic in the summer.
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