The fallout over Celtic’s defeat to Rangers continues as the bones are picked out of the Glasgow Derby display.
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers suffered his third defeat of the season after a late Rangers goal sunk the Hoops at Parkhead.
In the context of the league title, the result won’t matter much as Celtic still has a huge 13-point lead at the top of the Scottish Premiership table.
Celtic were poor on the day, however, the cause wasn’t helped by the loss of Callum McGregor who sat out the defeat due to injury.
But it was what McGregor told the Celtic boss that made Rodgers decide that it was ‘too big a risk’ to pitch him in against Rangers.
- READ MORE: Chris Sutton puts Robbie Savage in his place after bizarre Rangers boast with Celtic truth bombs
Brendan Rodgers reveals ‘it was too big a risk’ to play Celtic captain Callum McGregor vs Rangers
Rodgers told the BBC, “Callum we gave every chance to make it but he felt a tightness in his calf yesterday when he was training the final session.
“So, it was too big a risk to put him in and put him out for much longer and also he felt like he couldn’t really function how he would normally.
“Auston, likewise, just felt a soreness in his calf. He tried to give it a go but just wasn’t fit enough to play in the game.
“You just change the personnel. We know how we play. Luke McCowan comes in, Arne [Engels] comes back one. Maik Nawrocki being the one that’s been really unfortunate not to have played.
“The form of the three centre-halves in front of him has meant that he hasn’t had the chance to play so much. He’s trained ever so well. He’s always been ready and today he gets the chance to play in a game that he’s played in before and done really well.”
Lessons Brendan Rodgers needs to learn from Celtic defeat
There were a few problems with Celtic’s performance against Rangers that have been evident over the last three Glasgow Derby’s.
The first is that Rangers’ pressing of Celtic’s midfield has been an effective tactic by the Ibrox club. What used to be Rodgers’ greatest weapon is not being kept worryingly quiet over the last few fixtures.
Celtic’s passing from the back also caused major issues in the defeat as a few strays could have had the game out of sight before halftime if Rangers had taken full advantage of them.
Lastly, the refusal to go long when the pace of Maeda, Jota and Kuhn is there to be used needs to be addressed. Whilst silky passing football is great to watch, it was clear that it wasn’t working yesterday but there seemed to be no appetite to switch it up.
With one more Glasgow Derby to go, Rodgers must win the Ibrox fixture to end the season on a high and put Rangers firmly back in their place.
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
