Celtic were held to a 2-2 draw by Hearts as their quest to retain the Scottish Premiership title took another blow.
Martin O’Neill’s side were pegged back twice and were forced to play the final 15 minutes with 10 men following Auston Trusty’s red card.
A win for Rangers means that the Hoops have dropped to third and still remain six points behind the league leaders.
Hearts weren’t at their best, but neither were Celtic, and had there been some more bite in midfield, things could have been quite different.
- READ MORE: BBC Sportsound presenter shares the ‘guidance’ he was sent about Celtic red card row vs Hearts
Is Martin O’Neill correct? The Celtic boss was fuming!
Celtic’s midfielders are all the same
O’Neill dropped Reo Hatate for Benjamin Nygren at Tynecastle, keeping captain Callum McGregor and Arne Engels in the starting XI.
While they are all talented in their own rights, what is the one thing they all have in common? They all play the same way.
There were far too many occasions where Nygren and Engels would wince out of challenges and didn’t show enough physicality, allowing the Hearts players to get rough and ready, making life unpleasant.
Is the Celtic midfield too one-dimensional?
As for the captain, it seems that there is a simple way to stop him. All the opposition have to do is double up and mark him out of the game.
It doesn’t make it any easier when Luke McCowan, Paulo Bernardo and Hatate all offer the same as the trio that started in Edinburgh and have no standout qualities that make them differ from others.
Go and sign a ball-winning midfielder Celtic
With a week to go in the transfer window, Celtic may need to reassess where they do their business.
Trusty’s red card means that a centre-back is even more important but a ball-winning midfielder has to be a priority.
Not since Scott Brown have the Hoops had a brute enforcer in the middle of the park who can fight and win back the ball.
The board have already left O’Neill out to dry with their lethargic attitude towards the current situation. Can they redeem that?
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