The lack of a winter break this season offers Celtic the perfect opportunity to bounce back from their defeat against Rangers at Ibrox when they take on St Mirren at home on Sunday.
Admittedly, the Bhoys were nowhere near their standards against Rangers. Alistair Johnston said as much post-match.
Continuing that theme, Brendan Rodgers was frustrated by his side’s display on Glasgow’s southside. However, it is important to remember the bigger picture in what is hopefully a brief moment of frustration.
| Position | Team | Played MP | Won W | Drawn D | Lost L | For GF | Against GA | Diff GD | Points Pts |
| 1 |  CelticCeltic | 19 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 52 | 7 | 45 | 50 |
| 2 |  RangersRangers | 19 | 12 | 3 | 4 | 34 | 13 | 21 | 39 |
| 3 |  Dundee UtdDundee Utd | 20 | 9 | 7 | 4 | 30 | 21 | 9 | 34 |
| 4 |  AberdeenAberdeen | 20 | 10 | 4 | 6 | 32 | 28 | 4 | 34 |
Despite faltering at the home of their rivals, Celtic remain 11 points clear in the Scottish Premiership table heading into their clash against St Mirren this weekend.
Following a heavy defeat, swiftly returning to action may prove to be the perfect tonic for the reigning champions. The general consensus is the quicker you can get disappointment out of your system, the quicker you can re-establish momentum.
Even with that said, Rodgers will have some alterations up his sleeve, so let’s take a look at some of the decisions he has to make.
There will be clamour for Auston Trusty to return vs St Mirren
Liam Scales has enjoyed a successful season at the back for Celtic, and there hasn’t been much to fault him for, truth be told, but he endured a slack afternoon at Ibrox and didn’t cover himself in glory in or out of possession.
Funnily enough, Auston Trusty was hooked for Scales in Celtic’s cup final win against Rangers because his ball work was not up to scratch at Hampden. Could fans see a reverse when St Mirren come to town?
Nobody is saying the Irishman is the only guilty party; everyone is capable of an off-day and Celtic’s standards collectively fell through the floor in Govan.
Nevertheless, his American counterpart Trusty hasn’t played a minute since the Bhoys claimed Premier Sports Cup glory.
The former Sheffield United man was brought in for £6 million during the summer. There is growing sentiment that he deserves another shot in the team at Scales’ expense.
Celtic could do with a midfield refresh after Ibrox fallout
There has been a lot of football played this season from a Celtic perspective and the midfield have bore the brunt of that due to their workload in the engine room.
Realistically, singling individuals out wouldn’t make a difference. Every one of Callum McGregor, Paulo Bernardo, Reo Hatate and substitutes Arne Engels and Luke McCowan looked a step or two off it against Rangers.
The club captain is bound to start against St Mirren, leaving the other two positions up for grabs. McCowan is probably due a place in the line-up, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see the Bhoys’ record signing come back in after Rodgers confirmed Engels would’ve started against Rangers if not for illness.
Brushing this one off and moving on is the only logical solution for Celtic. Fresh legs would help to accelerate the road to recovery.
Other potential Celtic alterations after defeat to Rangers
Alex Valle has had to bide his time in recent weeks, only starting against Motherwell. Still, he may get an opportunity against St Mirren due to uncertainty regarding his positional counterpart.
Greg Taylor is being lined up by Dinamo Zagreb amid his contract being set to expire this summer, though it still hasn’t been ruled out that he could sign an extension.
Nevertheless, Celtic’s interest in Kieran Tierney is advancing, which could prompt a scenario of one-in, one-out during the window.
Adam Idah could come in for Kyogo Furuhashi in attack. Regardless, you get the feeling the Japanese striker will get the nod after a brace against St Johnstone last weekend.
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