Celtic full-back Greg Taylor hasn’t looked half the player he was last season so far this campaign.
The Scotland international has struggled to replicate his terrific 2022/23 form in his three competitive outings so far under Brendan Rodgers.
He has been about as regular a fixture as you could expect to see post-summer, featuring in all of our pre-season encounters and not missing a minute of the competitive action so far.
He was by no-means the only under-par player in our weekend loss to Kilmarnock. But, even in prior wins over Ross County and Aberdeen, it’s fair to say he has looked off the boil.
The quandary now facing Rodgers and Celtic is whether Taylor can still be an effective contributor in the Northern Irishman’s system.
Under previous management, Taylor was a complete live wire. He played as an inverted full-back, often spending far more time in central midfield than at left-back.
The strengths in his game — most notably his incisive passing, boundless energy and tenacious play — were all perfect for the in-pitch role. It was hardly a surprise that he came on to such a game last season.
While Taylor has adopted that role at times so far this season, he has played the majority of his football as a more conventional full-back. It hasn’t worked so far.
With Alexandro Bernabei showing some promise in pre-season and left-back rumours never far away, many may be pondering whether Taylor has a future under Rodgers.
Will Celtic’s boss adapt his playing style to get the best out of the 25-year-old? Will he look elsewhere to get what he wants in the position? Is Taylor simply going through a tougher period, with improvement just around the corner?
That will be answered in the coming weeks and months. But one thing’s for sure — it’s an area of concern where we need a speedy upswing.
In other news, Stephen Welsh didn’t forget his Celtic upbringing with class May visit to Ibrox
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