Kris Boyd just called it Brendan-ball as Charlie Mulgrew, James McFadden and the former Kilmarnock striker discussed the dominant display from the Champions of flag day at Celtic Park as Celtic went to the top of the league with a 4-0 win over Derek McInnes’ Kilmarnock side. Here are six post-match talking points being discussed by the Celtic support this evening…
1. A Brendan Team
The Celtic manager used the phrase during the week as he reflected on the pre-season wins against DC United, Man City and Chelsea. It was evident in the game against McInnes’ side that this was ‘A Brendan Team’. The players weren’t content with possession for the sake of possession and worked it well, creating openings against the deep lying visitors from Ayrshire.
2. Howler to deny Celtic a penalty
Kyogo Furuhashi was left in a heap by Robby McCrorie after an incident in the box. The Japanese striker was bearing down on goal when the ex-Rangers keeper rushed out to meet him. The ball appeared to be taken down by Kyogo, who was then flattened by the goalkeeper. Don Robertson pointed to his ear as if to indicate that it would be checked but VAR did not intervene.
It looked, in real time, as if the officials had a howler by not checking it. Apparently VAR informed Sky Sports that there was not enough in it to intervene. That left Chris Sutton perplexed.
3. Celtic’s marvellous midfield engine
The Man of the Match Award went to Reo Hatate but the reality is that no one could’ve complained if either Matt O’Riley or Callum McGregor picked up the award. The trio were the heartbeat of the team’s intensity, building into attacks while also defending the backline.
4. World Class Basics
The club revealed before kick off that they had upgraded the first team changing rooms with a modern new design. On the wall, they had a big slogan saying ‘World Class Basics’ and they’ve certainly stuck to this idea this afternoon. The team have moved the ball with pace and precision as they’ve worked openings against the visitors. The desire shown by the team, including those that came on from the bench, shows that everyone is pulling in the one direction.
5. Reinforcements Required
With three points secured, the attention for the team will turn to another week of preparation before the trip to Easter Road. The manager will be hoping that his recruitment department along with Chief Executive Michael Nicholson can help bring quality reinforcements in. Kyogo got clattered by McCrorie in the closing stages and an injury to the striker would expose a lack of depth up front.
Adam Idah scored twice on the last visit to face the Leith side, two penalties that were pivotal in securing the title. It is expected that the club will move for the Irishman but they need to be more aggressive in the market to ensure that Brendan has the quality at his disposal to complete in Europe.
6. Delighted Anthony Ralston
Wasn’t it nice to see that smile on Anthony Ralston’s face after he came off the bench to score Celtic’s fourth and final goal of the afternoon? After his tough moment in that match against Switzerland at Euro2024 the Celtic right-back recovered well and was deserving of great credit for his displays, although very little was forthcoming. That was all forgotten as he got his first goal in a few years this afternoon. Brendan Rodgers seemed to be very pleased with that too.
