As Celtic’s season hits a critical juncture, those on the periphery of Ange Postecoglou’s squad need to step up, as the season moves to the final ten games. Sunday’s goalless draw with Hibs saw a Celtic team who lacked invention and ideas, and when those who have been leaned on so heavily this season waver, then it’s vital those on the edge of things step up.
Yet for Ange Postecoglou it may be there are trust issues developing – and it’s understandable why. The Celtic manager to all intents and purposes chose to surrender European progression on Thursday night. That message given out allowed those who played that evening an easy excuse to down tools or at least assume they weren’t expected to win.
That was understandable, after all when the manager plays a shadow squad in a game where three goals are likely to be needed to progress it sends out the message the game’s a bogey. To expect a performance from those on the edges of the Celtic team was a big ask, especially considering many had played against Raith Rovers in the Scottish cup and struggled against Championship opponents – to the point the manager bawled them out.
What chance then of those same players being capable of doing what Ange’s first picks couldn’t just a week before and turning over the back-to-back Norwegian champions? Probably little. In a domestic environment however, there should be room for impact. Yet the game with Bodo/Glimt game was conceded with a view to winning against Hibs. Sadly, the gamble backfired, and although never under any pressure to lose the game on Sunday, Celtic rarely looked capable of winning.
When that happens the manager needs to be able to look to the bench and see options that can turn a game or rest those out of form. Sadly, it looks like Ange Postecoglou is lacking in that department, when really, he shouldn’t.
Whilst Hibs introduced three substitutes from a permitted five on Sunday, Celtic brought on one, when Matt O’Riley replaced Tom Rogic with half an hour to play. That was a sensible substitution, both players are similar in approach and Rogic looked off the pace yesterday – these things happen.
Yet as Celtic huffed and puffed no-one else found their way onto the park. However, to look at the options, there was certainly scope to do so – in theory at least.
On the bench sat James Forrest – on his day a player who scores important goals, yet this season has looked like a player struggling to understand Ange’s instruction. He should, with his experience, be able to influence a game like yesterdays at Easter Road. The fact he sat on the bench as Celtic toiled says a lot. An out of sorts Jota could have been replaced by Forrest, as could Liel Abada who blew hot and cold throughout.
Also seeing his afternoon extend to no more than a series of warm-ups was Karamoko Dembele. This is a player who can get bums off seats, appeared in pre-season to be emerging as a player the manager liked, and of late was seeing B-team action with a view to getting him up to speed – yet still, despite deeming the player good and fit enough for a match-day squad, Dembele sat idle.
Photo: Andrew Milligan
And in central midfield as Celtic toiled for accurate passing to feed Daizen Maeda, as well as stuttering wide players, there was a further option. Yosuke Ideguchi’s backside remained parked on and Easter Road bench as countryman Reo Hatate didn’t fault for effort but certainly lacked passing accuracy. Was there not scope for Ideguchi to sit and protect a rarely threatened Celtic backline, while Hatate was hooked for being ineffectual and Callum McGregor move into the No8 role, even if just to see if his energy and eye for a pass could free up players ahead of him looking starved of service?
The lack of movement, in the latter stages of a game Celtic struggled to knock on Hibs door never mind break through it, has to be a concern. Players like Forrest should be able to be trusted, whilst the likes of Dembele and Ideguchi must be able to show their worth. Why that wasn’t the case can only be answered by Ange Postecoglou or indeed by the players themselves.
However, with ten games of the season to go, the go-to men for Ange Postecoglou are likely to have days like Easter Road again, and that is entirely understandable. But when they do the manager needs to be able to rely on those players on the periphery to be called upon.
There now remains a chance for some to prove they are worth their shirt at Celtic under a new footballing philosophy. At present the manager clearly feels cautious about doing so, and that may be down to the managers reticence, but it’s more likely down to those on the edges of the team not showing enough in recent games or in training.
As Celtic move into the business end of the season there has to be an attitude prevailing of all hands to the pump.
For those who sat on the bench yesterday and weren’t deemed reliable enough to be called upon it’s time to step up the efforts – because such availability and willingness to play a part, can and will, influence the direction of Celtic’s title challenge.
Some players simply can’t expect to ride the coattails of those who have got Celtic to this point, instead they have to play their part and ensure the manager can look to his bench and trust those he sees can make an impact when games are in the balance, as we saw at Easter Road yesterday.
Otherwise, the faces the manager looks upon in his supporting cast in coming weeks are likely to be replaced this summer, as Postecoglou doesn’t strike as being a manager who will respect previous knowledge, historical form or untapped potential going forward.
And whilst there may be scope for the return of David Turnbull and Kyogo Furuhashi to push Celtic over the line, it shouldn’t require that to be the case, not when there is genuine potential to impact games on the periphery of the first team already.
It’s time those players convinced the manager they can play their part, because on Sunday it was clear he wasn’t sure he could.
Niall J
