Brendan wanted a reaction from Sunday’s unacceptable first 45 minutes against St Johnstone, and he got it last night against Hibs…
Brendan Rodgers said he was as angry as he’s ever been as a manager after Sunday’s lacklustre first 45 minutes at McDiarmid Park at the weekend. The Celtic manager demanded from his players an improvement in their game, and they delivered just that last night under the lights at Celtic Park as we thumped Hibs 4-1. That scoreline flatters the visitors and Celtic were dominant from the first to the last whistle when Tomoki Iwata missed a sitter.
Brendan promised that a few ‘fringe’ players would get a chance and he was as good as his word as Tomoki Iwata, Oh and Mikey Johnston were all handed a spot in the starting XI.
Frustratingly Mikey Johnston flattered to deceive, while Tomoki Iwata put in a strong showing in the middle of the park. By allowing him to sit deep it allowed Callum McGregor to roam forward more and he looked more compact in that position, thus we had a better attacking threat.
Oh scored a brace and worked hard all night. He’s done his cause no harm at all, and gave Brendan much needed food for thought regarding Sundays trip to Rugby Park where we reckon he’ll play for an hour before Kyogo gets his chance.
Matt O’Riley grabbed his 8th goal of the season with a terrific header and was superb as usual all night. The Danish international is surely an early contender for player of the year.
The only downside was the substitution of Cameron Carter Vickers at half time, although Brendan has explained it was just a precaution as his hamstring was feeling a bit tight. So hopefully he’s fit and available for Sundays clash with Kilmarnock.
Other than that it was a good nights work. The three points were the most important thing, but it was good to be treated to a strong performanc
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