Yesterday’s defeat at Parkhead at the hands of the Rangers will be a bitter pill to swallow for the Hoops. This was there first Glasgow Derby defeat at home since 2010. And the manner in which they were beaten will be even more worrying for the fans – outperformed in all aspects of the game. The loss leaves them just two points ahead of the Rangers, who have a game in hand and could overtake them very soon.
The players now will have a few weeks off to brood over the result as they head to Dubai for the winter break. And they will be hoping to comeback stronger than ever when the season resumes. But it is not just the players who have work to do in January.
The club must strengthen in a number of positions if they are to deal with this Rangers side. And former Celtic boss, Gordon Strachan, has told them exactly what area should be their first target in the upcoming transfer window. As reported by Express, Strachan said:
“When two teams are so evenly matched, it’s often just a little tweak that can make the difference.
“Questions he’ll be asking are ‘where were Rangers dominant against us?’ and ‘How do we make sure we have more of the ball so we can feed our better players?’
“He might look at it and decide he needs a bit more strength and height.
“He needs cover for Odsonne Edouard – we don’t know the situation with Leigh Griffiths, his career’s on hold at the moment, and everyone hopes the lad can get back to it.
“But, at this moment in time, Celtic will probably be looking for a target man forward.
“If you have a smaller group of players, they have to be perfect in the way they play – when you have a bit of height and strength, you have days when you’re off it technically, but you can get through it.
“Rangers looked the more powerful team on Sunday.”
Striking has been an area of concern for some time now. While Edouard has done very well again, contributing 16 goals and 15 assists this season, there has been no cover for him for the first part of the season. Both Leigh Griffiths and Vakoun Issouf Bayo have proved ineffective. Thus the club will do well to sign a target man in January, someone who will not only score goals but also add some strength and height to the side, something that they have been found wanting in the last two derbies this season.
