Today was one of the worse days of this season, we should hope.
Inept, toothless, and for all the promise that Celtic have shown in the early parts of the season it is days like today where it all renders useless.
79% possession should be enough to win any game; having four-fifths of the ball is more than adequate to punish a team that are bottom of the league with no wins up to press.
And with a midfield of David Turnbull, Tom Rogic and James McCarthy, a win in Livingston should have been a formality – not ending up in the 1-0 loss that it did.
The midfield were the worst part of the game – sideways, sideways and more sideways passes as the players held the ball and proceeded to do nothing with it.
And McCarthy was the worst culprit, despite his Premier League pedigree.
Fans took to Twitter to lament his performance…
James McCarthy was hopeless today, one of the most inept midfield performances you’ll see, touch was awful, passing was worse, miles off pace, his signing is systematic of the ‘throw enough shit and hope something sticks” recruitment policy that has riddled Celtic for a decade.
— Inside The SPFL (@AgentScotland) September 19, 2021
McCarthy is here for years. Can’t progress the ball quick enough. Probably good against better opposition in his defensive role. But for these games he’s just going to slow the pace down
— Bhoys Analytics (@BhoysAnalytics) September 19, 2021
Soro has done more creatively in 10 seconds than James McCarthy did for 73 minutes.
🐸 ☕️
— 𝙀𝙩𝙞𝙚𝙣𝙣𝙚 (@EtienneBojan) September 19, 2021
Playing in the EPL not automatically making you a good player being proved once again here because James McCarthy is absolutely average at best.
— Conor (@ConorM67_) September 19, 2021
What actually is James McCarthy?? Doesn’t seem to offer much defensively or offensively and his passing has been muck?
— Paul (@Migano2000) September 19, 2021
I’m sorry , but the worst man on the park was Turnbull yet again. Can’t do it in Europe and was posted missing again today. Not up to it, needs dropped.
Agree, but dropping him is not the answer imo…far from it. He defo had his “derby” hat on today but I think he’s getting played out of position. He should be running the show from the centre of the park and feeding everyone. Like a Petrov style MF not a lazy luxury. Rogic is our No.10 and Turnball needs to sit deeper and simply do more. McCarthy was not good today but he should have Turnball or Soro next to him because Calmac does it all like Brown before him. We need more from Turnball ie box to box not hanging about up front like an attacking MF.
The problem at Celtic began 18 months ago, no? They signed Barkas in desperation for a half decent goalkeeper. They already had one in Craig Gordon. The confidence then went in a downward spiral throughout the whole team. Yesterday’s results are not a big deal in the grand scheme of things. But Celtic will have to get thier defence in order. They will score goals all day long. But there’s no point scoring 5 and let in 6.
totally agree about Turnbull Motherwell was his level absolute crap
Ironically Motherwell got a result today no one achieved last season.
We might be 6th but we’ve turned a corner imo…we’re scoring goals again…If McCarthy isn’t the answer then we’ve still got Bitton and Henderson for DM. Turnball needs to be box to box.
We’ll come good…but the clock is defo ticking. HH KFT
I love your optimism. Personally I don’t see where it comes from. Lose one or two players and we are a poor side. This performance will be repeated time and time again throughout this season as this is a better reflection of where we are than beating bad teams 6-0. I hoped never to see at least 4 or 5 players from todays squad in a Celtic jersey again. But here they are, contributing in the same old way. That was both theend of the beginning and the beginning of the end. When Ange walks away, ‘mutually consented’ in February and we are sitting 4th 20 odd points behind them, we will point to this game as the turning point. Motherwell, Aberdeen and Hibs away in the next three weeks or so. This will put the final nail in the heart of Angeball. He knew the score though, he needs results. 3 defeats in his first 6 is woeful. Sackable performance.
Paul, you say Celtic will score goals all day long but this depends on players being fit. Celtic could have played for a week and not scored on yesterdays performance. Luck with injuries is needed. You cannot rely on luck.