Celtic will have to do without their very own Wizard of Oz, Tom Rogic against Livingston this weekend, after Ange Postecoglou confirmed that the hamstring injury that he suffered at Easter Road on Wednesday night will rule him out for a couple of weeks.
In what will be a bitter blow for Ange’s side just as they began to find real form, Rogic was key to Celtic flying into a 3-0 lead in the first half hour against Hibs midweek. The play from the Australian internationalist that set up the third goal was nothing short of spectacular. It was also a stark contrast to last season, when Neil Lennon was willing to let Rogic move to the Middle East.
Now though, Rogic is a fundamental part of Celtic’s midfield three, creating space and threading the ball through tight spaces when playing sides that adopt a low-block and sit-in mentality. St Johnstone were a perfect example of this just a week ago. Their game-plan was nothing more than an attempt to stifle Celtic’s creativity, frustrating Ange, the players and supporters in the process.
Postecoglou was speaking to the mainstream media today and revealed the player would play no part in this weekend’s match, citing it could be “two or three weeks before he returns to the fold. Speaking to the Daily Record, he said: “He had a scan on his hamstring. It’s going to put him out for at least two to three weeks.”
“It’s not a major one but he definitely won’t be involved in these games. Then obviously we have the international window, and if everything goes to plan he should be available once we get back from that.”
This is so typical of Celtic’s fortunes of late, with injuries curtailing our progress continually during Ange’s initial rebuild. The only saving grace is that the International break is taking place again after this weekends round of fixtures. Tom will have time to get himself sorted for the resuming domestic calendar as we look to push on in the period leading up to Christmas.
Paul Gillespie
No Rogic for 2-3 weeks is a massive blow. https://t.co/MAXeHa5cAN
— The Cynic (@90MinuteCynic) October 29, 2021
Bad news but he is maybe due a rest anyway, and he should be back for the League Cup semi-final v St Johnstone on November 20.
Totally agree with you David and December is always a hectic schedule so a couple of weeks rest for tom is probably not a bad thing. McCarthy, bitton and soro offer decent coverage and McGregor can play more forward too.