It wasn’t pretty, the team is struggling but we’ve negotiated two of the toughest away games remaining and we won’t have to go back to Pittodrie or Easter Road this season while theRangers presumably will.
We are missing key players such as Cameron Carter-Vickers, Greg Taylor and of course Reo Hatate.
Top performers so far this season have been Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley yet both are subdued and well below par at both grounds where we took four points from six. It could have been six but just as easily it could have been two or even none. So we should be reasonably satisfied with the outcome, while remaining concerned about the performances. The meltdown on theRangers forums and on social media tells you all you need to know about the significance of last night’s victory at Easter Road.
Celtic can build on that to get back into top gear and pull away from them in the title race.
Here’s Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers’s take on the match, from last night’s post-match media conference…
“It’s good to get a win at Easter Road, that was nice. I’ve been travelling around Scotland now for a wee while, so it was really good. I said to the players before the game, listen whatever’s happened before there are 14 games left of the season. I said that tonight you’re not going to win the title, but you also won’t lose it and you can make a big psychological impact by coming away to a tough ground and winning,” the Celtic manager said, as reported by Planet Radio.
“We got off to a great start and had a lot of the ball. We were not as creative as I would have liked with that finesse and technical ability in the final third to make the chances easier. However, we got through.
“In the second half, we were not so good if I’m being honest. They pressed on to us very well, so Nick (Montgomery) will be happy with that. We just lacked that bit of composure to play through that pressure which you need to do when a team presses you higher up the pitch.
“What I never doubt about these players, and I said to them before the game, to get through and win games we need to play with our heart and our soul. The players showed immense heart to keep going right through to the very end and get the victory.
“So, I am pleased for the team. We will play better – we have to play better, it’s not the level I want to see. We’ll go away and analyse it and look to be better in our next game.”
Enjoy the Unique Angle of the two Celtic goals last night…
