As Celtic trounced Motherwell at Fir Park on Sunday, it’s fair to say one man stood between Motherwell being hit for seven or eight rather than the 4-0 defeat they ultimately received.
Tom Rogic may have been the standout performer but there would have been an argument for the ‘well ‘keeper giving Tam a run for his money in the man of the match stakes.
Yet despite his heroics in the Motherwell goal, Liam Kelly has admitted to Football Scotland, when Celtic’s strength in depth was underlined by the introduction of half an outfield team of top-class substitutes, he kind of hoped he’d receive the hook himself.
“Celtic are capable of doing that to most teams. But you like to be in the game. You want to give a better account of yourself, but the game was done at half-time realistically.
“You have to try and stay in it for as long as you can. We tried to have a go, but they punished us. They were too good for the press we tried to put on. We got caught in between most things. They have top players and they made us pay. It’s not ideal when the players they have on the bench come on.
“You feel like going off yourself. They are a brilliant team with a lot of quality. You see the subs they bring on and they’ve still got some top players who are still injured and weren’t involved today.
Celtic at last are starting to see injury concerns subside, and with timely recruitment added to the mix, the strength in depth in most positions in the team is bearing fruit. Players can now be rotated, and with the five substitutes rule back in place, the first eleven can feel comfortable going full pelt in the knowledge replacements can come on and maintain the incessant pressure Ange Postecoglou demands.
Liam Kelly thinks that is what hurt Motherwell on Sunday as he admits his team tried to take the game to Celtic but Celtic deserved the win as they simply picked Motherwell apart.
“It was a good day for them and a poor day for us. We just need to move on to Wednesday night. We were up against a really good side who were probably a bit much for us. In the first half we tried to give it a go and they picked us apart.
“There were a couple of goals that we could have done better with ourselves. Personally, I’m a wee bit disappointed with the second goal. I should probably save that. But I’m not sure it actually impacts the outcome of the match. I think Celtic were well-deserved winners. We just need to take our medicine and focus on Wednesday night now.”
It’s on to Aberdeen at Pittodrie tomorrow night as Celtic tick off the tough away grounds they have left to visit. A similar performance to Sunday night in the North East could go a long way to determining the destination of the league title, and with Celtic’s strength in numbers now showing in the scorelines, the Celts head to the Granite City with the sort of momentum that leaves opposition goalkeeper’s looking for respite .
Niall J
