CELTIC have been outperformed by Rangers in the last three derby meetings.
Words I didn’t think I would be writing this season.
There’s no argument Brendan Rodgers has a blindspot concerning the Ibrox team. How else can you explain alarmingly repetitive mistakes against the same opposition, a trio of occasions where the champions have conceded three goals in each outing?
Look back to December 15. It took a penalty-kick save from Kasper Schmeichel in the shoot-out to make sure the Premier Sports League Cup was bedecked in green and white ribbons.
That trophy success ensured Celtic their 119th piece of silverware to become the world’s most successful club side. A highly commendable achievement, I think we will all agree, but one that may have masked a fairly unconvincing performance at Hampden.
It is not my intention to catastrophise situations when there is no requirement of such drama.
GRIM VIEWING…Brendan Rodgers watches as events unfold at Parkhead.
Without debate, Celtic’s first-half showing against the team managed by Philippe Clement at that stage was bewilderingly inept. Rodgers’ men went in 1-0 down at the interval and, fair play to the manager and his players, they had turned it around to lead 3-2 with Nicolas Kuhn netting a fine third goal in the 87th minute.
After being bossed in the opening 45 minutes, it looked as though Celtic had done enough to get the job done with just three minutes of regulation time to play.
Unforgivably, Rodgers’ team fell asleep. Within two minutes, Rangers were level. A simple ball in from the right by Vaclav Cerny saw Cameron Carter-Vickers eliminated at the near post, Anthony Ralston chronically slow to sense any danger and Kasper Schmiechel, erroneously, decide to stay on his line.
Brazilian striker Danilo gratefully raced in to head the ball past the static keeper from six yards.
A half-hour passed without any change in the scoreline and then it was down to Schmeichel to plunge to his left to repel an effort from Ridvan Yilmaz to set up Daizen Maeda to drill the decisive penalty-kick beyond Jack Butland.
I believe it is a truism you discover more about yourself in defeat than in triumph, but I hoped Rodgers, his backroom staff and his players had gleaned some intelligence before the next all-Glasgow affair in Govan on January 2.
Disturbingly, that did not turn out to be the case. The entire wretched 90 minutes made for uncomfortable viewing as the visitors were all too easily dismissed as they unravelled so implausibly.
Not one Celtic player came near a passmark that afternoon. Clearly, the lessons of Hampden had not been taken on board.
ENDGAME…Brendan Rodgers acknowledges the Celtic fans after the derby loss.
And so we moved on to Parkhead yesterday. Would we witness a tweak in the tactics that had been sussed by Clement before the Belgian was given the boot?
Would there be an overall tightening of the team’s possession play? A bit more grit in the challenges? Could the home team set the tempo right from the start?
We were provided with unpalatable answers after 90 minutes-plus of action in front of 57,500 Celtic fans and a pocket of away supporters.
Incomprehensibly, the hosts went in trailing 2-0 at half-time.
Ridiculously, Nico Raskin, with the presence of a pygmy in a packed penalty box, headed in a left-wing corner-kick delivery from James Tavernier in only four minutes.
This is the same diminutive Raskin who was left unguarded, again at the near post, at Ibrox in January to set up the second goal for Robin Propper.
On that occasion, the pint-sized Belgian was allowed to glance an identical deadball kick, this time from the right, by Cerny which was bundled off the line.
Carter-Vickers had hit the snooze button and was caught on his heels as Propper was gifted the time and space to rush in at the far post and double his side’s advantage.
Tavernier and Raskin combined again eight minutes before the break to make it 2-0 as another header from the midfielder of restricted growth landed in front of Mohamed Diomande to fire low past the exposed Schmeichel.
Do you ever think you are caught in a loop, dear reader? A circle of doom from which there is no escape?
We live in hope, though. Nicolas Kuhn, anonymous in the first-half, was left inside for the restart with Filipe Jota switching to the right flank, Daizen Maeda moving to the left and substitute Adam Idah given the nod to lead the attack.
Within four minutes, the Portuguese cavalier did something his predecessor couldn’t do in the entire first period, run past Yilmaz and get in a cross.
It was a productive exercise as his inviting ball to the back post was met by Maeda’s forehead and Butland was left swatting fresh air as the ball unerringly hit its target.
Celtic, with Alistair Johnston struggling to make any sort of impact in his third successive derby, and, disconcertingly, Carter-Vickers miles off it, too, always looked vulnerable to a quick counter-attack as they went in search of the equaliser.
That was duly delivered after Reo Hatate timed his forward run to perfection, Luke McCowan’s pass matched the excellence of his Japanese colleague and a crisp, low angled drive took care of business.
That goal arrived in the 74th minute and the home fans, understandably, awaited the coup de grace.
CELTIC VIEWS…a terse Brendan Rodgers gives his aftermath thoughts.
And, yet, red flags were still evident. Celtic, with their opponents rocking and the fans giving it full throttle from the stands, still didn’t look overly convincing.
The defence still had one more bullet to fire into its foot. A simple goal-kick launched forward by Butland was mystifying missed by Carter-Vickers when everyone and their auntie anticipated a bread-and-butter headed clearance.
Johnston slipped at the crucial moment and the ball was gathered by a grateful Hamza Igamane. The Canadian attempted to recover, but his feeble challenge merely set up the ball for the Moroccan to belt high into Schmeichel’s net.
There was no way back for Rodgers’ team.
Yes, the inevitable fourth successive Premiership title has only been delayed and, come the late afternoon of Saturday May 24, we may all be celebrating a world-record ninth treble.
I sincerely hope that does not disguise the flaws in this current Celtic set-up.
The buck stops at Brendan to rectify an unhealthy situation and put an an end to a worrying cycle of horrible performances and unacceptable results against the same opponents before such occurrences become the norm.
There is much work ahead for the Irishman in the summer.
ALEX GORDON
