GORDON’S CASE FOR THE DEFENCE

CELTIC have failed to keep a clean sheet in any of their past six games and keeper Craig Gordon has said they must start defending as a team.

The back lot have been leaking soft goals and boss Brendan Rodgers was frustrated last night when Suduva nullified an early effort from Olivier Ntcham when his players failed to deal with a straightforward free-kick.

Gordon said: “I think that everybody is every man for themselves in there. We need to get back to working as a team and make sure that nobody gets the headers in that they have been doing.

“We have to put a stop to that, we WILL put a stop to that. I am very confident that we will get it right and get it right very quickly.”

Gordon stressed the team had a formidable defensive record in Rodgers’ time until now and added: “We have been very good at that in recent seasons.

“We have been going on with 50 per cent clean sheets which is an incredible record.

“To go from that to losing goals the way we are – we need to put that right.

“But we have done it in the past. We know what we are doing wrong and we have to fix it.”

Dreadful defensive work, with Mikael Lustig culpable on two occasions, against AEK Athens home and away led to the Hoops’ exit from the Champions League.

A slack ball out of defence from Jozo Simunovic just under a fortnight ago initiated the only goal of the game for Hearts at Tynecastle.

Hamilton Accies must be hoping the free-gift scheme is still in operation at Parkhead on Sunday.