Currently 13 points clear at the top of the Premiership, and well-positioned to go on and secure a place in the knockout stages of the Champions League, Celtic remain well on track to achieve their objectives this season.
Pretty much over the hill and out of sight in the title race domestically, Brendan Rodgers’ side will turn their attention back to continental matters in midweek with the visit of Young Boys knowing that victory would all but secure a place in the latter stages of Europe’s elite competition.
With Kilmarnock set to visit Celtic Park in the fourth round of the Scottish Cup on Saturday afternoon, the expectation is that Rodgers’ side will also continue their quest for a domestic Treble with minimal fuss.
Yet, as the old saying goes in Glasgow, a draw is a disaster and a defeat is a catastrophe. Dropping two points in a chaotic 3-3 draw with Dundee in midweek, Celtic’s players have had to deal with a fair degree of criticism over recent days.
Some of it has even come from their own manager. After a lamentable second-half collapse at Dens Park, Rodgers branded his team’s defending as ‘soft’ and admitted the performance simply wasn’t good enough.
In particular, the performance of Auston Trusty came under the spotlight. Given the runaround all night by Dundee striker Simon Murray, Trusty was weak and made poor errors for Dundee’s second and third goals.
Idah did not have his best performance against Dundee and was substituted
Trusty also came under the microscope after he looked at fault for two Dundee goals
Engels scored penalty equaliser at Dens Park but has failed to impress of late
A £6million summer signing from Sheffield United, it was probably Trusty’s poorest display in Celtic jersey.
But he’s not the only summer recruit to have struggled over recent weeks. Arne Engels has gone off the boil and isn’t doing enough to justify the club record fee of £11m paid to sign him from Augsburg.
Up front, Adam Idah hasn’t scored in his last 12 matches. Enduring a goal drought and a loss of confidence, Idah looks a long way from the £9m dynamic striker Celtic thought they had signed in the summer.
Trusty, Engels and Idah were Celtic’s three big summer signings. Was the club’s recruitment in the summer really as good as what was claimed at the time?
Certainly, in the cases of Engels and Idah, they have to do more. Trusty has performed well in Europe, so perhaps still has more credit in the bank with supporters.
But Idah’s confidence looks shot and he was totally ineffectual against Dundee before being subbed off.
Engels, meanwhile, looks like he has a weight on his shoulders. His passing has been poor and he isn’t offering any kind of creative thrust from midfield. Fans are now getting on his case.
To still be flying so high in the league and in Europe, it may have been something of a shock for the new recruits to be on the receiving end of such criticism in recent days.
Rodgers reckoned his team were always likely to ‘hit a wall’ during long run of games
Rodgers will be happy to welcome Daizen Maeda back into team for Scottish Cup tie
However, Rodgers cited the sheer volume of games over December and January as a contributing factor to the ropey display in Dundee, claiming that his team simply hit a wall.
‘Listen, we have to accept critics,’ said the Celtic manager. ‘But if you look at the bigger picture of what the players are coming off, I think there’s also respect in that there comes a point in a season where any team, no matter how good a season you’re having, or no matter how bad a season you’re having, you’ll hit a little bit of a wall.
‘It’s natural. It doesn’t matter how good you’ve been playing or not, you’re going to hit a little wall. I felt that probably on Tuesday, on that seventh game in 20 days, was maybe that point.
‘We have to accept the criticism, whether we like it or not. And I think, like I said, when you draw a game or lose a game, it’ll sting.
‘But for us, it’s all part of being at a big club. You have to accept it, whether you agree with it or not. We have to deal with that and then move on to our next game. And that’s what our idea is.
‘If you look at the last seven games we’ve played in 20 days, the players have done so, so well to manage their way through it.
‘Of course, whenever you draw or lose a game at a big club like Celtic, it stings, there’s no doubt.
‘But generally, over the seven games, having five wins, a draw and only one defeat in that period, whenever the games are so tight, you’re virtually playing just over every two days.
‘The players have done really well. So we now have a little point where we have that extra day of recovery going into Kilmarnock and then we don’t play until Wednesday. We’ll be ready.’
Rodgers is confident his team can bounce back with a win when Derek McInnes and his Killie team visit Parkhead for a teatime kick-off later today.
Daizen Maeda will be back in the fold, with Celtic continuing to pursue a deal for at least one more wide player before the end of the window.
Real Valladolid’s £8.5m winger Raul Moro remains the preferred choice, but Celtic do have other targets as well.
Negotiations to bring Kieran Tierney back to Celtic also remain ongoing with Arsenal ahead of the transfer window closing in a couple of weeks.
Rodgers believes the new Champions League format of playing games in January will impact on how clubs conduct their business.
But he’s determined to block out the speculation and ensure that Celtic get firmly back on track when they take on a Killie side who have caused them problems under McInnes.
‘It’s a tough opponent that we’re playing, so we’re very mindful of that,’ he said. ‘Derek and his team have had a good rest over this period as well.
‘But it’s a cup game, so we have to be ready to play against them. They’re a good side and they’ll be doing everything they can to get the result.
‘But it’s the start of a competition that this club is synonymous with, and we’re very excited by that.
‘We’re not defending it [after winning the Scottish Cup last season]. We have to win it again. And for that, we want to go in and attack the game and play to the level that we know we can.
‘We’ve won a trophy, we’ve got two more to aim for, and of course it’s the next game. Our focus is very much on looking to get it off to a good start in the competition.
‘The final is an incredible occasion. It always comes on the back of a really long, arduous season with a lot of work.
‘But as a game, it’s a great climax to the season. And obviously, of course, if you’ve won it, like we did last season against a great rival, then it makes it extra special.
‘If you can get to the final and win it, then it can be a great end to your season.’
If Celtic’s squad are to go on and win a Treble whilst competing in Europe over the second half of the season, Rodgers will need more from his blockbuster summer signings Engels, Idah and Trusty.
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