Former Celtic and Australia striker and current BT Sport pundit Scott McDonald has picked out the Hoops’ defensive frailties as their biggest weakness and pinpointed crosses into the box as their “kryptonite” this season.
The Hoops continued their turbulent campaign with a 3-1 defeat at the hands of RB Salzburg in the Europa League in midweek, letting their one goal lead at half time slip to see the match end in defeat.
Speaking ahead of the league clash against St Johnstone on Sunday, McDonald voiced his concerns about the energy levels required from the Hoops as well as their performances at the back this season.
He told BT Sport (01:45): “They defended resolutely in the first half but they put a lot of energy into it and I think the second half took its toll.
“We’ve talked time and time again about these European games and once again their kryptonite was cross balls, they just couldn’t deal with them.
“They can’t really have any complaints.”
Who will go furthest in the Europa League, Celtic or Rangers? Chris Sutton, Stephen Craigan & Scott McDonald discuss https://t.co/FjYMEd17je
— Football on TNT Sports (@footballontnt) October 7, 2018
Opinion
Celtic have always been so tight at the back under Brendan Rodgers, with the likes of Dedryck Boyata, Mikael Lustig and Kristoffer Ajer putting in some top class displays to keep the opposition at bay, so why they are struggling to stay resolute this season will have plenty scratching their heads. It really is a bizarre situation that the Hoops find themselves in and the manager has to figure out the problems and get them ironed out immediately or face yet more disappointment in the future, both on the European stage as well as back home in Scotland. Teams simply are not afraid of tackling the Bhoys as they once were and they need to find that fear factor once again or they will simply be another Scottish team rather than the dominant force over the entire country. They have already been proven to be beatable and as opposition confidence grows, it seems the Bhoys’ belief is sinking.