Steven Thompson destroyed Celtic defender Filip Benkovic for his “absolute shocker” performance in Celtic’s 1-0 defeat to Rangers on Saturday.
The Leicester City loanee paired up with Dedryck Boyata in central defence as they continued the partnership that has been integral to the Hoops’ outstanding recent form.
But Benkovic struggled to cope with the intensity and incisiveness of a Rangers side that completely over-ran the champions at Ibrox before he was withdrawn on the stroke of half-time due to injury.
“This is a substitution I’d be tempted to make anyway – Benkovic has had an absolute shocker,” said former Gers striker Thompson, as quoted by BBC Sport’s live coverage of the match (Saturday, 1.17pm). “But that’s one less change now that Rodgers can make to put things right here.”
OPINION
Benkovic has made such a sound impression since joining Celtic in the summer on a season-long loan from Leicester. He has delivered a series of commanding and super-smooth displays, prompting Brendan Rodgers to express his hope the Premier League club will not exercise the mid-season recall option in his loan. But, like so many of his teammates, the Croatia Under-21 international was blown away by the force of Rangers’ intensity and eagerness in what was an Ibrox cauldron. Along with Boyata, Mikael Lustig and emergency left-back Callum McGregor, not to mention a completely over-ran midfield in which Scott Brown and Olivier Ntcham were the principal mis-firing components, Benkovic was second to every ball and wonky and below-par when he eventually got there. Credit to outstanding Rangers, but Celtic were miles below their best.