The only addition from the January window is Nicolas Kuhn, which is frustrating the fans.
Greg Taylor is listed as injured. There are six days remaining in the transfer window if a left-back move isn’t completed to fill the void.
It’s not like Brendan Rodgers didn’t realize he needed one for a while. He and the hiring team weren’t searching too hard if they weren’t able to find it by last summer. I completely understand the Celtic fans’ displeasure in these situations. I’ll address the quality issue shortly, but it’s not really acceptable to not even be able to get backup in the door.
It’s wonderful to have signed Cameron Carter-Vickers to a new contract. Although he has been Scotland’s top defender for some time, there are still some question marks in the squad. Everyone believes that today, Celtic will easily defeat Ross County. Though that isn’t the main goal, they should. What matters is that they have left themselves open to light. Since people haven’t trusted Alexandro Bernabei in a long, this was the one position that needed to be resolved right away. It’s hard to believe it hasn’t been done by now.
Is Rodgers the victim? Should we blame Mark Lawwell and his group? Is it positioned on the board? For me, the issue is to hiring, and the reality is that Celtic seems to be facing a more challenging market than it should be.
Rodgers has discussed the importance of quality over just expanding the team. That’s acceptable if you’re discussing advancement. However, he said last week that Celtic needed to be aware of a loading issue involving Taylor, which concerned backup and assistance.
Are you saying that, under the constraints of the Celtic model, there isn’t a single left-back available who is superior to Bernabei? Give it up. There’s no justification for being short domestically, but Taylor doesn’t play well on defense in the Champions League, so you should constantly be looking to enhance every position for that.
I’m not sure how to feel about the quality. Prior to the window opening, Rodgers stated that he desired it, but on January 27, he would only have one in the door. What has transpired throughout the previous six months? Where are the clues to the labor done behind the scenes?
Everyone is aware of the concept, and while Celtic was heading toward the Champions League the previous season, they are not now, and they are also creating needless problems for themselves on the domestic front. That warrants the fans’ concern. Why is the club’s position about the signings incorrect? What has transpired since Ange Postecoglou left on that front?
The Taylor scenario serves as a prime example, and you have to wonder what went wrong when you consider signings such as Gustaf Lagerbielke, Marco Tilio, and Nat Phillips.
Although Liam Scales can play left-back, he won’t be able to provide Celtic with the same offensive poise that Taylor does. He runs and passes, assists others, and occasionally scores a goal. Examine the right-hand side in comparison. Though I’m not trying to pick on Alistair Johnston, I recently heard that he hasn’t scored any goals and hasn’t even contributed many assists this year.
That’s a dismal return for a Celtic right-back, especially considering how much the full-backs need to step up and deliver.
Taylor somewhat mitigates that, but if he’s not available, that eliminates another alternative, and it’s not really acceptable that someone isn’t contracted and prepared to play right away.
The second important position was that of striker, but as I’ve already mentioned, that’s not an easy sell since you’re either asking a good player to come in and sit behind Kyogo Furuhashi or spending enough money to acquire a better player. It’s not that difficult to find a left-back to compete with Taylor, in my opinion.
I understand the fans’ anger because of this, however after reading the rest of the unit, I’m not sure why some of the patrons are freaking out. Joe Hart is doing well. There’s no need to fear because the defense is led by Stephen Welsh, Carter-Vickers, Scales, and Maik Nawrocki. You could get a better backup. It’s not quite Champions League caliber, but it’s good enough for the remainder of this domestic season.
With Callum McGregor, Matt O’Riley, Paulo Bernardo getting comfortable, and Reo Hatate getting fit again, Celtic are loaded in the middle. Regarding O’Riley, Celtic was unable to let him go and accept any offer from Atletico Madrid. That was really absurd. Thus, he remains, and once more, absent extravagant expenditures, who is eliminating McGregor, O’Riley, and Hatate from the team? Bernardo is also demonstrating his ability as a backup.
Interesting are the wings. Theoretically, there are four excellent possibilities for the two positions: Nicolas Kuhn, Liel Abada, Daizen Maeda, and Luis Palma. However, that is merely a theory. Yes, Palma and Maeda, but I won’t be completely sold on Abada until the window closes.
I won’t go into the difficulties the young man has been having these past few months. Celtic are adamant that he will stay, and if he does, that’s okay since flying Abada is a proven player. Will he succeed, though? It’s difficult to say that. Kuhn is good, according to Rodgers, but he will need to demonstrate it. If not, Celtic have a problem.
Attack-wise, I don’t mind Ah, Hyeon-gyu. Although I believe he has a backup plan, he isn’t prepared to replace Kyogo on a full-time basis. On the home front, Anthony Ralston can fill in for Johnston, but with less than a week remaining, the situation at left back is unacceptable and apparent.
I believe a large portion of the worry among punters stems from the fact that the Rangers don’t appear to be going away. Although Hibs aren’t very good, Philippe Clement’s team destroyed them in Leith earlier this season in a way that Celtic was unable to match. Four days after traveling to Aberdeen, Rodgers’ team returned there on Wednesday of that week. Celtic needs to get through this challenging time.
Overall, I believe they now possess the necessary quality, but they are moving too quickly. It really wasn’t necessary for this window to be so intricate. Why then is that the case?
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