Celtic’s Troubles under Rodgers: Unraveling the Cause
Celtic Football Club, a dominant force in Scottish football for the past few seasons, is currently facing a challenging period under the management of Brendan Rodgers. The team, who lost only two points at home throughout last season on their way to winning the Scottish league title, has already dropped nine points this season after a nervy 1-1 draw with Kilmarnock. This stark statistic has led to questions about Rodgers’ performance in his second spell as manager.
The Northern Irishman himself has admitted that there have been “too many” poor performances from his team, which has resulted in them letting slip a commanding seven-point lead over city rivals Rangers. While Rodgers has previously expressed his disappointment with Celtic’s recent dealings in the transfer market, he also acknowledges his current squad’s inadequacies. He takes responsibility for the team’s recent draw and believes that they need to be more aggressive and harder to beat.
Rodgers points to the absence of key players like centre-half Cameron Carter-Vickers and right-back Alistair Johnston due to injuries. He believes that this has contributed to their defensive vulnerabilities. The team has often found themselves in front but failed to extend their lead, allowing the opposition to come back into the game. Rodgers emphasizes the need for improvement in these areas, stating that they have invited unnecessary pressure on themselves.
Despite the challenges they are currently facing, Rodgers remains optimistic about the title race. He believes it will be a tight competition and is ready to take on the challenge. However, former Scotland midfielder Michael Stewart believes that Celtic has lost its aura of invincibility and that Rangers are now the favorites to win the league. Stewart suggests that Celtic’s advantage in terms of squad quality and fan support crumbles when things are not going well. He also highlights the missed opportunity during the January transfer window to strengthen the squad with real quality players.
BBC pundit Tom English echoes Stewart’s sentiments and believes that there have been mistakes made at the boardroom level. He suggests that recruitment has been virtually non-existent and criticizes Rodgers for not getting better results and performances from his squad. English argues that even though Rodgers may not have had all the players he wanted, he still has enough firepower at his disposal. He believes that the manager should not be immune from criticism and that Celtic’s struggles are not solely the fault of the board.
English also points out that Celtic’s issues extend beyond the playing field. The club has been involved in unnecessary conflicts with the media, similar to what Rangers did in the past, which suggests a lack of focus. He highlights a poor summer transfer window, a lackluster January transfer window, public requests from Rodgers for quality players that went unanswered, and a team that appears vulnerable. English also acknowledges that Rangers have improved significantly, adding to Celtic’s difficulties.
While some Celtic fans may be calling for a change of manager, both Stewart and English believe that sticking with Rodgers is the best course of action for the club. They argue that a managerial change would be costly and create further instability. Instead, they hope that Rodgers can find a way to get more from his current squad and turn their fortunes around.
In conclusion, Celtic’s troubles under Brendan Rodgers have been attributed to a combination of factors, including inadequate squad depth, defensive vulnerabilities, missed transfer opportunities, and challenges at the boardroom level. While Rodgers takes responsibility for his team’s poor performances, there is a consensus among BBC pundits that he should not be immune from criticism. Despite their recent struggles, the general sentiment is that Celtic should stick with Rodgers and give him the opportunity to rectify the situation. Only time will tell if he can find a solution and lead Celtic back to their former glory.