Once again Celtic are underprepared for this year’s Champions League playoff. There is a familiarity about this for Celtic fans who have often seen the team go into the biggest games of the season without the cover needed for key positions.
Despite bringing in some positive additions, Celtic find themselves short of midfield options ahead of a key tie against the Austrian champions LASK. Fans will remember the club going into several key qualifiers with Nir Bitton at centre half despite the club knowing the qualifiers are coming every season. It seems that some things don’t change at the football club.
Clearly it’s a gamble the hierarchy is willing to take but it’s a gamble that has seen them miss out on Champions League riches more often than not in the past. Things were looking positive with Kasper Høgh and Camilo Durán strengthening the front line, however with Arne Engels being sold and Oxlade-Chamberlain being suspended, Celtic find themselves somewhat light in the middle of the park. It means they will likely have to rely on either Reo Hatate or Luke McCowan at some point in the tie. Not ideal considering both players have found game time limited, with the Japanese midfielder having played zero minutes so far this season.
Did Engels move too early?
Selling Engels before the tie now seems like it could potentially be another costly mistake. Even with Baur coming in Celtic are going to be fielding a midfield trio that hasn’t played significant time together this season. As Rodgers famously said, the club is manufacturing its own stress. Surely club officials would have wanted to keep Engels till after the qualifier so it’s probably reasonable to presume that the Belgian pushed for the move after seeing Alistair Johnston get injured recently. An injury that seems to have ended the speculation around his move to Everton, for now.
Engels will certainly be a big miss. There’s no doubt about that. Hassan and Baur have been brought in too close to the tie to have a meaningful impact. Oxlade-Chamberlain’s suspension makes things worse in the problem area. Can you imagine Callum McGregor got injured before the game this week? Suddenly Celtic are in a very poor position going into the biggest game of the season.
It all comes back to recruitment
Ultimately the recruitment has let us down again. Yes good players have been brought in but the squad needed a huge rebuild this summer which has failed to materialise. The club knew the qualifiers were coming yet chose to gamble once again. No harm to Luke McCowan but most supporters would not put him in their starting line up for the biggest games of the season.
It looks like the hierarchy are heavily relying on the new forwards to drag the club through a tough tie against the champions of Austria. It just doesn’t have to be this way. Key signings could be through the door in January to prepare for the summer qualifiers. How are Baur and Hassan meant to contribute in a meaningful way if they are just in the door? More short term planning. There should have been more quality additions through the door since it was always likely we’d be losing two key men in Maeda and Engels.
Biggest games of the season
The pressure that come with the qualifiers is huge. This game is as much a mental test as it is physical. Players know they have the chance to improve the club’s turnover by a third if they qualify. They know club officials and fans expect it. That brings serious pressure so early in the season. The signings of Høgh and Durán will lift the spirit of the squad and they will believe they can score goals ahead of the tie. However will the middle of the park cause them concern ahead of the big game?
There is certainly a big opportunity for someone to step up and make a meaningful contribution whether it’s Baur, Hatate or McCowan. Hopefully whoever is selected can make a key contribution and support the team to a positive outcome over the two legs. If we don’t qualify, then the pressure on the board ramps up again, possibly to previously unseen levels. Hopefully we’ve done enough over the summer to get the job done and keep the feel good factor for the season ahead.
All views expressed on Celtic DNA are personal opinions and are for commentary and discussion purposes only
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Celtic must clarify Dermot Desmond’s role at the football club
Celtic must clarify Dermot Desmond’s role at the football club