There is a growing feeling of doom at Celtic Park in the wake of Celtic dropping points to a then-managerless Aberdeen.
Concerningly, this isn’t the first time that the Bhoys have been guilty of delivering a lethargic display against inferior opposition and subsequently paying the price by passing up two precious points – as theguardian.com further outlines here.
Furthermore, Celtic are entering the stage of the season where every point dropped could lead to severe consequences as the fixture list begins to whittle down. The one positive is that there is currently enough time to ensure that Rangers don’t leapfrog Celtic into first.
Staving off this scenario, however, might mean that Brendan Rodgers takes the advice he recently issued to Celtic’s board.
Talking the talk but not walking the walk
The Northern Irishman was wary of apportioning all of the blame for Celtic’s uninspiring January transfer window to the Parkhead board. However, he did suggest, as yahoo.com reports here, that they would need to be braver in the future when it comes to recruitment. The validity of Rodgers’ comments to one side, the irony is that a bit more bravery on the field could help snap Celtic out of the dangerous malaise they find themselves in.
Too often, the Hoops are at fault for going sideways when trying to break teams down instead of throwing caution to the wind by getting runners behind the opposition’s defence. This laboured approach often allows the opposition to grow into the game and take confidence the longer the match remains goalless.
Indeed, Celtic might be happy to bide their time during the build-up play but so are the opposition who see an opportunity in getting behind the ball and waiting for a counter-attack or set piece. Essentially, by not taking the game to the rest of the league, Celtic are sleepwaking into second place.
From dead and buried to odds-on to win the SPL
After all, Rodgers’ team did at one stage enjoy a seven-point lead over Rangers. Now, somewhat incredibly, both Celtic and Rangers find themselves priced at 5/6 to win the league.
It doesn’t have to be panic stations just yet and optimistic Celtic fans who feel that Rodgers has the know-how to guide the Bhoys to their 54th league title can access a host of generous welcome offers at freebets.com.
In some instances, supporters can claim as much as £40 in free bets from bookmakers such as talkSPORT BET and BetVictor which can be used on the outright winner market of the Scottish Premiership. Without a change of mindset though, the inescapable truth is that Celtic will battle to keep Rangers at arm’s length during the title run-in.
Take the fight to the opposition or brace for impact
In essence, Rodgers needs to take the handbrake off by allowing his players to once again assume responsibility when in possession as they did under Ange Postecoglou. Bolder actions on the ball will undoubtedly lead to an increased tempo in the opposition’s final third which, as seen last season, can make all the difference between one and three points.
Whether Rodgers admits that his second coming at Celtic Park has grown stale remains to be seen but by not injecting a breath of fresh air into the tactics on matchday, he is taking the risk of doing the unthinkable by surrendering the league title to Rangers.
