ZeeboiA careless error from a seasoned Celtic player has been pinpointed as a critical factor in the Hoops’ punishing defeat.
Daniels Balodis nodded in a header within the first five minutes, securing a 1-0 Premiership win for lowly St Johnstone against the title holders. The goal stemmed from a well-executed free kick that exposed Celtic’s backline, but the trouble began earlier when Jeffrey Schlupp’s foul handed Graham Carey the chance to deliver a dangerous ball.
Celtic’s performance had already been shaky up to that moment. Watching for Sportsound, Stephen McGinn singled out Schlupp’s lapse as a sloppy spark that set the tone for the afternoon’s woes.
Lazy Celtic moment:
The ex-midfielder shared his thoughts at halftime on BBC coverage: “He’ll (Brendan Rodgers) be really frustrated when he watches it back in terms of the way they started the game, the defensive point of view, the first two balls that go into the box. St Johnstone make first contact in them. I think the free kick that leads to the goal is really sloppy from a player of Jeffrey Schlupp’s experience.
“I think it’s just a kind of lazy leg he leaves in, St Johnstone get the foul and you give Graham Carey the opportunity to put quality ball into the box then he’s going to deliver. That just shows you, both managers spoke about top facing bottom, not having a divine right to win. You have to do things properly like the Celtic team do and have done for a number of seasons but you give teams opportunity to put it in the box and they can punish you.”
Celtic boss anger:
Rodgers didn’t hide his frustration with what unfolded. Speaking to club media at the final whistle, he said: “It’s about getting your mentality right before you even kick a ball. We’ve had one or two games where we’re waiting for the game, and that worries me when I look at the squad. The squad have shown great mental strength over the course of the season, but have lacked that ambition in games, and, especially today, there’s no excuse – we had three sides of the ground full.
“And with your own supporters pushing you on expecting, maybe that’s something I have to look at – expectation versus underdog. Because everyone can play as an underdog, but when you’re a Celtic player you have to deal with both, you’ve got to deal with the underdog in the Champions League at times, and then you have to deal with the expectation at home and being the top team. That’s something that has really disappointed me.
“We got into some really good areas, and, like I said, it was a combination of just not that clinical edge to the game and their keeper making some fantastic saves, and their players making some great blocks. And I also want to give St Johnstone a huge amount of credit, because you’re bottom of the league, you’re fighting for your life, and I just felt that their fight was greater than ours at the beginning of the game. That got them in front and we couldn’t respond.”
Zeeboi
