Kuhn and Yang change the game on an afternoon when some of Celtic’s fringe men blew it.

Yesterday, I wrote about how football is a story of both rise and fall, and today, we saw a brilliant example of that at Celtic Park. It’s clear that this manager has given fringe players plenty of opportunities. Today, a few of them grabbed it, but some didn’t.

No one should write off players based on 90 minutes, but two substitutions changed the game today. We made the full complement of five changes, but it was two of them who made the impact we needed—and both were wide players.

This season, our team is built not just around what the central midfield does but on the contributions of the players flanking the main striker. These wide players are crucial in creating chances, and today, James Forrest had one of his poorer games. He worked hard but didn’t deliver what was needed. When Nicholas Kühn came on, everything changed. The whole pace of the team accelerated.

On the left, the change was just as significant. Taking off Valles for Greg Taylor solidified the backline and improved our attacking game. But the critical shift came when Luis Palma made way for Yang. Palma, whom I’ve both praised and criticised, was absent today—completely off his game.

Today felt like a landmark moment for him, but for all the wrong reasons.

Forrest, on the other hand, has a long history of proving his worth at Celtic. He’s a player we know can turn games around, just as Kühn did today.

Palma, though, continues to frustrate. His performance should have been stellar to catch the manager’s eye, but it was far from it.

Our first-half performance faltered because the wide players didn’t deliver. So much of Celtic’s current style relies on them, and when they aren’t on their game, the team suffers. Palma needed to show more than Forrest, but he was dreadful. While it’s harsh to write him off completely after one poor display, he must realise that he squandered a huge chance, and in a squad packed with talent, he might not get another one for some time.

Critics might argue that Brendan made too many changes, but that’s not true.

It wasn’t the number of changes; it was that certain players didn’t rise to the occasion. As soon as Yang replaced Palma, the tempo on the left side shot up. His immediate impact—beating two players and cutting inside—was more than Palma managed in the whole first half. The issue wasn’t excessive rotation; it was that some players simply didn’t prove they deserved a spot.

Some might say Auston Trusty had a bad game, but Stephen Welsh was far worse.

The midfield, too, notably improved when Arne Engels came on, but without the out-ball to the wide players, that change might have been less effective. Engels is a Rolls-Royce footballer, and what we saw in the closing stages was our best midfield trio. Yet, the first 60 minutes showed how weak we were out wide, until the substitutes transformed the team’s dynamics.

I thoroughly enjoyed the second half, once the changes were made. Sitting in the pub post-game, chatting with friends, everyone agreed that the wide players made the difference. Nicholas Kühn, with two goals and two assists, can certainly claim to have won us the match.

Yet Adam Idah had to be just as clinical to convert the chances he got.

But today’s real story was of Palma and Yang. Palma, who did little with two-thirds of the time on the pitch, looked lazy, ineffectual, and uninterested, while Yang made a massive impact. Rodgers will be furious because Palma had a golden opportunity and utterly blew it.

In a squad brimming with talent, you can’t afford a day like that—a bad performance could cost you a spot.

Palma was ahead of Yang in the pecking order, but now that’s changed. He’s gone from being the backup to Maeda to being the backup to the backup. That’s how it works in a strong squad: fail to grab your opportunity, and you’re left behind.

This lesson will resonate with more than just Palma. All in all, though, it was a satisfying afternoon. Celtic were always going to get the win, but the cup draw was as predictable as ever. Of course, we drew Aberdeen—there was no chance of getting Motherwell or the Ibrox club.

Aberdeen will be our toughest test yet, and we’ll need to step up to beat them.

But I’ll tell you something: they’ll need to be even better than Falkirk were today. All credit to John McGlynn and his team, who played positive football and caused us real problems in the first 45 minutes. It’s a shame some top-flight managers come to Celtic Park and don’t even try. Falkirk gave us one of the most entertaining games of the season, and they deserve huge praise for that.

In the end, our quality shone through. There’s no shame in losing to our team on that kind of form. The real shame is coming to Celtic Park, as so many others do, and not even giving it a go. Nobody can accuse Falkirk, or their manager, of that. Bravo to them.