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Yesterday showed that Celtic still has a summer 2023 hangover which January must put right.

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Image for Yesterday showed that Celtic still has a summer 2023 hangover which January must put right.

In terms of who wasn’t fit yesterday, I’ve got an interesting observation, and we’ll see who agrees with it and who doesn’t. Our biggest problem yesterday wasn’t that Kuhn wasn’t fit—it was that James Forrest got injured and will now miss six weeks of the season. That’s why we need to get Kuhn back as soon as possible.

If we’d been able to play Forrest yesterday, I believe we would have won that game. In spite of the negativity of Dundee Utd’s tactics, I’m convinced we would have gotten a result. The problem was that we were forced to play Yang instead. This is why, in spite of all the talk about left-backs and other positions, the critical area to strengthen in the January window is in the wide positions.

In some ways, we still have a manager who’s hamstrung by the summer transfer window, which saw Mark Lawwell relieved of his duties.

Neither Yang nor Palma are players Brendan Rodgers would have signed himself. They’re not players he would have chosen to be in this Celtic squad. Palma is a little closer to Rodgers’ style of play, but Yang is nowhere near it. This isn’t to say Yang is a bad player, and it isn’t to say Palma is either.

It simply comes down to this: neither of them can do what this manager needs. When you look at the team we’ve built, you see something interesting. Both Ange Postecoglou and Brendan Rodgers play very similar styles of football, and they also line up their teams in very similar ways. That’s most evident at the top of the pitch.

The classic winger has gone out of fashion. That’s why Yang is such a baffling signing—because that’s exactly what he is: a classic winger. Against certain opponents, he might be effective for you on certain nights.

But yesterday, we played a winger on the right in a game where the opposition put 11 men in their own penalty box for most of the game. The very purpose of having someone like Yang in the team—firing up the line and getting crosses into the box—was completely negated by Dundee United’s tactical approach.

They aren’t the first team to try playing against us this way this season. The reason we often get results regardless of this is that we’re usually playing with a team custom-built for the job. Yesterday, that wasn’t the case.

Both Kuhn and Daizen Maeda play as classic inside forwards, meaning they don’t just look to cross the ball when they get it. They run with the ball at their feet, take up positions inside the penalty area, and try to beat players there. Their job is to get shots on goal. Most of the time, we play something akin to a 4-3-3.

So did Ange. His signature signings were Jota and Abada, inside forwards, players whose job was to get the ball, drive into the box and score. When we tried to replicate that yesterday using Kyogo, Idah, and Palma, that’s when we looked most dangerous.

It was a game that showed Yang isn’t going to make it here. It also raised questions about Palma’s fit. They simply don’t align with what Brendan is trying to do or the style of football he plays. They’re examples of what happens when the manager is cut out of the signing process. Decisions end up being made by people who aren’t qualified to make them, and you get players who, while talented, don’t suit the system.

This is the inherent risk in those types of transfer windows. When the manager has no input, you don’t know if he’ll be able to get anything out of the players signed. It doesn’t mean they’re bad players—it just means the process is scattershot, and you’re relying on luck to find someone who fits the manager’s vision. It’s been our lament from the start; that was utter lunacy and it can’t happen again.

James Forrest would have given us a completely different dimension yesterday. His natural game is as an inside forward, and he’s always been one to get into the box and score goals. That’s why his absence accelerates the need for us to go out in January and secure a good-quality wide player—ideally, someone versatile who can play both left and right, and who fits Brendan Rodgers’ blueprint.

Everyone knew we weren’t going to get everything done in just two transfer windows. The signings last January were critical to winning the title last season, and the summer transfers have been vital for taking the squad to the next level. But the job isn’t finished. We all knew that.

Part of the job now is moving on players who simply won’t make it here. Paul Tisdale and the recruitment team have a lot of work ahead as we approach the January window. But securing a wide player who can do what Rodgers needs—and who ensures we’re not left depending on a conventional winger against a packed defence—has never been more obviously required.

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4 comments

  • Johnny Green says:

    He had a stinker yesterday, but Yang has come on as a sub previously and did fairly well, so I wouldn’t condemn him just yet, the potential is still there and he is young enough to improve. Palma though has shown that he has limited skills, he is too predictable and is unlikely to get any better. I would certainly want him replaced as soon as is possible if given the chance.

  • TonyB says:

    Even given all the limitations described, Celtic had a couple of gilt edged opportunities to win that match yesterday which weren’t taken and nobody seemed able to hit the target with longer range shots.

    I think Kenny should be given his chance on return, or the young fella scoring prolifically in the B team, if he stays.

  • micmac says:

    We had around 3 good chances and 3 half chances yesterday, against a team who played most of the game with 9 players in their own penalty box. We didn’t put any of them in the net, end of story. Agree with you James, we had no joy down our right, I would like to have seen Idah on at half time, after he came on we definitely looked more likely to score with Kyogo playing just behind Idah.
    I’m not going to complain too much, the enforced changes, the weather conditions and the state of the pitch didn’t help. The next six weeks is going to have a big bearing on our season, both domestically and in Europe.
    A couple of strategic signings in January would help us to make this season a memorable one.

  • japancelt says:

    Kind of a ‘perfect storm’ situation, re; both Kuhn & Forrest being out for 4 – ?? weeks. Personally, I think Yang might fare better playing @ Celtic Park & The Bigot Dome… Palma is just woeful, and should be sold in the January window along w/ Welsh, Bernabei (& even Yang @ the end of the window, if possible/do-able).
    We desperately need to buy at least one right-winger & one left-back, and hope that John Kenny can replicate even a fraction of the form he’s shown in Europe for Shamrock Rovers; and maybe,, possibly Greg Taylor might be seize the chance to leave while he still has a chance @ getting at a %-age of any possibly signing-on fee?… Whatever, Brendan must be allowed access to enough funds to get in HIS OWN CHOICE of replacements. Hail! Hail! from JPN.

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