Celtic needs to consider benching the captain a while, for his good and ours.

One of the debates that our fans have been having over the past few days—and even weeks—is whether or not it’s time to leave certain players out of the team for a while. The discussion started with Kyogo and Hatate, and then shifted to which of the central defenders should be dropped. Most seemed to agree it should be Liam Scales, but then we saw Austin Trusty getting into a bit of a mess.

Squad rotation means that almost all players will spend some time out of the side. This gives others a chance to get a run of games and provides much-needed rest. I wrote about this yesterday: we’ve never faced so many fixtures, and this relentless schedule isn’t ending anytime soon. Fortunately, we’ve built a big squad, allowing us to rotate and manage workloads effectively.

Nevertheless, there are one or two players who rarely—if ever—get a rest. One example is Alistair Johnston. He’s become so integral to the team that it’s almost inconceivable to leave him out. But eventually, you must, because you need to manage his fitness and avoid running him into the ground.

If that’s a concern for Johnston, it’s an even bigger concern for the captain.

There’s probably no player in Scottish football who has played more games over the last few years than Callum McGregor. I doubt there are many players in Europe who’ve played more. The fact that we haven’t benched him for even a short spell is frustrating, self-defeating, and frankly, stupid.

The reason is simple: Callum plays such a crucial role in the team that, when the big games come, we can’t afford to have him burned out. And let’s be honest, you could lay the blame for some of our recent slips at his feet—not because he’s suddenly a bad player, but because he’s clearly exhausted.

Those defending the club’s policy of overplaying him will argue we don’t have anyone else like McGregor in the squad, and that’s true to an extent.

But we have £70 million in the bank to address that issue. To me, it’s a problem that should have been solved long ago.

Last season, I thought we’d address it. This summer, I thought we’d fix it. And yes, we signed three central midfielders, one of whom is theoretically capable of playing that anchor role. In fact, he’s the most expensive player in our history! Yet here we are, trying to mould him into an attacking midfielder, when his best position might well be the one McGregor currently occupies.

Our midfield is excellent, arguably the best it’s been in years, but it lacks balance. Too many of our players are suited to attacking roles. What we need—especially in certain games—is midfield steel.

This brings me back to something I wrote recently about the longbow and the French snobbery about using a long-range weapon when they placed a premium on hand-to-hand combat. Are we really saying that having a hard-tackling, defensive midfielder is beneath us? Because that’s rubbish.

A Neil Lennon-type player would be immensely effective for us. And the absence of such a player is why McGregor never gets a break.

Yes, we’d undoubtedly be weaker with McGregor sitting in the stands, but it’s time we gained some clarity on this issue. It’s not just about giving him a rest to protect his fitness; it’s about the long-term future of our midfield.

I’ve always believed McGregor has been an excellent captain. But I think we made a mistake when we failed to sign a direct replacement for Scott Brown. Instead, we moved McGregor into that role, even though he’s best suited to a more attacking or supporting role. It was lazy not to replace Brown with someone who shared his attributes.

To this day, we don’t have a natural defensive midfielder, and that’s a glaring hole in our squad. It’s a position we need to fill, not just for squad rotation but to give us that extra weapon in the arsenal: a tough, physical player who can dominate the midfield, break up play, and impose himself on the opposition.

More and more fans are discussing this issue, and it’s clear many can see the need for it. I’d be shocked—and disappointed—if the manager doesn’t see it too.

It’s high time we gave the captain a break. Yes, it involves risks. But the bigger risk is leaving him in the side week after week until he’s physically broken. By managing his schedule, we get to choose when he rests instead of being forced to make that decision after an injury or burnout.

Photo by Craig Williamson/SNS Group via Getty Images

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