Celtic were knocked out of the Viaplay Cup at Rugby Park by Kilmarnock in what was a tame and toothless display. Celtic struggled to create chances and it would be hard to pick out positive performances from what was a lacklustre performance.
With Brendan Rodgers now having lost his first ever domestic cup match as Celtic manager, here are A Celtic State of Mind’s player ratings from Sunday’s encounter.
Joe Hart – 6
Joe Hart didn’t really have much to do in a game where chances were at a premium. The Englishman sprung into action well to turn a powerful drive from Brad Lyons past the post and wasn’t at fault for Killie’s winner.
Anthony Ralston – 6
Ralston made attempts to get forward and overlap with Liel Abada, however, Celtic just couldn’t create the chances. The Celtic defence was disjointed for the goal but Ralston did not stand out as an overwhelmingly poor performer in Ayrshire.
Maik Nawrocki – 5
After some solid and composed displays in his first few games for the Hoops, the Pole didn’t cover himself in glory for Killie’s goal. The 22-year-old was bypassed with ease by Marley Watkins and struggled to get back into position to prevent the goal.
Gustaf Lagerbielke – 6
Rugby Park was always going to be a tough place for the Swede to make his debut and for the most part he was solid enough. The new man perhaps should have been penalised for a foul in the box however the referee saw nothing wrong with it.
Greg Taylor – 4
The start of the season hasn’t been the best for Taylor with the former Killie man putting up some below-par displays. Taylor was beaten time and time again by the Killie attackers and was struggling to pick out his teammates with passes. The 25-year-old’s position in the team could potentially be up for grabs very soon, and he could be displaced by a player already at the club or a new signing.
Callum McGregor – 5
McGregor hasn’t been his usual consistent self so far this season. So often a steady player on the ball and a reliable option for teammates to pass to, McGregor was the exact opposite of that today. Struggling to contain the Kilmarnock midfielders and quite often bullied off the ball, the captain wasn’t at his best today.
Odin Holm – 6
The Norwegian lined up for his first start in a Celtic jersey today and showed a lot of the right ideas and intent that was needed to try and get Celtic ahead early on. Much like McGregor, however, he was quite often pickpocketed by the opposition and was subbed off on 64 minutes.
Matt O’Riley – 6
Whilst Celtic created very little in today’s fixture, the Dane was one of the only players on the park that looked to be trying to make something happen whenever he was on the ball. He was replaced by Sead Haksabanovic on 75 minutes.
Daizen Maeda – 5
The Japanese winger didn’t look himself today as he put in a performance that was a massive drop-off from his display at Pittodrie last weekend. He had a very quiet game and wasn’t up to much off the ball either.
Kyogo Furuhashi – 6
Alongside Matt O’Riley, Kyogo was one of precious few players who looked like they could make something happen. However, service was very limited for Celtic’s talisman and quite often he was having to make his own service as he was dropping deep to win the ball back and instantly trying to drive at the heart of the Killie defence.
Liel Abada – 5
Celtic didn’t get much out of their wide players today and, much like Maeda, Abada was very quiet. He was often coming back to help out Ralston with the defensive work but his work in the final third was not up to scratch.
Substitutes:
David Turnbull – 6
Turnbull was looking to make the right passes when he was brought on in the 64th minute, however, much like his performance at Pittodrie he was dispossessed far too easily and far too often.
Yang Hyun-Jun – 6
The Korean looked very lively when he replace Liel Abada and perhaps should have equalised when Kyogo laid a chance on in the box, however, the 21-year-old blazed it over and missed the chance to get his first Celtic goal.
Sead Haksabanovic – 5
The Montenegrin was trying to do too much when he was brought on. He played with the urgency required, as Celtic desperately needed the goal fast, however, his play at times was far too desperate.
JAMES MCKENZIE
Notice: Undefined index: src in /home/acsom/public_html/wp-content/themes/u-design/scripts/post-thumbnail.php on line 76
Turnbull – 6 ?!?! what are you on? Are you related to him or what?
You were calling for him to come on at HT. He did absolutely nothing when he did come on.