With Celtic exiting the Viaplay Cup in the second round at Rugby Park on Sunday, opinions and reactions to the defeat to Kilmarnock have been flying around left, right and centre. As Celtic fans are (thankfully) not used to losing games domestically, knee-jerk responses are something that we have come to expect.
One call which caught this writers’ eye was that Celtic should drop Callum McGregor. Over the last decade it has been seen as almost a formality at Celtic that the captain is never dropped. Scott Brown, for all of his qualities, would have been dropped on many occasions if solely down to form and Callum McGregor has carried on that tag of ‘undroppable’ with his position as club captain.
However, with performances from the 30-year-old being off the boil so far this season, some have suggested that there is a case to be made for dropping the captain for Saturday’s fixture against St Johnstone. After just three games, and with a derby and Champions League opener on the horizon, how could this genuinely be contemplated?
Below-par performances
The Scotland international hasn’t looked his usual self so far this season. Despite winning 4-2 against Ross County on the opening day, eyebrows were raised from some supporters at the team’s performance.. It would be the trip to Pittodrie to face Aberdeen the following week that would be the eye-opener as again, despite winning with a convincing scoreline of 3-1, McGregor didn’t have his greatest name and was arguably at fault for the Dons’ equaliser as he was dispossessed and bypassed with ease in the heart of the midfield.
Usually looking so composed and calm even in the heart of a constant press from the opposition, McGregor has looked the opposite of that in recent weeks. When he has been hurried and pressed by the opposition midfielders and attackers he has looked flustered and stressed, often releasing stray passes and seeing his pockets picked leading to the opponents having a dangerous break-away opportunity. However, as has been emphasised, this is very out of character from the skipper.
Known Quality
Despite turning in some poor performances as of late, the known quality of McGregor is still in the mind. A consistent Scotland starter who doesn’t look out of place when the Tartan Army line up against the toughest of international opponents, McGregor has been one of the club’s highest quality performers in the most difficult domestic games and against European opposition.
When the chips are down, McGregor is so often a reliable option and is the sort of player who can play himself back into form. With a trip to Ibrox and a Champions League group stage campaign on the horizon, having the skipper back at his best is a must for Celtic.
Willing Backups
There are plenty of players on the Celtic bench and the fringes at the club who will have been keeping an eye on the performance levels of the Celtic captain. The likes of Tomoki Iwata and new signings Kwon Hyeok-kyu and Odin Holm will be desperate for minutes in the team and the chance to impress, especially with the aforementioned derby and European games coming up soon.
What message does it send to the players waiting in the wings if McGregor stays in the team despite poor performances? Or, what does that tell us about how Rodgers’ views the current depth of Celtic’s midfield?
What is known beyond doubt is the positive relationship that McGregor has with the current Celtic manager.
Positive relationship
As a model professional and the sort of player that those in the youth set-up at Celtic will aspire to be, McGregor has always maintained positive relations with the Celtic hierarchy, the management team in particular.
Rodgers and McGregor have been vocal about the great working relationship they have together, with Rodgers helping turn McGregor into the treble-winning Celtic legend that he is today and McGregor also playing a key part in helping Rodgers commit to his return to Celtic Park.
McGregor meeting with Rodgers in Mallorca and having a conversation about the current lay of the land at Celtic also shows the trust that Rodgers has in McGregor, not just as a player but as a person as well and there is nothing that Rodgers wants more than McGregor back at his best for the busy weeks ahead for Celtic.
Callum McGregor has had worse spells in a Celtic jersey. His own high standards mean that any below-par performances are immediately noticeable and acutely put under the spotlight when results don’t go our way. Brendan Rodgers trusted him enough to get the low-down on Celtic before accepting the manager’s job for a second time. Perhaps the gaffer needs to bend the captain’s ear again on how the entire midfield could work better.
A few tweaks to Brendan’s system could have Callum back to his best, and who else would you choose to lead us out the tunnel against Rangers in 10 days?
JAMES MCKENZIE
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