Celtic supporters will be expecting a reaction against Livingston on Saturday afternoon after a series of lacklustre displays in the Scottish Premiership.
The Hoops are on the back of two consecutive league defeats for the first time since 2013, and given the extremely high expectations for victory at Celtic, something has to change immediately.
Many players have come under criticism for their poor performances during Celtic’s frustrating run of form in recent weeks. The flak has been flying in from fans, pundits, and even Brendan Rodgers himself, after the gaffer delivered a few scathing verdicts on the team’s performances lately.
The only three players he allowed to get pass marks following the defeat to Hearts at the weekend were Liam Scales, Callum McGregor and Matt O’Riley, which sends a message to the rest of the Celtic squad that they need to up their game for the title race the team has found itself in. But who, in particular, needs to step up if Celtic are to turn their spiralling fortunes around?
Kyogo Furuhashi
The Japanese forward has cut an isolated and lonesome figure in the Celtic attack over the last few weeks. He has struggled to get involved in games with far too many matches passing him by, having grabbed just one goal in his last 12 appearances in all competitions.
Kyogo hasn’t been getting the high quality service that he has grown accustomed to, with the likes of Mikey Johnston turning crosses into him instead of having the luxury of Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada laying off chances for him.
However, with the return of Daizen Maeda to the team from injury and the connection and understanding he holds with the Japanese forward, the reintroduction of the pacey winger should heavily benefit Kyogo and contribute to seeing him back to his brilliant best in a Celtic shirt.
Greg Taylor
The Scotland cap is often an easy target for Celtic supporters to point the finger at and has so often been made a scapegoat. The criticism this season is down to the massive drop off in quality in the left-back’s performances, which has led to him being constantly targeted and easily bypassed by opposition attackers.
Taylor didn’t have the greatest game against Kilmarnock in the defeat at Rugby Park with Danny Armstrong turning him inside out time and time again.
The dearth of competition for places at left-back due to Alexandro Bernabei’s lack of impact has meant that Greg Taylor’s place in the team has been almost guaranteed, which has undoubtedly led to complacency creeping into his game.
With the team now well and truly in a title race, there is no margin for error, and the potential acquisition of Tiago Araujo from Estoril Praia could perhaps light the fire under the former Kilmarnock man.
Joe Hart
Mistakes have been creeping into the experienced stopper’s game far too often this season.
He has looked hapless and sloppy when commanding his area which has led to Celtic struggling from set-pieces, with that being the go-to tactic to beat Celtic over the last few weeks.
Brendan Rodgers needs to reaffirm that confidence in commanding his area to the 75-time England cap as goalkeeping errors on a regular basis can be fatal in a title race.
JAMES MCKENZIE // Follow James HERE
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