CELTIC couldn’t find the back of the net; in fact, they struggled to even hit the target throughout the afternoon at Easter Road.
The match was rather lacklustre, with very little action.
It seemed like a hangover from Wednesday night, but when you’re facing seven games in 21 days, there’s no room for off-days like this every other week.
The only change from the midweek Champions League lineup was Bernardo coming in for Hatate, a switch also made at the beginning of the Atletico Madrid match. Essentially, the side remained unchanged.
On Wednesday, it was evident that the team was fatigued by the end of the match. Therefore, Brendan Rodgers’ decision to stick with the same lineup was a bold move.
As Celtic played out a goalless draw with Hibs at Easter Road, here are three key takeaways:
- Passing Backwards
The frequency of passing the ball back, instead of seeking forward options like O’Riley or Bernardo, was frustrating. Time and time again, the ball was returned to the Celtic defence instead of attempting to move the play forward or distributing it to the wings.
One can only imagine how Ange Postecoglou would have reacted on the touchline.
- Missing Hatate
Reo Hatate displayed brilliance last week at Tynecastle, with his exceptional vision and quick movements. While Bernardo put in a decent performance, Hatate’s unique qualities were sorely missed in today’s match, underscoring his importance to the side.
- Squad Depth Concerns
Despite Celtic having a large squad and relatively few injuries at the moment, the quality on the bench today left much to be desired. None of the substitutes appeared capable of changing the game. Ralston, who was a forced substitution, Forrest, Turnbull, Johnston, and Oh failed to inject quality into the match when they came on. This situation emphasises the need for improvements in the upcoming winter transfer window and raises questions about the effectiveness of the summer transfer window.
