Nicolas Kuhn’s season reached a new low as Celtic fell to a 1-0 defeat away to St Johnstone, a result that casts fresh doubts over the German winger’s role in Brendan Rodgers’ starting plans for the remainder of the season.
Once touted as a player of the season contender after a blistering first half of the season, Kuhn’s influence has waned dramatically in recent months. His substitution at half-time in Perth felt more like an inevitability than a tactical decision, with Celtic chasing the game and in desperate need of urgency down the flanks.
Kuhn failed to deliver. For 45 minutes, he was largely anonymous. Lacking sharpness in possession and offering little threat in behind, he was comfortably marshalled by the St Johnstone back line. His removal at the break was met with little surprise and, judging by the reaction online, more than a hint of relief among supporters.
The German’s decline has been stark. He has 18 goals and 14 assists to his name —and if you finished the season on that you’d be pretty happy, but given so much of that came earlier in the season, his drop in performances have been jarring.
Kuhn opened his Premiership account with a thunderous finish against Kilmarnock on the opening weekend, followed up by a smart strike at Easter Road and another in the League Cup against Hibs. That period saw him play with a freedom and fearlessness that’s now gone missing.
His regression hasn’t gone unnoticed among the support. Social media was awash with criticism at half-time, with fans labelling his showing in Perth as “dire” and “useless.” There’s a sense that Kuhn has reverted to the raw, unconvincing figure fans first saw when he arrived at Celtic Park—a player capable of moments, but too often inconsistent.
The dip in form has opened the door for others. Yang Hyun-jun, came on at half time against St Johnstone, and is one of several pushing for a more prominent role. With the title virtually in the bag, we need players to have the right attitude. With a Scottish Cup semi-final on the horizon against the side who have just beaten them, Rodgers will be weighing his options carefully.
For Kuhn, the challenge is now to arrest his slide. Celtic need game-changers, not passengers. If he wants to reclaim the trust of the support and the manager, he must rediscover the swagger and sharpness that made him such a threat in the first half of the campaign.
