Tomorrow’s Scottish Premiership clash at Celtic Park against Kilmarnock gives Brendan Rodgers the perfect chance to send a message to the team in the form of his starting XI.
Rodgers sent a message to the team after Sunday’s defeat to St Johnstone. However, with a number of players in contention to start, it could see a number of changes.
Looking at the starting XI from McDiarmid Park, you could see changes from front to back in the team tomorrow afternoon. Greg Taylor may very well return to left-back. Taylor last started against Hibernian in February at Easter Road.
Moving to midfield, and this is where Rodgers could really make a statement. Callum McGregor, Reo Hatate, and Arne Engels started against St Johnstone.
Engels looks to be the most likely to drop out of the starting XI against Kilmarnock, with an outside chance that Hatate may also drop out. Luke McCowan and Paulo Bernardo may also be recalled to the team to start the game. It’s an area where Rodgers has options but hasn’t created as many chances at will as they did in the first half of the season.
With Bernardo proving a huge miss recently, the Portuguese midfielder came good at this stage of the season last year and may be exactly what is needed to bring not only solidity to the team but a much-needed goal-scoring threat from midfield.
Celtic’s front line is where there are real questions. Nicolas Kuhn was impressive against Hearts a fortnight ago, but with the exception of Bayern Munich in the Champions League, he hasn’t kicked a ball since the New Year and may be where Rodgers begins to freshen up the team against Kilmarnock. However, the question is how he does this.
James Forrest and Yang Hyun-jun are desperate to start. Forrest brings a wealth of experience and a proven ability to score goals and win games, while Yang himself has shown great form since the New Year, the opposite of Kuhn.
Jota’s form has somewhat dipped in recent weeks, but it’s harsh to expect him to hit his blistering best after failing to consistently play for Rennes in the first half of the season.
He will likely hit his best form next season. However, the Portuguese winger has shown glimpses of that brilliance already and will likely start against Derek McInnes’ side.
Leaving the final question of Daizen Maeda or Adam Idah, it seems a no-brainer to start Maeda given his incredible form over the last four months.
However, Rodgers may opt to play both, shifting Maeda wide. But Idah himself hasn’t hit the highest heights since the beginning of the year, with a brace against Aston Villa at Villa Park in the Champions League.
Whoever Rodgers decides to bench tomorrow and bring in will be telling for the summer transfer window, with the Irishman hinting that players who haven’t hit the mark in recent months will be moved on at the end of the season.
