KRIS COMMONS has raised the alarm over Celtic‘s defensive cover, calling for the club to invest in their back–line ahead of the Champions League.
The Hoops were unable to keep up with The Rangers at Ibrox in Beale‘s first derby win, and Commons believes that Celtic must bring in necessary reinforcements before the group stages.
The former Parkhead star pinpointed Carl Starfelt‘s performance without Cameron Carter–Vickers, citing Alexandro Bernabei and Yuki Kobayashi as having failed to offer any protection for the Swedish defender, who was probably the best man on the park.
The former midfielder said that Carter–Vickers is the strongest defender since Van Dijk, and is a massive loss for Ange Postecoglou when not playing.
Kris Commons believes that his former side need to invest in a top–class centre–back in order to compete with Europe‘s elite, and has urged the club to make this a priority in the summer transfer window.
He said: [Daily Record]
“If Celtic want to progress in Europe, I still think there’s a slight weakness in one of the centre-backs that could be improved and upgraded. But let’s not pretend Starfelt was alone in that regard on Saturday. There were several players in the Celtic team who did themselves no favours at all.
“Alexandro Bernabei has been a disappointing signing thus far. He was supposed to be the new first-choice left-back ahead of Greg Taylor. Celtic paid £3.75million to sign him from Argentina last summer, but it’s Taylor who has ended up having an outstanding season and has rightly kept Bernabei out the team.
“Yuki Kobayashi is neat and tidy on the ball. However, the pace and physicality of the game looked too much for him at times on Saturday. He certainly didn’t offer the same level of authority and assurance as Carter-Vickers does when he plays.
“I reckon Carter-Vickers is actually the most dominant defender we’ve seen in Scottish football since Van Dijk. So it’s no surprise Celtic should look so vulnerable when he doesn’t play. He’s a massive loss.”
With the Champions League in sight, it is paramount that the Bhoys strengthen their back–line.
