With every storm comes a rainbow, or at least that’s how the saying goes.
Indeed, Celtic’s 1-1 draw against Aberdeen on Saturday afternoon was ocular proof of the dark clouds that were circling Brendan Rodgers’ team, despite their run of positive results. Falling behind to Bojan Miovski’s well-taken strike a couple of minutes after half time, Celtic were up against it in the Granite City, with the hosts looking well up for the battle in all areas of the pitch.
Those metaphorical dark clouds surrounding the team at that moment were symmetrical to the ones engulfing the club, thanks to their business – or lack of – in the winter transfer window. Despite the manager’s repeated call for quality in the form of reinforcements, only two individuals arrived at the club, with more players leaving the club than joining for the second half of the season.
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No two ways about it, despite Celtic pulling a goal back to level proceedings, the eventual 1-1 draw would have felt more like a defeat than a point gained, especially given Rangers’ positive result a few hours later. As things stand, there are now three points between the two sides, with goal difference potentially coming into play if the Ibrox side wins their game in hand convincingly. All of a sudden, the halcyon days of September and October seem like a long time ago for Rodgers and his squad.
However, it is not all doom and gloom with matters concerning at the moment, despite it potentially feeling that way. As much as Celtic’s dealings last month were lambasted by the majority of onlookers, Pittodrie saw a positive impact from two of the club’s newest recruits. The positives on Saturday afternoon – apart from Joe Hart’s goalkeeping heroics – came in the form of on-loan striker Adam Idah and right-winger Nicolas Kühn, who scored the equaliser on the day just minutes after entering the field of play.
Quite ironic, considering the goal Celtic conceded highlighted their weaknesses at present, particularly in areas where many thought they would strengthen this month. From backup left-back Alexandro Bernabei’s misplaced pass to Miovski’s finish – a player that the club were linked with – it showcased the problems that Rodgers has with his side at the moment.
Back to the positives, however, and it seems like Celtic’s two newest recruits already have a mutual understanding between the pair of them. Kühn – though perhaps lucky with the deflection – scored his first goal for the club in only his second appearance, whilst Idah played the ball to the winger, earning him an assist in the process. Despite both failing to further contribute through goals and assists later on in the match, the early signs look good for the attacking duo in Glasgow.
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With Celtic’s next match taking place at Easter Road against Nick Montgomery’s struggling Hibernian, you would imagine that both Kühn and Idah have put themselves firmly in the manager’s thoughts for this one, for two reasons. The first was their individual performances, as they lifted those around them with their contributions on the day. Kyogo Furuhashi – whose struggles have been clear and obvious this season in front of goal – looked far more like himself once Idah came on, while Kühn did more than enough in his cameo to challenge those already in place out wide.
The second reason why Kühn and Idah may be ideal starters for Celtic’s Edinburgh trip this week is due to the form of others, particularly in the case of the former. It is abundantly clear that both Liel Abada and Luis Palma are struggling at the moment, whether that be down to bad luck or confidence in general. Abada’s contribution in games – particularly his wing work – leaves a lot to be desired, while Palma seems to be snatching at every shot he takes at the moment. Taking both out of the firing line may be the best course of action for Rodgers, even on a short-term basis.
With Mikey Johnston away out on loan to West Bromwich Albion and Yang Hyun-jun still at the Asia Cup with South Korea, the stars may be aligning for Kühn. That may also be the case for Idah, who was still at Norwich City this time last week. Like the wing position, Celtic have a forward option still away on international duty in the shape of Oh Hyeon-gyu, who plays alongside Yang under Jurgen Klinsmann. Despite not being called up to Japan’s squad, Kyogo has only managed to find the net against Buckie Thistle since the winter break, with his last league goal coming against Rangers back on December 30.
With this in mind, will Rodgers be tempted to potentially bench Celtic’s star striker for his shiny new toy in Idah? Or will he persevere with his misfiring forward? Either way, something needs to change, given the way the team are performing at the minute. Even though Celtic went on a six-match unbeaten run from the middle of December to February, the club have not been firing on all cylinders at present. This – coupled with the off-field concerns regarding transfers – has amounted to the aforementioned dark cloud surrounding everything Celtic-related at the moment.
Wednesday’s hosts do not come into this game with any great form either, as they were on the end of a 3-0 beating at the hands of St Mirren, who are Celtic’s opponents this Sunday in the Scottish Cup. With both managers under varying levels of pressure, it could make for an intriguing match under the lights at Easter Road.
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For good or for bad, Celtic now know exactly what hand they’ll be playing with for the duration of this season. As much as Rodgers can grumble about the lack of ‘quality’ brought in over the course of his second tenure thus far, he must work with what he has at his disposal.
The negative storm that Celtic have created – largely of their own doing – has to be quelled. It truly is sink or swim for Rodgers and his men this season, starting in the capital this Wednesday. That includes Kühn and Idah, regardless of how quickly they’ve been thrown in at the deep end.
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