Celtic have been told that they must look to address a major defensive issue ahead of the Glasgow Derby fixture with Rangers next month.
Brendan Rodgers‘ side are just two points behind the current league leaders but after a stuttering 4-2 win against Livingston on Sunday in the Scottish Cup, the Celtic manager has been told that he needs to address the issue we have with Stephen Welsh and Liam Scales.
What is the issue I hear you ask? Both players are too slow and can’t handle the counterattack that the opposition put on them.
Against Livingston, both players’ lack of pace was brutally exposed and Paul John Dykes of A Celtic State of Mind has said that is a huge concern with the Ibrox game just around the corner.
Welsh and Scales partnership is not working for Celtic
With Cameron Carter-Vickers injured again, Rodgers has been forced to rely on the pair to keep it tight at the back until he returns from injury. Because, quite clearly, the Celtic manager does not fancy Maik Nawrocki or Gustaf Lagerbielke.
Hopefully that will be before the 7th of April but if not then Dykes believes we could be in serious trouble.
Dykes said (A Celtic State of Mind), “I look at the Scales and Welsh partnership first. That’s the first thing I’m looking at here, Stephen Welsh has come through the ranks, he’s probably suffered what a lot of others have suffered.
“We spoke about Mikey Johnston in the pre-match in relation to a player coming through, getting stick and whether or not you can you can take that.
“I just don’t think he’s good enough. I think he’s slow. I think Matt O’Riley is going to be getting stick for losing the ball at Livingston’s equaliser, but you look at Stephen Welsh.
“The first thing he does is he plays the boy onside. And the second thing he does, is he recovers to the point where he gets goal side of the guy who scores the equaliser but he leaves the space wide open.
“He leaves the angle wide open. Matt O’Riley is in front of him. So he’s done his bit having lost the ball.
“He’s back. He’s in front of the Livingston attacker. Stephen Welsh leaves the guy with an option and leaves him with an angle and he takes it. And I’ve seen it all day long.
“Every single day he gets the ball and is slow at giving it out to the wings. At one moment gets up to the 20-yard area gets up to the 18-yard box and then dilly dallies and loses the ball.
“He’s just not fast enough. It’s not good enough. So that’s one of the big gaping issues we have at the moment.
“We can’t go to Ibrox with that central defensive partnership.”
Celtic’s next two fixtures are the most important ones right now so let’s get the St Johnstone and Livingston game out of the way before we even think about Rangers.
If we don’t take maximum points of these two teams then we won’t need to worry about the Ibrox fixture because the league may already be over by then.
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We have a loanee down at Fleetwood Town who is tearing it up as centre half and defensive mid.
Why can’t we bring him back now?
Yes it was a slow pass that allowed livi player to win ball but johnston gamble heading for wing he should have been worried about he man inside can’t score from wing livi player shot 9 out of 10 hit the stand but it sat up perfectly then livi came out of park the bus coaching that’s when Celtic played some quick passing to cut them open the build up to 3and 4 goals were so slick St johnston diwn 3-0 and still were defensive refs gave to chase goalkeepers up you can warn them in first 10 mins yellow card after 15 mins no law against platers are going down supposedly injured 20 mins to go get hus team a breather and coached at the side