It’s time for Celtic to react and put the nightmare of Ibrox behind them.
This hasn’t been said often, but Celtic were woeful against Rangers and suffered their biggest disappointment since Brendan Rodgers returned to the club last summer.
Whether the signs were there or not, especially given how Celtic’s League Cup final win over Rangers started, or if it’s just a blip, a response is needed.
Over the festive period, Rodgers has rotated his squad to keep things fresh to deal with injuries and illnesses.
But there haven’t been many occasions where the Celtic boss has dropped players because of performances.
However, as ruthless as it might be, it’s perhaps time to do that now ahead of Celtic’s home clash against St Mirren on Sunday.
A lot has been said about the strength of Celtic’s squad, it’s all good talking about it, but now it’s time to show its real worth.
Reo Hatate should be dropped for Luke McCowan for Celtic v St Mirren
Luke McCowan signed for his boyhood club in the summer and has made a positive start without earning those regular minutes.
That’s understandable given who is ahead of him in the pecking order, including the club paying a club-record transfer for Arne Engels just before he joined the club.
But McCowan is now worthy of a start after Reo Hatate’s horror show against Rangers.
Luckily for Hatate, his reputation, after signing under Ange Postecoglou and proving to be a huge success, will save him from deep criticism, but that doesn’t mean he should get away with starting again.
If Celtic’s squad is as strong as people make it out to be, then McCowan should be brought in, so he can really push the Japan star and prove why he should become a regular starter.
McCowan’s stats for Celtic this season
If someone like Hatate is dropped, then it would be a brave call from Rodgers, but it’s needed to just give a few players a wake-up call.
Yes, fans are delighted that Celtic have an 11-point lead over Rangers, but perhaps, some have become a little too comfortable.
By dropping a few senior players and bringing in a fresh summer signing might just be the right move ahead of another crucial month for the club.
McCowan has been rated 6.89 out of ten by WhoScored for his performances in the Premiership this season – mainly coming off the bench.
