Celtic boss offers Cameron Carter-Vickers news amid injury fears
Celtic got themselves a comfortable win for a change, winning 4-1 against Hibernian. Oh Hyeon-gyu was handed a start ahead of Kyogo and he justified the manager’s decision by scoring a brace. Matt O’Riley continued his superb start to the season by adding another one to his goal tally. Luis Palma also made no mistake from the spot.
Most Celtic fans would have been worried coming out of the game though. The major reason behind that were the injury fears surrounding Cameron Carter-Vickers.
The centre-back had looked impressive in the first half against Hibernian. But he was subbed off at half-time, with Nat Phillips replacing him. Naturally, fans were left worried that Carter-Vickers had picked up another injury.
Fortunately, it looks like that was not the case. As reported by Football Scotland, Brendan Rodgers told BBC Sportsound:
Celtic boss offers Carter-Vickers news amid injury fears
The last thing Celtic need right now is for Carter-Vickers to pick up an injury. He is the club’s best centre-back and has been since arriving in the summer of 2021 from Tottenham Hotspur.
Carter-Vickers has had his fair share of injury problems in recent times though. He had to undergo surgery last season. And he had suffered another issue earlier in this campaign.
It is great that this was nothing but a precautionary change and just a tight hamstring. Rodgers also deserves credit for taking him off at half-time. The club need Carter-Vickers to be available in the upcoming games and it is important to have a long-term vision.
Phillips was brought on in place of Carter-Vickers in the second. If the American international is unable to start in the next game, one would expect the Liverpool loanee to get the nod alongside Liam Scales in the heart of defence. One has to wonder what the future holds for Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke.
Brendan Rodgers tells Celtic player he needs to improve
Celtic are in an interesting position right now. Even though we are in December, it does not feel like Brendan Rodgers knows his best starting XI. A large of that has been down to injuries, with several players having to spend time out on the sidelines. But as things stand, it feels like there are a number of positions which are up for grabs with no nailed-on starters.
With Daizen Maeda and Liel Abada out injured, the Hoops could certainly do with a settled option on the flank. Yang Hyun-jun has failed to impress. And James Forrest is no longer the player he was in his prime.
Mikey Johnston impressed in the game against St Johnstone after coming off the bench and was handed a rare start on Hibernian’s visit to Parkhead. Unfortunately, the Republic of Ireland was not able to have the same impact this time around.
Johnston was substituted around the hour mark. And Rodgers sent him a clear message about needing to do more.
Rodgers tells Celtic player he needs to improve
So, it is clear that the manager was not impressed with Johnston’s recent performance. But some sort of inconsistency is to be expected considering how little football the winger has played this season so far.
Johnston needs to have a run of games before he can show what he is truly capable of, as more wingers do. Now, it remains to be see if he will get many more chances or not.
One would expect the likes of Maeda and Abada to return soon. And it is pretty safe to say that both of them are ahead of Johnston in the pecking order at the moment. So, the 24-year-old needs to make an impression quickly.
Brendan Rodgers may have solved key Celtic problem
There was plenty for Brendan Rodgers to be pleased about following Celtic’s latest victory. A strong 4-1 win over Hibernian at Parkhead was a great result. Particularly pleasing for the Northern Irish manager would be the way some players took their rare opportunities to start for the Hoops and made the most of it.
Oh Hyeon-gyu is a clear example, as he was handed a start ahead of Kyogo Furuhashi. The South Korean international showed what he offered to the team by scoring two goals in the match. The performance should have boosted his chances of more game time in the weeks ahead.
Tomoki Iwata is another player Rodgers must have been pleased with after the win. His selection in the defensive midfield role allowed Callum McGregor to play further up the pitch, something fans had been calling for for a while.
Iwata had a good game as did McGregor. So this could be a combination that we see more of in future matches, especially with Reo Hatate out injured.
Rodgers may have solved key Celtic problem
The Celtic boss also cleared up why we haven’t seen much of Iwata this season. The midfielder popped up with a goal at Tynecastle Park a few weeks ago and an assist at the weekend against St Johnstone, but hasn’t played a lot of football overall.
Hopefully, the injury problems are now behind Iwata. Rodgers has been playing David Turnbull, Odin Thiago Holm and Paulo Bernardo in various midfield roles.
None of the three might have done enough to nail down a place in the starting XI. Perhaps a fully fit Iwata is a better answer. Especially with the bonus of boosting the impact of McGregor in that more advanced midfield role.
Brendan Rodgers told Celtic player is a problem
Brendan Rodgers has a lot of problems to solve at Celtic right now. His debut season as the club’s manager had been an Invincible one. His return campaign has been far from convincing though. The Hoops were eliminated from the Scottish League Cup in the second round itself, are guaranteed to finish bottom of their group and have been inconsistent in the Premiership despite sitting at the top of the table so far.
Rodgers has openly admitted that the team needs more quality on more than one occasion. At the same time, he has to make sure that the additions are made in the right areas of the pitch.
Most Celtic fans would like to see the club sign a new goalkeeper. Joe Hart has been the number one since arriving in the summer of 2021. He has done well and is important to the team as a leader as well.
But it feels like the time has come to make a change between the posts. Hart’s performance levels have been down for a while now and there are a lot of question marks over his future, with his current deal set to run out next summer. He will be 37 years of age at that point.
Rodgers told Celtic player is a problem
Amid all this, Rodgers has been told that Hart is a problem defensively. As reported by TBR Football, pundit Steven Mill said on The Big Scottish Football Podcast:
Hart has never been great with the ball at his feet. At the moment, he seems to be under the microscope when it comes to a lot of the goals that the Hoops are conceding as well.
Many had thought Hart’s time as a first-goal goalkeeper was over before he arrived at Celtic. He has had a decent run at Parkhead since then. But now, it might be time to think about the future and sign a long-term successor in goal.
Brendan Rodgers finally makes decision Celtic fans wanted for years
Brendan Rodgers will know that he needs to change a few things up at Celtic. The club might be leading the Premiership title race at the moment but they have been far from convincing and have looked shaky on more than one occasion in games which they are expected to win easily. The Northern Irishman has shaken things up a bit with his team selection against Hibernian.
Of course, the big talking point of the day might be the decision to leave out Kyogo and start Oh Hyeon-gyu. The Japanese forward has not been at his spectacular best this season but a lot of that has to do with Rodgers’ system, as he is seeing a lot less of the ball than in the past.
Another key change though was in midfield. Tomoki Iwata has gotten himself a rare start. That also means that Callum McGregor is expected to have more freedom and move a bit further up the pitch.
That is something that fans have been calling for for a while now. Many have felt that McGregor’s qualities going forward have been wasted in his regista role.
Rodgers finally makes decision Celtic fans wanted for years
McGregor was an important source of goals for Celtic in the past. In the 2019/20 season, he found the back of the net on 13 occasions.
But the following season, he found himself playing more and more in a defensive midfield role, as Scott Brown did not start regularly anymore. And while the current club captain has done a good job, one cannot help but feel that he can offer so much more in the final third of the pitch.
It remains to be seen how things play out against Hibernian. If McGregor impresses, then this might be a more regular sight moving forward.
