Celtic’s incredible unbeaten domestic run was stretched ever further last weekend.
This season Brendan Rodgers has not lost a match in Scottish football, a massive 31 game streak. Motherwell were the most recent challengers, but they fell to a 2-0 defeat thanks to goals from James Forrest and Moussa Dembele.
It means that Celtic maintained their mighty 24-point gap over second-placed Aberdeen and are now just a handful of games away from lifting a sixth successive league title.
Having already picked up the League Cup and given they’re progressing nicely in the Scottish Cup, thoughts of a treble of trophies are at the forefront of Celtic supporters’ minds.
However, Celtic are a football club that strive for constant improvement and despite railroading the competition this season, they will no doubt have short-term and long-term goals.
Here are FIVE things the club can improve upon despite their current fantastic form…
Target more wide options
The form of Scott Sinclair at Celtic this season has been nothing short of breathtaking. With 16 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions it’s clear he’s loving life in Glasgow and enjoying his role in the side.
James Forrest is also having a fantastic season, scoring seven of his own this term and is well on his way to notching up his highest ever goal contribution in a single Celtic season.
Beyond that, though, there’s little to shout about in the wide areas beyond the summer. The departure of Patrick Roberts back to Man City after his loan ends will be a blow, as the young Englishman has been a bit of a sensation at times in the 13 months he’s been at the club so far. Gary Mackay-Steven has done little to force his way into first-team plans in the long-term either.
It’s an area of the pitch that Celtic exploit with their style of play so having strong competition for the likes of Forrest and Sinclair is vital to their ambitions. Signing a winger of genuine quality is probably one of the more glaring transfer priorities in the next window.
Find a settled defensive partnership
The emergence of Dedryck Boyata has thrown a spanner into Brendan Rodgers’ defensive plans and while obviously a positive, it’s time to commit to a new and settled defensive partnership in the closing months of the season.
Erik Sviatchenko and his team-mate Jozo Simunovic were thought to be the partnership that fans could rely on but that appears not to be the case anymore.
Once a first pick on the teamsheet, Sviatchenko has started just two matches since the turn of the year, perhaps in response to a dreadful first half an hour at Ibrox in the Hogmanay derby game.
Whatever duo Rodgers goes with, it’s time to stop rotating players in and out of the area and allow a partnership to build into the summer when the club plays their most important games in a season in the form of the Champions League qualifiers.
That’s when the chemistry and ability of their centre-backs will be tested most and a partnership needs to have a deep understanding of one another by the time the club gets to that point.
Change the pitch up…
A big discussion point coming out of the weekend was the state of the Celtic Park pitch. It seemed not up to scratch and is now working against the way the team like to play. That’s certainly how Brendan Rodgers feels anyway.
As quoted by The Scottish Sun in the wake of Saturday’s game, Rodgers said:
“I thought the players did remarkably well, considering the level of the pitch is poor. Some of our football was very good on what – although it might not look it – is a very, very difficult surface. It’s a corner for me. When we’re trying to entertain supporters and play a level of game, the pitch is vital. We actually go away to some grounds and play better because the pitch is better. This here slows us down.”
That’s a damning assessment of the team’s home surface and something they must be planning to improve in the off-season. As mentioned there are important games almost immediately for the Celtic first-team so getting a pitch down as soon as the last fixture is played and giving it time to bed in is key.
Rodgers also revealed he’s asked for a Desso pitch, which is a special blend of natural grass and artificial fibres used by most teams in the English Premier League. Investing in a high-quality surface could see a big improvement and if it in turn improves the attacking form of the Hoops then fans will be the ones who benefit.
Seek depth in attack
With the departure of Nadir Ciftci to Polish side Pogon Szczecin on loan last week, Celtic now have just two recognised first-team strikers at their disposal. That’s not a great place to be and something that must be looked at as a big priority in the summer.
We’ve seen recently Leigh Griffiths can pick up niggling injuries that keep him out of the team for extended periods and Moussa Dembele himself has also missed games.
Both strikers are incredible goal threats and have 40 between them in all competitions this season, but a third option in that area, a player who can bang in the goals also, is definitely needed.
Improve home results in Europe
For the first time ever Celtic failed to win a home game in the Champions League group stage this season. Famed for creating a dramatic, fiery and intimidating atmosphere against the big teams in Europe, this time that wasn’t enough.
Despite the undoubted progress made under Brendan Rodgers this may well be the one thing that bugs him when he looks back on his first season as Celtic manager. If only they could have picked up a victory against Borussia Monchengladbach, or held the lead they had over Man City three times.
It’s something to work on for sure and while the two away draws in Europe are a massive positive, if they can find the final piece of the puzzle then the future is very, very bright indeed.
