A defeat midweek to Borussia Mönchengladbach leaves Celtic boss pondering his moves ahead of this weekends Old Firm match. We look at three changes the Celtic boss can make to correct mistakes they made and freshen up the team. Rangers are likely to provide a different kind of test, but it is a game that Celtic must win.
Play more directly from the back
Brendan Rodgers famously has a huge dossier which he has developed over the years and taken to every club he has managed. It is a blueprint for how he loves his teams to play. One of the main factors is that he likes his teams to play attractive football, starting from the defence. It is one of the main reasons that Celtic keeper Craig Gordon was relegated to number two following the signing of Dutch keeper de Vries who is more comfortable in possession. However question marks emerged midweek over whether Kolo Toure is capable of playing this type of football any more.
In a match that is likely to be frantic, with huge pressure, it may well suit Celtic to play a little bit more direct and get the ball to their pacey players as quickly as possible.
Play Patrick Roberts
The 19 year old is on an 18 month loan deal from Manchester City and has a ridiculous amount of ability. He was signed a year ago by his parent club from Fulham for 12 million pounds after impressing in the Championship. His pace and trickery could really help stretch the game out wide. James Forrest is expected to start, but whilst he is a dependable and reliable option and Patrick Roberts represents a bit of a gamble that could really pay off. Celtic will look to make their superior talent pay and Roberts is a player on his way to the top.
Change shape and play Lee Griffiths
Brendan Rogers main formation is a 4-2-3-1 which is rather fashionable at the moment. However it means that Lee Griffiths and Moussa Dembele are fighting for a place in their ideal positions as a lone front man.
Last season Griffiths was in sensational form. He fell just short of Celtic legend Henrik Larsson’s 35 goal record and scored 31 goals in 34 league appearances. So far this season he has only 2 goals in 3 league starts, but has found impressive form in the Champions League, sitting as the joint top goalscorer alongside Lionel Messi with 6 goals.
So if Celtic were able to get Griffiths and Dembele into the same line up, it would present huge problems for Rangers’ defence that includes veteran Clint Hill.
To do this, Celtic would likely need to employ a 4-4-2 formation, which would be exciting with Sinclair and Roberts on either wing. It would however put a lot of pressure on midfielders Brown and Bitton, but given their defensive skills it may just work.
Would these changes help propel Celtic to Old Firm success?
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