THE Pundits

SCOTT McDONALD

YOU could tell Celtic were under no pressure to win the game as it was a jaded performance from them early on with no real movement.

Anderlecht did a good job of pressing high, I think they had watched Motherwell in terms of that and how they frustrated the home side at the back.

Celtic also had a massive let-off at the end of the first half when Dedryck Boyata gave the ball away.

Overall the first 45 minutes was very poor from the Hoops and Brendan Rodgers was very animated on the touchline, which you don’t see too often.

It was a lot better from Celtic right from the start of the second half, a real difference from the first period, as they were much more positive. It was surprising to see Anderlecht’s patient possession at the end when they needed to get the ball forward and get goals.

Celtic were fortunate to come up against a side which has struggled to score goals this season, the Belgians were lacklustre in the final third throughout the game as they didn’t go for the jugular.

JOHN HARTSON

CELTIC’S midfield balance wasn’t right in the first half as Stuart Armstrong and Callum McGregor both naturally want to get forward.

A sense of relief was felt at time up by the 60,000 fans as the home side’s performance wasn’t up to scratch.

However, the bigger picture tells you that the job is done as Celtic are going to be playing in the Europa League after Christmas.

Brendan Rodgers would have wanted a better showing as it was anxious at times, there was no fluency in their play and they never created anything of any worth in terms of chances.

Craig Gordon had to make a great save early in the first half and had another decent stop at the start of the second period.

It was not good enough from Celtic in terms of performance but I can’t be too critical as the job is done – they are in the Europa League.

For Celtic to improve, especially in the Champions League, they must add quality. They finished third in a tough group but have had some thumpings.

HENRIK LARSSON

THE first half wasn’t good enough from Celtic who could not handle the way Anderlecht were playing and allowed them too much possession.

It wasn’t the performance we wanted to see and the early chance for the Belgians should have had them a goal ahead.

Brendan Rodgers plugged the gaps at half-time as Anderlecht had been creating too many chances in the first 45 minutes.

The Celtic manager reacted well by making the changes he did, switching to a back five and allowing one of the central defenders to step forward to nullify Sofiane Hanni and get much closer to the midfield players of Anderlecht.

The Belgians created a lot of first-half chances and not many in the second. Even the goal they scored wasn’t what I would consider a decent chance, it was unfortunate for Jozo Simunovic.

Everyone is a bit disappointed as we wanted a win and didn’t manage to get that but we have reached our target which is the most important thing.

There has to be some sense of belief in yourself when you line up against the best sides, it’s something you must have as a top footballer.