SNORE DRAW BUT ROG RETURNS
Rest a pest as reserve Celts struggle to break down Saints at Parkhead
IF Thursday night had the Celtic support on the edge of their seats, yesterday afternoon might have had them snoozing in them.
The meeting with St Johnstone was flat, devoid of impetus and a draw was probably a fair reflection of a day when Celtic huffed and puffed but never quite looked likely to blow the house down.
If there is one saving grace to draw from the meeting against St Johnstone it is that it will be a different Celtic who turn up in St Petersburg on Thursday evening.
With one eye on that return leg against the Russian side, Brendan Rodgers rang the changes across the board as he looked to protect key players ahead of a second leg that is delicately poised in Celtic’s favour.
But in comparison to the drama of Thursday night, the game against Saints was staid and one-dimensional as Celtic struggled to break down the Perthshire side in what was one of the poorest performances at Celtic Park since Rodgers arrived.
In what was a forgettable afternoon that offered few moments of colour, Celtic toiled to create genuine openings in front of goal. There was little to trouble Alan Mannus from the Parkhead side, with arguably the best chance of the game coming as the match moved into stoppage time.
Scott Sinclair’s ball across the face of the goal could and should have been bundled into the net but there were no takers on the end of it. It was Celtic’s afternoon in microcosm as they played with little innovation.
The dynamism and aggression that were the hallmarks of Thursday night’s win were gone and in their place Celtic looked leggy as they made heavy weather of breaking down a St Johnstone side who set out to frustrate their hosts.
The most noticeable changes were the captain’s armband sported by Callum McGregor and the inclusion of Tom Rogic in the starting line-up following a 10-week absence.
Rogic, and his ability to change a game, has been missed by Celtic in the time he has spent out of action but inevitably it will take the Australia internationalist a little time to get himself up to match fitness after so long out.
The player managed to get an hour under his belt before he was replaced by the in-form James Forrest. With the return leg against Zenit St Petersburg tipped precariously in Celtic’s favour, the likelihood is that Rogic will start the game on the bench given his ability to influence a sea change in a game.
Unfortunately for Celtic there was no-one yesterday who appeared capable of taking the game by the scruff of the neck and truly putting their stamp on it.
McGregor initially started where he left off with one particularly inviting ball across the face of the six-yard box that begged for someone to get on the end of it.
Kristoffer Ajer too had a header straight into the arms of Saints keeper Mannus but the first-half was a largely dull affair with little of note to draw encouragement from.
SAINTS were not without their chances either. At one point in the early stages of the opening period Jack Hendry was forced into a booted clearance after Dorus de Vries sliced a ball out.
Scott Brown was suspended for the game and it is in the midfielder’s absence where his performance levels are more keenly noticed. Without Brown to break up play and influence the tempo in the middle of the park Celtic struggled to impose themselves.
There was a spark at the start of the second period when Scott Sinclair shook off the attention of Chris Millar, burst forward and teed up Odsonne Edouard. The French forward’s touch was heavy, allowing St Johnstone to get back and when Edouard eventually got a deflected shot away it looped high before being clutched by Mannus.
At the other end Richard Forster had an effort that trickled just wide of the post as Celtic lost concentration at the back.
Charly Musonda tried his luck with a curling free-kick just after the hour mark that was taken by Mannus while the midfielder had also slipped a
delicate ball into Calvin Miller just beforehand. The defender’s pass across the face of goal, however, was missed and the chance was lost.
Moussa Dembele arrived to take over from Edouard as the game started to draw to a close. The French striker had a header at the back post that looped wide just after he arrived, with the chance better served to him taking it onto his boot.
He was followed by the arrival of Tierney as Celtic tried to force a late winner and break the resistance of their visitors.
THE sense of urgency in Celtic’s play came only in the latter stages of the encounter. As they tried to bundle the ball into the box in the hope of something coming off for them, their sense of frustration grew.
The game petered out with Celtic throwing everything forward but their late pressure came to nothing.