ANALYSIS
IT is difficult to claim to have learned too much new from watching Celtic because it seems to be a familiar story that unfolds.
A dominating opening period was undone as soon as a sloppy goal was lost which has become as recurring a theme around the club as the manager making clear his frustration at the lack of signings.
Prior to last night’s game Rodgers once again made clear his irritation at the manner in which the transfer window has unfolded, insisting that the squad just now is not good enough.
It seems bizarre how quickly the feel-good factor around the club has dissipated. Riding the crest of a wave at the end of last season after becoming the first club to win back-to-back Trebles, Celtic are experiencing the first hint of a wobble since Rodgers arrived.
It is clear through the choice of words that the manager has used in interviews and press conferences throughout the summer that there is discord between the dressing room and the boardroom. On current evidence it would appear that an element of that uncertainty has been allowed to subsequently move into the playing side of things.
1 Next seven days are huge There is a week left in the transfer window. If ever there was a compelling case for fresh blood, it has been there in the performance level against Hearts, Partick Thistle and this result against Suduva.
For the first time since Brendan Rodgers arrived at Celtic, the Parkhead side have looked plodding and ordinary. There has been a lack of tempo to their play and a lack of urgency in recent performances.
Celtic need some kind of injection to lift things. Jozo Simunovic didn’t have the best of nights but the Croatian defender going off with an injury is the last thing that Celtic would have needed given the manner in which they are struggling for bodies at the back.
2 Undefendable at the back The first-half goal conceded was confirmation of what has been evident for many months. Celtic are stuck in groundhog day when it comes to casually watching high balls float into the box.
They lost a Champions League play-off place through sloppy defending and in Lithuania it was the same story, though the culprits seem interchangeable. In control of the game only for one lapse in concentration to undo their early good work, the current defence just isn’t good enough, even if all are fit and available.
3 Attitude adjustment Celtic suddenly look like a team playing without confidence. The unease at the back seems to seep through the spine of the team.
Having gone from dominating this tie and getting off to an ideal start, Celtic lost their way a little in the second period with Craig Gordon called into action to make a couple of decent saves. It was a dull second period with very little creativity on the part of the