Kyogo drama low point of dire draw for Celtic
Understudies fail to impress, but the return of Forrest one of the few positives for Postecoglou
CELTIC went into their cinch Premiership match with Livingston at Parkhead on Saturday knowing that a fifth straight victory would see them leapfrog Rangers into first place.
But Ange Postecoglou’s men were held to a bitterly disappointing 0-0 draw and now find themselves four points adrift of their city rivals at the top of the table.
They would have clinched a hard-fought win if Georgios Giakoumakis had converted a late penalty and are unlikely to come up against such defensive opponents any time soon.
But the display and result have still raised questions about whether Callum McGregor and his team-mates have really put their erratic early-season form behind them and are capable of challenging for the top-flight trophy.
Here are five things we learned from events in the East End of Glasgow.
Feigning Furuhashi
Celtic striker Kyogo Furuhashi has been lacerated by supporters and pundits in the last couple of days for his excessive reaction to Ayo
Obileye’s swipe at the back of his head. And no wonder. Replays of the incident, which have gone viral on social media websites, show the Japanese internationalist completely overreacted to the Livingston centre-half’s gentle slap.
He fell to the ground as if he had been shot by a sniper in the stands and held his head in apparent agony. He was clearly trying to win his side a late penalty. His theatrics worked.
Still, Obileye, who was shown a straight red card by referee Bobby Madden, can have no complaints about his fate. It was a rash and foolish act at a crucial moment in the match and could easily have cost the visitors a point.
David Martindale, the West Lothian outfit’s manager, is likely to discipline the defender, who had been outstanding up until his moment of madness.
Yes, the Englishman snapped after being shoved by his opponent. But he must keep his cool or he will end up being targeted because of his tempestuous streak.
Furuhashi, too, should concentrate on creating and converting chances. He will find that match officials take a dim view of his feigning in future.
Juranovic error
Fair play to Postecoglou for admitting that he had decided to take Josip Juranovic off penalty duty and hand the responsibility for spot-kicks to Giakoumakis.
The Greek-Australian coach has repeatedly held his hands up and taken the blame after draws and defeats since arriving in Glasgow.
He is clearly not the kind of manager who points a finger at his players for dropped points and dire results and that should ensure they continue to give their all for him in the months ahead.
He could quite easily have criticised Giakoumakis, a £2.5 million acquisition from VVV-Venlo in August, for a tame attempt to net from 12 yards out that Max Stryjek saved easily.
That said, it would be wise to put Juranovic back on penalties. The Croatian leftback made no mistake against Real Betis in the Europa League and St Johnstone in the Premiership.
Strength in depth
Would Celtic have secured the victory they were after if Tom Rogic had been fit and Furuhashi had started on Saturday? It is debatable.
Livingston were so difficult to break down it is doubtful the on-form playmaker and free-scoring striker would have made much of a difference.
But Celtic have suffered from dips in form when key men have been absent in the past.
Not having McGregor available in September, for example, led to them losing to Real Betis and Livingston away and drawing with Dundee United at home.
If the Parkhead club are to reclaim the Premiership crown they must be able to cope with the injuries and suspensions they will inevitably pick up during the course of a long season.
At the weekend, Liel Abada, Nir Bitton and Giakoumakis all had a chance to impress as Mikey Johnston, Rogic and Furuhashi dropped out and they failed to do so.
Fit-again Forrest
There were very few positives for Postecoglou to take out of the draw with Livingston – but the return to action of James Forrest after six weeks out was certainly one.
The Celtic manager is not short of talented wide men; both Abada and Jota have performed well at home and abroad since arriving in this country in the summer.
But having a player with the experience and ability of Forrest will be no bad thing for him. The 30-year-old was only on the park for 14 minutes at the weekend. But he looked fit and sharp whenever he got on the ball.
Resurgent Livingston
Martindale had the perfect retort to the Celtic fan who made a caustic comment about Livingston’s defensive approach to proceedings at the weekend.
How else do you expect a team with a budget of £1.3m to get a result against opponents who have £55m to spend on wages?
He cannot be criticised for stringing five and sometimes six players out across the back and attempting to stifle the attacking efforts of the expensively-assembled home team. His tactics worked perfectly.
If Livingston, who were denied a strong penalty claim late on after a challenge by Joe Hart on Obileye, had taken the game to their hosts they would have been torn apart and beaten comfortably.
Livingston are now undefeated in their last four outings and are just three points off the top six. If they keep performing like they did on Saturday they will rise further up the league table.
Furuhashi will find that match officials take a dim view of feigning in the future