Lennon admits it’s game on in title race
SAYS NEIL LENNON
NEIL LENNON has called on his Celtic players to show the hunger needed to recover from a significant Old Firm blow after admitting it was now ‘game on’ in the club’s bid to land a ninth successive title.
The champions suffered a first home derby defeat in nine years as Rangers secured a well-merited 2-1 success at Parkhead yesterday afternoon. Goals from Ryan Kent and Nikola Katic sandwiched one from Odsonne Edouard, meaning Steven Gerrard’s men are now just two points behind at the Premiership summit with a game in hand.
Ryan Christie saw a penalty saved by Allan McGregor with the scoresheet blank but Lennon didn’t seek to provide any excuses for a display he felt was largely lacking in the drive and engagement needed for derby success.
Celtic will have to stew on it throughout the three-week winter break but Lennon wants his squad to use the bitter disappointment as fuel for their return to action later next month.
‘It just means that it’s game on,’ said Lennon, assessing the league position. ‘It could have been an eight-point cushion or a five-point cushion. Now it’s a two-point cushion and if Rangers win their game in hand, they’ll have a one-point cushion, so there is nothing in it. ‘We have to play better. We have to play stronger. We have to be more physical. I felt we were not reacting quickly enough to things. In the throes of the game, they were a little bit better than us.
‘We’re just off the back of winning 11 games in a row, so it’s not the mentality that worried me today. It was the lack of physicality and being a little stand-offish.
‘So they’ve got to get really hungry now. They’ve got to hold on to how they feel at the minute and use that as a motivation going forward.’
Asked whether he thought Rangers would have new confidence about ending Celtic’s supremacy, Lennon added: ‘I’m sure that’s given them a shot in the arm. But we are not prepared to give up anything. And we won’t.’
Edouard’s equaliser came via an inadvertent handball late in the first half, yet the Parkhead club were unable to capitalise on their good fortune.
The return of the Frenchman to the starting line-up did not radically alter the blue-tinged pattern of play witnessed in Celtic’s smash-and-grab success in the Betfred Cup final three weeks previously. Edouard was largely stifled by Connor Goldson and Katic, while Callum McGregor was the sole member of the midfield supporting cast to pose significant questions of his opposite numbers.
Further back, Celtic’s central defenders were persistently bothered by the power and antagonism of Alfredo Morelos, who was sent off late on after a second booking for diving. Kristoffer Ajer was out-jumped by Katic at the 56th-minute winner from a Borna Barisic corner.
‘Our passing was poor,’ said Lennon. ‘We weren’t on the front foot. When that happens, you are not going to have possession. It was only really McGregor who was a driving force for us. And we need more than that.
‘Some will have a look at their game and be disappointed. But that’s fine. We can’t encapsulate a whole season in one game. So far we have been absolutely tremendous.
‘We are bitterly disappointed. But there are big moments in big games and you can’t give a guy a free header in the box. We have switched off and we pride ourselves on defending set-pieces a lot better than that.
‘We didn’t start well. We had a good spell up until half-time and then came off it again. We had some good chances, one off the line, we missed a penalty.
‘These were all big moments in the game. But overall, we didn’t play well enough. We didn’t deserve to lose but we didn’t deserve to win either.’
Katic’s winner provided redemption after he was penalised by referee Kevin Clancy for a pull on Christopher Jullien as they contested a corner. Christie stepped up but his spot-kick was expertly denied by McGregor, who threw himself to his left.
‘He was a bit flat today and that’s not like him,’ said Lennon of 17-goal midfielder Christie. ‘Look, we have all missed penalties. Well, I haven’t because I never took any. But it happens.
‘It was obviously an important
We need to hold on to this feeling and then use that as motivation
moment in the game and would have put us in the ascendancy, which we probably didn’t deserve.
‘It might have reinvigorated us. But Ryan has been absolutely sensational and maybe he needs a rest. This break might come at a good time.’
Asked if Celtic collectively needed time off after an intense campaign at home and abroad, Lennon admitted: ‘I think they need a rest, yeah. It’s been full-on this season, with a lot of games. I’m not using that as an excuse. I can’t because we were not at our best today.
‘I want them to look at it now and think they have to be at their best in these games all the time. And maybe we need a bit more physicality as well.
‘It’s not the time to be over-critical, or anything like that. We have lost a game but there is still plenty to play for. We have time to think on and consider it.’
January transfer business could help. Lennon is thought to be seeking a holding midfielder in addition to a striker and a centre-back.
Andraz Sporar and Fabricio
Bruno are respective targets for the latter two roles, although Dynamo Kiev are preparing a shock £3.5million bid for the Slovenian frontman. ‘I don’t want to change too much but I’m obviously looking to strengthen in a couple of areas,’ said Lennon. ‘I’ve said that all along. ‘We’ll try and endeavour to do that and look forward to an exciting second half of the season.’