RUTHLESS? NO.. TRY TOOTHLESS
Angeball seems a long time ago as Rodgers’ side toil in front of goal ahead of trip to Ibrox
DISARMINGLY blunt this week in his assessment of Celtic being weaker than at this stage last season, Brendan Rodgers probably didn’t need this game to underscore the point.
For anyone labouring under the misapprehension that the Parkhead manager was only indulging in a little public posturing ahead of the transfer window closing on Friday, this anaemic display will have come as a major wake-up call.
Long before eight additional minutes had come and gone, there was an air of resignation among the home support that two of three points Rangers had given up on the opening day at Kilmarnock would be handed back.
On this evidence, those supporters may be watching next Sunday’s trip to Ibrox through the cracks in their fingers.
Lacking quality, belief and imagination all afternoon, it was hard to discern Celtic’s game-plan.
Although St Johnstone keeper Dimitar Mitov made a few decent saves, you never sensed that Celtic would get the ball past him. It was assuredly no hard-luck story.
While the plastic surface may have played some part in Rodgers’ side going out of the League Cup at Kilmarnock last weekend, no such excuses could be applied here as they failed to score for the second game in succession.
Although the Celtic manager is plainly having to piece together a central defence at the minute, he still has plentiful options middle to front. None were entitled to reflect on their displays with any sense of contentment. The boos at the final whistle were wholly justified.
The makeshift defensive partnership of Gustaf Lagerbielke and Liam Scales looked vulnerable on those rare moments when the visitors advanced up the park.
Making his first competitive appearance of the season, Scales was routinely troubled by long balls. Had it not been for Joe Hart, the Irishman’s day would have ended in calamity.
Only a fine save by the Celtic keeper prevented Dara Costelloe snatching a famous win for the Perth men.
As poor as Celtic were, St Johnstone were deserving of the point which lifts them off the foot of the Premiership table.
After a wretched start to the campaign, with their only previous clean sheet coming in the League Cup at Alloa, this felt like the day the starting pistol sounded for them.
Resolute, disciplined and aggressive, they gave themselves a chance by cutting out the supply lines to Kyogo Furuhashi and remaining switched on from first to last.
Amid an injury crisis that will deprive him of the services of Cameron Carter-Vickers, Maik Nawrocki and Stephen Welsh for two months, a first appearance of the season for Alistair Johnston following an ankle injury was a welcome tonic for Rodgers.
The game, predictably, was largely played in Celtic’s attacking half with Rodgers’ side tasked with finding a way past a side who were often, to a man, sitting behind the ball.
A frustrating afternoon would have taken on a different air had Furuhashi not clipped Johnston’s cross the wrong side of the upright as the sides settled.
Saints were indebted to Jay Turner-Cooke for going to ground to deflect David Turnbull’s strike away for a corner after Yang Hyunjun had picked the midfielder out with an incisive pass.
O’Riley caught Turnbull’s corner sweetly but saw Mitov repel his initial strike and readjust his feet to tip the ball over the top.
Although the sum total of Saints’ efforts in the first half was Luke Jephcott tamely firing wide from Graham Carey’s free-kick, they were given encouragement when Celtic’s makeshift defending pairing of Lagerbielke and Scales challenged for the same ball.
Mitov added to the growing sense of frustration by blocking O’Riley’s goal-bound effort with his legs following Callum McGregor’s cut-back.
Yang saw plenty of possession down the left but found the final ball hard to come by. The young Korean flashed a decent strike over the top in the closing seconds of the first half.
Mitov continued to enjoy the better of his personal battle with O’Riley when he clawed away his flashing strike which stemmed from Johnston’s cutback.
O’Riley had his name taken for
catching Turner-Cooke late. Saints’ Sam McClelland had earlier fallen foul of referee Matthew MacDermid for halting Greg Taylor’s slalom through the middle.
The hour mark saw Rodgers look to his bench with Anthony Ralston, Liel Abada and Sead Haksabanovic introduced together, with James Forrest not far behind them.
Haksabanovic ‘s first involvement was to stand a cross up at the far post for O’Riley. The midfielder was unable to keep his shot down.
The Montenegrin winger looked like Celtic’s best hope of salvation. A low swerving strike from 25 yards had Mitov scrambling but the Bulgarian managed to extend his left arm and see it round the post.
The one chance Saints craved fell to Costelloe. Taking control of a long punt up the park, he flicked the ball over Scales’ head and tried his luck. Hart stood up tall to prevent his side falling behind.
Furuhashi suffered from a lack of service. On the one occasion that Forrest managed to create space on the flank and centre, the Japanese fired wide.
Another cheap turnover of possession, this time by Celtic’s fifth substitute Alexandro Bernabei, saw Stevie May speed away on the counter and force Hart into another important block.
Forrest arrived late to get his head on O’Riley’s cross but Mitov was untroubled.
Deep into the eight additional minutes, Abada dropped a shoulder and got his shot away but there was a sense of inevitability about Mitov clutching the ball close to his chest.
For Celtic and their manager, this was another bad day at the office.