Celtic’s loss to Hearts was a result of controversial officiating decisions, and according to journalist Stephen McGowan, the consequences of past transfer market moves.
The dismissal of Celtic’s Hyun-Jun Yang’s, combined with the penalty awarded for Tomoki Iwata’s alleged handball, significantly impacted the team’s performance, placing them at a numerical disadvantage for 75 minutes of the match.
Despite these setbacks, the decision-making by manager Brendan Rodgers regarding substitutions has drawn attention. Rodgers’ choice to make only two out of five possible substitutions, introducing Kyogo for a tactical adjustment at half-time and later young midfielder Daniel Kelly, indicates a possible lack of confidence in other bench options, including summer signing Luis Palma and January arrival Nicolas Kuhn.
Journalist Stephen McGowan, speaking on the Press Box podcast, critiqued Celtic’s recent transfer strategy, suggesting that the acquisitions from the previous summer contributed to the lack of depth and readiness among players to step up in crucial moments.
“Look at Tynecastle, so much of what happened is down to the bad acquisitions of last summer.
“There was a lack of depth, a lack of players who could come in and be first team ready. Holm, Lagerbielke, Nawrocki is injured, of course, look at the players on loan at St Mirren and what have you, they were never going to be first team ready.”
This situation places a spotlight on Celtic’s recruitment strategy which is set for a shake-up after Mark Lawwell and Joe Dudgeon had their departures from the club confirmed last week.
