Well, where did that come from?
Scottish champions Celtic had gone into Thursday’s Old Firm derby flying high, leading their Glasgow rivals by 14 points at the Premiership summit, having also failed to even taste defeat in the top flight.
Up against a Rangers side who had failed to win in four of their last five games in all competitions, the form book bizarrely went out the window, as the away side limply wilted at Ibrox.
Goals from Ianis Hagi, Robin Propper and substitute Danilo secured a deserved win for under-fire boss Philippe Clement and his troops, with Celtic left to lick their wounds amid what was a bruising defeat to kick off 2025.
The Hoops’ comfortable advantage at the top of the table will at least provide some comfort for Brendan Rodgers, although the Northern Irishman will certainly be conducting a post-mortem after far too many of his charges went missing on the day.
Celtic's worst performers vs Rangers
From back to front it was a grim performance for the away side, a point perfectly illustrated by the fact that they had just four shots in total throughout the 90 minutes, while the hosts had 24 attempts on Kasper Schmeichel’s goal. That came despite Celtic having the edge on the ball, as shown by their dominance in possession (61% vs 39%), as per Sofascore.
Chalkboard
Football FanCast's Chalkboard series presents a tactical discussion from around the global game.
There was an undoubted sense of lethargy across the park for the Hoops, with the attacking unit looking particularly out of sorts. On the flanks, both Nicolas Kuhn and Daizen Maeda looked a shadow of their usual selves, losing the ball on 27 occasions between, having barely had a sniff up against a makeshift Rangers defence.
As for Kyogo Furuhashi, the Japanese marksman did see a beautifully taken goal correctly chalked off for offside, although the 29-year-old was otherwise ineffective, touching the ball on just 15 occasions, and failing to win a single duel.
Elsewhere, it was a rare off day for long-serving skipper, Callum McGregor, while at right-back, the trusty Alistair Johnston looked away off the pace, having notably lost the ball 20 times, and won just two of his nine duels.
Meanwhile, Rodgers’ decision to persist with Liam Scales ahead of summer signing Auston Trusty seemingly backfired, with the Irishman particularly culpable amid a grim overall performance.
The one-time Aberdeen loanee endured a particularly “disastrous” opening period – as per journalist Ryan McGinlay – having squandered possession in the build-up to Hagi’s opener, having also far too regularly played his side into trouble, after losing the ball on 12 occasions.
Such a poor display requires scrutiny, although – as shown above – it would be unfair to pin the blame solely at Scales’ door. Indeed, teammate Reo Hatate is another who deserves to be ousted from the starting lineup following his drab performance.
Reo Hatate's game in numbers
It was almost three years ago that the diminutive playmaker properly announced himself to Celtic supporters following his stunning brace against Rangers at Parkhead. Six domestic trophies – and 115 appearances – have followed, with the Hoops certainly getting value for money from their £1.4m investment.
That said, with competition in those midfield ranks now fierce amid the permanent captures of Luke McCowan, Arne Engels and former loanee, Paulo Bernardo, Hatate’s role as an undisputed started starter may need to be reconsidered, particularly after Thursday’s performance.
The former Kawasaki Frontale midfielder was simply outplayed and outfought by those in blue, having notably won just a solitary duel on the day, while making two errors leading to a shot.
Metric
Hatate
Diomande
Touches
44
54
Pass accuracy
65%
92%
Key passes
0
0
Total duels won
1
7
Possession lost
16x
5x
Tackles
0
3
Interceptions
0
1
Errors
2
0
The typically tidy and industrious talent was also way off the mark when on the ball, recording a measly 65% pass accuracy rate after also losing the ball on 16 occasions. Indeed, a somewhat overhit dinked cross to Maeda at the back post late in the second half summed up both his night and Celtic’s night as a whole.
With Hatate also failing to even register a single key pass as the visitors struggled to create anything of note, it was no surprise when he was eventually hooked on the 75th-minute mark. The 27-year-old was fortunate not to have been withdrawn sooner.
With St Mirren – who recently got the better of Clement’s side – now up next for the champions, it could be a perfect time for rotation, with Hatate among those who deserve to drop to the bench following such a shock, lacklustre outing.
Celtic can sign new Rogic in move for "special" star who's "like Odegaard"
Celtic are reportedly interested in a deal to sign the Premier League talent.
ByDan EmeryJan 2, 2025