Celtic has visibly slumped in form from the previous season to the current one. Presently, The Bhoys hold a precarious lead at the summit of the Scottish Premiership despite suffering two consecutive league defeats.
The Hoops have yet to bloom, and according to Chris Sutton, his former team appears to have been lackluster compared to Ange Postecoglou’s 2022/23 side. Speaking on the It’s All Kicking Off Podcast, Sutton remarked, “He’s taken over a different situation because Ange Postecoglou’s team were fast and furious, and this season under Brendan Rodgers it has been flat.”
The style of football exhibited by the champions this season is notably slower in contrast to the previous season. The failure to adequately replace a few pivotal players and the change in manager have contributed to this discernible shift.
Sutton opines that some Celtic supporters won’t be fooled by the reasons behind the decline, asserting that Brendan Rodgers cannot merely rely on past successes for an extended period. “Brendan can live on his past record at Celtic, but only for so long,” he stated on the It’s All Kicking Off Podcast. “There’s a bulk of the support who haven’t been fooled by the nature of the performances this season, but there’s a chance they can put things right.”
The impending match against Livingston presents a significant opportunity for The Bhoys to regain their footing during this critical juncture. Bottom of the table, David Martindale’s side has scored just one goal in their last eight matches.
Anything short of a victory for Celtic on Saturday will undoubtedly invite substantial scrutiny of the management and players, if that scrutiny isn’t already underway. It’s unforeseen that a home match against Livingston would carry such immense pressure for the champions at the onset of the 2023/24 season, but this is indeed the reality of the current situation.
