3 things we learned from Celtic’s defeat vs AC Milan

Four is better than three at the back

Formation and tactics have been a primary cause of concern in recent matches and remain so after last night. But with some hope that a very obvious lesson was learned by Neil Lennon and his coaching team over the two halves.

It’s pretty clear the starting line up with three at the back, other than for maybe the initial 10 to 15 minutes, wasn’t working again. It’s a formation that Celtic fans lauded in the new year as they turned in some excellent results and one which as it allows two players up front, has been much requested before then by supporters. But yet the voices against it are now even louder.

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There could be a case that a well schooled three at the back with the ability to play the ball out of defence might work well. But based on recent evidence Shane Duffy needs to up his game considerably for that to work. With Christopher Jullien and Hatem Abd Elhamed unavailable, options at centre back are limited. It’s either fortunate or wise planning that Stephen Welsh didn’t end up out on loan in the summer.

Lining up as a conventional back-four at the moment seems more settled and playing to the strengths of the players available. Celtic were much more potent after Lennon made half time changes to revert to it on Thursday. At times in the second half they had a good forward momentum and were creating chances. A second goal and equaliser wasn’t out of the question for a while.

A back four should be the way to go for the time being . Let’s hope that’s obvious and accepted by Lennon for the short term anyway.