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

The preferred Celtic midfield isn’t yet defined

The Hoops have plenty of options, which is good. But as of yet the preferred line up and combination of players is unclear.

Olivier Ntcham is enigmatic at best. He tends to flit in and out of games. Could he be better in a more defined position and mix of players?  Ryan Christie should always be included based on potential. If based on form, then his erratic levels currently may cause issues.

He has not yet hit last season’s early goal scoring form, but has managed to fire off a lot of wayward shots. If his instructions are to shoot more, he’s got the point covered, but his actual shot selection remains poor and must improve.

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Callum McGregor is essential, but he too needs a bit of positional help and the right players around him. He can link up well with the wide players, the forwards and the defeders, but a combination with him, Ntcham and Scott Brown has its own issues and doesn’t seem to bring out an ideal mix.

Which in turn leads to the controversial views on Scott Brown. Is he holding the team back through slow play? Did Celtic play better after Broony was subbed in the second half?  The answer could well be yes, but that could well be down to better positioning of McGregor, or better opportunities offered by the return of Tom Rogic with N’tcham leaving the pitch.

So what is the lesson regarding the midfield? It’s more of a question rather than an answer so far. Lennon and Celtic urgently need to work through the path to a stronger midfield. It may take more experimentation, less Ntcham or Brown, more Turnbull or Soro. That may be something tried in parts of the games coming up too.

But it is for sure the third lesson to resolve and learn from. Lennon recognised the second half improvement.

Laxalt looks a certainty in selection terms based on his performance and the midfield selection remains a conundrum and it may not have an ideal, one size fits all solution. Perhaps Lennon just needs to understand his optimum combinations of players along with pairings to avoid. And in doing so, recognise what various mixes of players brings out the best in them or causes problems.

It’s important Lennon gets that all right for Aberdeen on Sunday. Celtic can afford a loss against Milan in Europe, much less so against in the league with 10IAR on the line.