Everybody understands the need for experience on big European nights. The away trip to Serbia to take on Red Star Belgrade would certainly fall under that category, even though it was a Europa League game. That being said, when experienced players make constant mistakes, at some point they need to be dropped. Especially when quality cover options are available.
We need to have that conversation about Kasper Schmeichel and quickly. We at The Celtic Bhoys have already discussed the merits of Viljami Sinisalo starting over him on more than one occasion in the past. The Dane's error against Red Star was a perfect example of why he should no longer be the first-choice goalkeeper between the posts for the Hoops.
Against Red Star, Schmeichel rushed out for a ball that he was never going to get and ended up getting caught in no man's land as a result. Marko Arnautovic only had to find the back of an empty net from the cutback, with the Danish goalkeeper not even in the frame.
Unfortunately, this is not the first error that Scmeichel has made in a Celtic jersey in recent months. And it is safe to say that the fans are not happy.
'Absolutely brutal' - Celtic player slammed for mistake vs Red Star
One Celtic fan wrote in the aftermath of Schmeichel's error vs Red Star: "Absolutely brutal goalkeeping from Schmeichel...what was he thinking?"
Another said: "It's time we drop Schmeichel. He's costing us goals in almost every game in Europe now."
A third said: "Why is Schmeichel rushing out there? Absolutely no need."
That about sums it up. Sinisalo rarely makes a mistake but finds himself on the bench for pretty much every match of importance. On the other hand, Schmeichel has not been good after a solid first few months for the Hoops.
At some point, Rodgers needs to make a tough decision and drop him. It is very clear that he is a leader in this team. And not costing the team goals has to be part of that process.