It is safe to say that a lot of Celtic players are not meeting the expectations at this point in time. That is pretty clear from the poor start to the season they have endured. At some point, they will need to turn things around. Otherwise, they might see themselves fall behind Hearts in the title race and somehow allow the Rangers to close down the gap.
Some Celtic players need to step up and take responsibility for their underwhelming performances so far this season. One of them is Kieran Tierney.
Tierney was brought back as a free agent this summer with his contract at Arsenal running out. He was expected to stroll the Scottish Premiership. But it looks like all the injuries since leaving Celtic in 2019, have taken their toll on the left-back, who struggles to complete 90 minutes these days.
In fact, Chris Sutton does not believe that he has improved the team in that area of the pitch, with Greg Taylor leaving in the summer as a free agent himself. The former Celtic striker wrote in his column in the Daily Record:
"Alistair Johnston’s dynamism is a huge miss and while I love Kieran Tierney, he’s not yet proved to be an improvement on Greg Taylor, who brought a lot to the side when he stepped into midfield.
If anything, Taylor’s absence is being felt more by the week."
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If somebody had said at the start of the season that Tierney would struggle to meet the standards set by Taylor, most fans would have laughed at the thought. But as we enter October and have had a few months to compare and contrast, that certainly feels like a discussion worth having.
Again, many will feel that Tierney is not up to speed yet. But it is October already. As a professional footballer, you need to have found your fitness by now.
Perhaps it is the role that is not suiting Tierney. Brendan Rodgers' side are not exactly playing the same football that they did during his first spell at Parkhead, when the Scottish left-back thrived.
Whatever maybe the case, one has to admit that Tierney's return has not been the grand success that it was expected to be. Hopefully, he will find his rhythm at some point.