It’s another late, late, late goal and win for Celtic. Yet again, the players show resilience and a never-say-die attitude. Well, in the second half anyway. It was indeed that cliche of a game of two halves as Neil McCann’s resurgent Kilmarnock were beaten 2-3 at Rugby Park.
After a poor first half giving Kilmarnock a 2-0 lead, it was hard to imagine taking a point back to Parkhead, never mind all three. Martin O’Neill made some big changes at halftime to kick-start a comeback. It paid off quickly with a 56th-minute screamer from Sebastian Tounekti, quickly followed five minutes later by another close-range Benjamin Nygren goal.
Then came the latest in last-minute winners, this time from Julian Araujo. And what about that celebration with the fans too? A stunning win and quite a turnaround from that drab start and halftime scoreline.
Hard truths for O’Neiill about Celtic after win at Kilmarnock
There are several hard truths to be learned from the game though. These apply to the squad as a whole, to particular players, and to O’Neill also. The manager has worked wonders in his latest stint at Celtic. The first is a firm message about needing the strongest line-up on the pitch for kick-off. Leaving top players on the bench isn’t helping the cause.
O’Neill is likely to be very aware by now that he hasn’t strengthened the squad in January as much as he might have hoped or thought. That’s making squad rotation a real problem. Upfront, it’s still early days, but Junior Adamu will need time to settle. It may be too big an ask yet to start with him. And who knows whether Joel Mvuka is a contender for a place in O’Neill’s plans, or keeping Michel-Ange Balikwisha company in the wilderness on match days.
In terms of standout players, the win at Kilmarnock surely nailed the case for Tounekti to start. He started the comeback with plenty of positive play and that goal. It may also have laid bare again the fact that Reo Hatate just isn't cutting it. The midfield has to be stronger, and especially with Arne Engels out for a few games, O’Neill has to bypass Hatate.
Hopefully, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will quickly get up to speed. We already knew he was a superb player, but he oozed class in his second-half showing. As another strong message from the game, I’m sure O’Neill knows the Ox is likely to be an answer to his midfield issues. Along with using Tounekti from the start.
Celtic weakness is very evident
Flipping back to weaknesses for another clear message, there is still a huge question mark over Kasper Schmeichel. Erratic at times in goal and with his distribution, surely he could have done better with the second Kilmarnock goal. It looked like he was protecting his left side as he tried to reach for the ball with his right hand. This, to be fair, may not be a brand new piece of learning. It is further evidence that the Dane is fading fast.
All credit to O’Neill for getting these late wins. The players respond well to him, and he knows how to get them motivated. It seems unlikely that our two other managers this season would have secured these late wins in recent games. He is still adjusting to what is his best side and preferred starting XI. No doubt there is plenty of food for thought from that win at Rugby Park.