Chris Sutton was not impressed with what he saw from Celtic during Sunday's Old Firm clash with Rangers. The Bhoys were battered at Ibrox, losing 3-0 in the Premier Sports Cup, and they were good value for their defeat.
Rangers dominated Martin O'Neill's men in just about every metric, and Celtic never truly tested Ivor Pandur in the Gers goal. The Hoops could barely get out of their own half, barring a couple of first-half corners and a good strike from Haissam Hassan that whistled just wide in the second half.
It felt as though the occasion got the better of Celtic, who were playing in the absence of any away support, as Rangers will have to next week. But O'Neill won't be accepting that as an excuse, with his men having been bullied off the ball for much of the game, and that is not excusable in a derby like this one.
Providing his thoughts on the display, former Hoops striker Sutton posted on X: "Mauled. Handed Rangers the initiative with the starting line up… overrun and out powered in the middle of the park but that will be inevitable at times this season as Celtic so lightweight in that area. Good technicians but can’t run. Bullied. And Hogh needs to offer more!"
Hogh had his worst game in a Celtic shirt here, offering nothing, and that is no exaggeration, failing to hold up the ball, and he barely took a good touch all game until being subbed in the second half.
But he was far from the only one, and his fellow attacker Camilo Duran seemed to shrink under pressure, failing to engage in physical battles, which is just not good enough in a game of this magnitude, with such battles a given.
It was as though Rangers were expecting a derby, preparing for it and coming into the game like men possessed, while Celtic were expecting to play a second division team, hoping to knock the ball around the park uncontested.
That cannot happen in an Old Firm, and while O'Neill will rightly be enraged with his players, he also has to answer some questions over the poor preparation for this game.
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