Brendan Rodgers must drop regular starter for Celtic

It has been one step forward and two back for Celtic since Brendan Rodgers arrived as manager in the summer. We saw that on display at the weekend as well. After their 7-0 win over Dundee FC in midweek and the Rangers losing, things seemed to be looking up for the Hoops. They could not take advantage of the situation though, losing 2-0 against Hearts.

This could have been a season-defining matchday for Celtic. Instead, they were left with more questions than answers once again.

Rodgers needs to find the solutions quickly though. There is not a lot of football left to be played this season and Celtic cannot simply depend on potentially winning the remaining two Glasgow Derbies. They need to find some consistency.

As a result, Rodgers might have to make some tough decisions. And one of them has to be dropping Liam Scales from the starting XI.

Rodgers must drop regular starter for Celtic

Scales has been one of the rare success stories for Celtic since Rodgers' return, as he has gone from pretty much the bottom of the centre-back pecking order to starting regularly for the club. His recent performances have not been up to the mark though.

Admittedly, Scales did quite well early on in the campaign. But over the last couple of months, he has struggled to match those heights and it is time for Rodgers to try something different, especially with Cameron Carter-Vickers back to fitness.

The problem for Celtic is their lack of quality on the bench when it comes to centre-back. Maik Nawrocki is injured at the moment, meaning Gustaf Lagerbielke and Stephen Welsh are the two available options for Rodgers. The former has barely played and perhaps deserves a chance to show what he can do when playing alongside Carter-Vickers. The latter has not been particularly impressive.