Real reason Brendan Rodgers dropped in-form Celtic player

While the Rangers' issues throughout the season have meant that Celtic have never really been under pressure in the title race, one cannot deny that the Hoops themselves have been mediocre at best in the second half of the campaign. This year, they have lost both Glasgow Derbies, home and away. And this weekend, they lost against bottom-placed St Johnstone, failing to score a goal away in Perth.

Of course, questions will be asked of Brendan Rodgers, whose side failed to get past the second-worst defence in the league. But on the other hand, one should not overlook the fact that they conceded in the 4th minute of the game as well.

One surprise omission from the starting XI today was Maik Nawrocki. The Polish defender was brought in from the cold against the Rangers because both Auston Trusty and Liam Scales were out injured.

Nawrocki was one of the rare bright spots against the Rangers at Parkhead. And he followed that up with a solid display against Hearts, as Celtic won 3-0. As a result, most had expected that he would be given a start against St Johnstone as well but that was not to be.

Real reason Brendan Rodgers dropped in-form Celtic player

Instead, Trusty found himself back in the starting XI this weekend. And it is due to Rodgers' preference for a left-footed centre-back alongside Cameron Carter-Vickers.

Rodgers told BBC Scotland about his selection of Trusty:

"I prefer a left-footed centre-half, it felt natural to put [Auston Trusty] back in."

Of course, theoretically, a left-footed centre-back does bring more balance to the shape of a team. That being said, it is not essential to play one by any means and perhaps, Rodgers should have gone with the man in form, which is Nawrocki.

Then again, it is easy to say things with the benefit of hindsight. A few weeks back, nobody was even talking about Nawrocki. So, he cannot be considered a game-changer on the back of two solid performances. There are bigger issues that the Hoops need to think about as they try to figure out what is going wrong with the team over the last few months.