Michel-Ange Balikwisha was given the toughest introduction possible, at least in terms of occasion, as a Celtic player. He made his debut for the club, having arrived a couple of days back, against the Rangers at Ibrox. Naturally, a lot of eyeball were on him as the Hoops could only manage a goalless draw.
Considering the form that the Rangers have been this season, most Celtic fans would have been hoping for a win. Of course, a draw away at Ibrox is not a bad result. The issue is, it felt like Brendan Rodgers' side played for one.
It was just a lot of backpasses and sidepasses for the majority of the game from Celtic. So, even though they had the majority of the possession, they did not do much of note with the ball.
In fact, it was the Rangers who had the ball in the back of the net in the first half but it was rightly ruled out by VAR. But coming back to Balikwisha, he seemed keen not to make any mistakes on his debut. That is understandable considering the occasion. But that being said, it was an uninspiring display from the Belgian.
'Weak and slow' - Celtic fans react to Michel-Ange Balikwisha's debut
One Celtic fan wrote about Balikwisha after his display against the Rangers: "Balikwisha looks small, weak and slow, prob not fit but wasn’t impressed at all."
Another added: "I’m hoping Balikwisha was just nervous starting at Ibrox because he didn’t fill me with much excitement."
Someone even compared him to a player who left this summer: "Balikwisha is just Palma with a fancy name."
Well, that's what you want from a winger making his debut for Celtic, to add some excitement and freshness into the team. Balikwisha did not do that against the Rangers.
Of course, it is way too early to make any judgments on the player. It was his very first game for the club. But the Belgian will have to learn very quickly that everyone matters when you play for Celtic. Those are the expectations and pressures of playing for a club of this magnitude.