Sorting the defence must be summer priority for Celtic

While Aberdeen deserve huge credit for putting in an excellent 120 minute performance during a season where they have been massively disappointing during the league campaign, this match highlighted a lot of areas where Celtic are weak and will need to strengthen throughout the summer.

Whether we go on to win a League and Scottish Cup double or end the season with absolutely no silverware at all won’t change the fact that this Celtic squad needs a serious overhaul. I said yesterday in an article that Brendan Rodgers needs to be given money to spend on players that HE wants, to sculpt a squad in his image and then and only then can we fully judge the Irishman.

This was the second time in two weeks that Celtic have conceded three goals after also letting in a treble against theRangers at Ibrox. It is glaringly obvious to anyone who watches us that out defence is a huge weak spot. It has cost us badly at times this season, and I’m talking domestically never mind on the European stage where it’s even more obvious.

Take Aberdeen’s second and third goal yesterday. If you had popped out and come back in before the third you would most likely have thought they were just showing a replay of the second goal. That’s how similar they were. A cross ball to the back post with Liam Scales and Greg Taylor caught like two deers in the headlights as the Aberdeen player rose to nod the ball in unchallenged.

It’s hard to be critical of two honest players who go out there week after week and give their all for Celtic but the truth is if we want to reach the next level as a club then these two shouldn’t be first choice players in their positions.

Taylor was fantastic at times under Ange Postecoglou playing that inverted full back role, and although his forward play has dropped slightly this season, he has still been decent in that department but defensively he has always been weak. His small stature doesn’t help him and he often gets caught out in the air domestically where Scottish team tend to play the direct route towards their big striker up top.

Liam Scales story this season has been heart warming with the Irish man going from being on the brink of leaving the club to a mainstay at the heart of the Celtic defence but in all honesty the experiment is over.

He is definitely a player who has improved massively since arriving from the League of Ireland but he can’t be a first pick centre back at this club if we hope to reach the next level and dominate at home and make an impression in the Champions League. I think both him and Taylor could stay at the club and be useful squad players, much like Anthony Ralston, but they should not be first picks from next season onwards.

Celtic must go out this summer and sort their defence out once and for all. A top goalkeeper is an absolute must with the retirement of Joe Hart. We also have to bring in a left sided defender to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers in the centre of defence.

We have been crying out for a top left back for years, probably since Kieran Tierney left for Arsenal. For me the main thing we should be looking is that they are strong defensively. If you look at some of our best full backs in recent years the thing that always stands out for me is that they are defenders first and foremost. The likes of Lustig, Johnston and Tierney were all good going forward but it was their defensive capabilities that made them stand out.

We need to clear out some of the players who we know by now don’t possess the quality that is needed to be a Celtic player. Lagerbiekle, Welsh, Bernabei, Bain and Siegrist all need moved on in the summer as they don’t meet the standard required. Lagerbiekle clearly isn’t rated by the manager and the rest have all had ample chances to impress and failed so should be let go without hesitation.

As I said I would keep Ralston, Taylor and Scales as good honest back up choices and Nawrocki should also be retained as back up for Carter-Vickers.

There is work needing done throughout the Celtic squad this summer but for me yesterday proved that sorting out our backline should be our number one priority.

Conall McGinty