It was a second defeat in a row for Celtic today as Martin O’Neill’s side lost 2-1 to Hibernian, with the visitors securing their first win at Parkhead since 2010.
One major talking point is Auston Trusty getting sent off after it was ruled by VAR that he had committed violent conduct. While a Hibs player was holding on to him, he smacked the holder’s arm away.
It was a very silly move from the defender, especially in front of the referee, and to be honest, it wasn’t really a surprise that he was given his marching orders.
There was even more controversy when, shortly after, Celtic were denied what seemed to be a clear penalty. A Hibs defender smashed into the back of Liam Scales as the Irish defender went to ground. The referee did not give the decision, even though it seemed like the easiest ruling of the season.
Celtic need to be better
Although we can debate the refereeing decisions, at the end of the day, Celtic needs to be better. We should be able to win against anyone without relying on penalty calls, and our players should know better than to be sent off for a moment of madness.
There is a massive problem at Celtic. Some of our players, simply put, are not good enough. Against Stuttgart, O’Neill and the players could use the excuse of “tennis ball protests” and “it should’ve been less”, but when Celtic are being caught out by the Hibees, there is nowhere to hide.
There is an intense fixture run coming up. Our next matches are VfB Stuttgart, Rangers, Aberdeen, and Rangers again, all away from home. Then, we return to Parkhead on March 14 to face in-form Motherwell.
We’ve said it before: One loss could spell disaster. Rangers drew with Livingston today, which takes a little pressure off our defeat, but this loss could still make us lose out on the title.
We are, somehow, still in the race, but we seriously cannot afford to lose any game from this point onwards. Celtic are staring down a third-place finish, and that would be a total disaster for the club. We’d lose out on a lot of money from competitions like the Champions League, and considering we need a full rebuild in the summer, that is concerning.
Remember, we’re going to be without Trusty now too. That puts us in an even worse position for such important games. Benjamin Arthur will likely be thrown in the deep end and given a start, so let’s just hope he is prepared.