Ringing the changes highlights squad depth
Ange Postecoglou opted to almost completely change the side which demolished Dundee United at the weekend. The Australian made a significant amount of changes to his starting XI for this last-16 cup tie, nine in total. The likes of Benji Siegrist, Anthony Ralston, Stephen Welsh and Alexandro Bernabei all got some vital minutes in the tank. Of course, even with the huge amount of changes, the team was still incredibly strong and well-capable of defeating every team in Scotland. Interestingly, James Forrest and James McCarthy still couldn’t break into the starting line-up despite the alternative team.
CalMac one step ahead
There aren’t enough words to praise the influence of Callum McGregor on this Celtic team. The captain leads by example and has been a true standout since taking on the armband. The Hoops started brightly in the Highlands, striking the bar twice inside the opening five-minutes. But a stroke of genius from McGregor earned the champions the opener. He noticed he was totally free in the box at a corner. He flagged for the ball from David Turnbull, and with a neat first-time finish he swept it home. Turnbull deserves credit for some quick-thinking too, but the quality of the move was initiated by the skipper.
Jenz culpable for some slack defending
It didn’t matter in the end, but County’s goal in the last 25-minutes made for a nervier period for Celtic than it needed to be. A long ball from Jake Eastwood at a free-kick was met by Jordan White, who had a clear run on Carl Starfelt. His knockdown was perfect for Alex Iacovitti to nod home past Siegrist from close-range. The most notable takeaway from the goal was Moritz Jenz’ complete lack of awareness of where Iacovitti was within Celtic’s box. As stated in the commentary, it was poor defending from Jenz as he completely lost his marker.
