By AIDAN CONNOR
In the second of our regular series, Aidan Connor analyses Celtic’s performances and results for the month of September. The four matches included two matches in the Scottish Premiership, the continued league cup defence and the start of our Europa League campaign.
GAME ONE: Kilmarnock 1-2 Celtic – SPFL
If August ended in doubt, September didn’t completely erase it. Celtic’s 2-1 victory at Rugby Park was not a statement performance. It was stubborn, showed a lack of quality throughout from both teams and, finally, a moment of inspiration from a striker who appeared to be the only calm man in Ayrshire. Kelechi Iheanacho arrived too late in the window for an impact in the Champions League qualifiers and too late in the game to have much of an impact until the final proceedings. However, when John Beaton pointed to the spot in the 96th minute following Lewis Mayo’s handball, he proved his worth. His movement was minimal, and his contribution on the ball was limited, but when the opportunity arose, he approached it as if he had been waitingall game for it. In contrast, others in green and white appeared terrified of making the wrong decision throughout the afternoon.
That penalty couldn’t disguise how chaotic everything before it was. The formation was familiar – a rigid 4-3-3 that attempted to be fluid but kept tripping over its own patterns. McGregor and Hatate took no risks in the midfield, always opting for the extra pass over the killer one, and Celtic spent the first half circling Kilmarnock’s shape without ever breaking through. Maeda provided his usual selfless running, and Balikwisha, remaining wide, was an overall disappointment. Sebastian Tounekti was the only player willing to accept responsibility in the final third. He carried the ball with purpose, taking on defenders rather than passing backwards like everyone else. In a frontline paralysed by caution, he was the only one who relied on instinct over instruction.
Daizen Maeda reminded everyone that he occasionally contributes more than just running channels. His diving header, his first meaningful touch of the season, came in the one instance when Celtic attacked with conviction from a great ball by Marco Sarrachi. Kilmarnock detected weakness towards the end of the game and scored through Watson’s equaliser. Predictably, it was a simple corner. Celtic’s defensive shape was solid in settled play, but in set-piece phases, as shown against Rangers, Celtic are weak. The bright spark of this game was Tounekti. If most of Celtic’s attack moved like they were waiting for instructions, Tounekti played like he’d ripped up the script. Four chances created, five dribbles completed, six duels won. All numbers, sure, but the real value was emotional. He was the only forward who played without fear. While others took an extra touch, he always looked to play forward. While McGregor and Hatate recycled possession safely, he injected jeopardy. He drifted off his line into half-spaces, received under pressure, and did something Celtic wingers haven’t done reliably in months – take on their man. There were shades of early Jota in his take on full-backs, but with more directness and less vanity. Rodgers dubbed him a “Celtic-minded winger” after the game, and he was correct. He played joyfully, but more importantly, he played with intention. If this team is to break free from its structured predictability, another choreographed rotation pattern will not suffice. It will come from someone like Tounekti who steals the show.
So, here we are. Celtic leave Rugby Park with three points and no idea who they are. They do not dominate games through control. They do not overwhelm teams with speed. They don’t stifle games with relentless pressing. At the moment, they win thanks to individual sparks — Tounekti’s energy, Maeda’s one moment, and Iheanacho’s poise.
GAME TWO: Partick Thistle 0-4 Celtic – SPFL League Cup
This was as dominant as you’ll ever see a Celtic side this season, I predict. Four goals, four different scorers, barely a glove laid on us, and yet the loudest moment of the afternoon was the thousands of our own holding Lawwell and Nicholson’s faces in the air like wanted men. That is Celtic’s reality right now, we are battering teams while reminding everyone that we are still not happy. What about the actual football? Slick, controlled, perhaps even overly at times. Rodgers had clearly drilled structure into them; the rotations were sharp, the spacing was intelligent, and we weren’t just recycling possession for the sake of it. Benjamin Nygren had a much better performance with two assists provided. The first was a teasing back-post cross to Yang that he mistimed but still scored — equal parts mistake and brilliance. The second saw Scales appear with a great header from a corner.
Celtic’s dominance came from their tempo. A contributing factor to this was from midfield’s rotations, moving the ball into spaces. Thistle simply couldn’t cover, with the midfield feeding the ball to Tounekti at every opportunity. Tounekti performs like passing backwards is illegal. He is direct, fearless, and always demanding of the ball. Even when Tierney and Hatate were looking sideways across the left half of the field, he always moved the ball forward. His goal summed him up perfectly: a feint inside, a sharp give-and-go with Iheanacho, and a slotted finish that looked like he’d been here for years. We have been craving that type of winger since Jota’s injury. One who is not only technically gifted but also daring. A disruptor in a team. Even Iheanacho, who lacked a goal, knitted everything together. He pinned defenders, linked midfield runners, and provided the focal point we’d been looking for with Idah. Celtic maintained their intensity in the second half. Hatate’s vision and movement opened up channels, putting Tounekti in positions where the Partick defence appeared to be lagging behind. Even when Thistle tried to apply pressure, their opportunities were fleeting. Stanway’s header tested Sinisalo, but it was routine. We weren’t bothered much defensively and Carter-Vickers handled everything as he always does, with the exception of one sloppy moment. Scales struggled to handle Tony Watt at the start of the game but settled soon after, and Donovan continued his impressive start in a Celtic shirt in the absence of Johnston and Ralston. McCowan’s fourth goal was a good finish and adds questions about why he still has not got a call-up for the national team. This game was about maintaining high intensity and applying pressure until the final whistle and leaving no room for error or shock against a championship side. Rodgers’ squad rotations from Kilmarnock ensured freshness and kept Thistle at bay, delivering a polished yet unshowy performance that was efficient but not clinical — the type of performance that, on paper, should have been completely satisfying. Only the protests reminded everyone that satisfaction remained out of reach.
This game was an opportunity, with a busy October ahead, to test the squad’s depth. Instead, the lineup was conservative bar Donovan, who was forced by injuries to be included. Promising younger options were left unused; Johnny Kenny in particular deserves more than stop-start cameos; he’s shown enough hunger to warrant a proper run. Still, you can understand the logic in keeping Iheanacho on the pitch — he’s still getting up to speed, and every minute sharpens the blade. But if rotation isn’t happening in games like this, when is it going to happen? Then there’s the Simpson-Pusey situation, which is becoming quietly bizarre. Talked up as a serious prospect from Man City, yet he’s vanished completely from the picture – not even a late cameo or a place on the bench. If he’s not trusted now, it’s very doubtful we’ll ever see him at all.
GAME THREE: Red Star 0-0 Celtic – Europa League
This wasn’t a battering away in Europe that we have all come to expect, but neither was it a dominant display. We left with one point, which is a positive outcome for this Celtic side. Despite the frustration, there were sparks, and you could see the blueprint Rodgers was attempting to impose. Half-time had provided little reason for optimism. Daizen Maeda in front was invisible. Tounekti, as dazzling as ever in flashes, received scraps of service, while Hatate squandered possession at critical moments. Nygren attempted to thread through the midfield, but Celtic were largely a blunt instrument in the first 45 minutes. Carter-Vickers’ two near-misses from set pieces were all we had to work with. Red Star’s threats were constant, with Bruno Duarte hitting the crossbar from 22 yards out, Mirko Ivanic volleying wide, and Arnautovic slicing chances. Then Iheanacho entered the story. Only ten minutes after the break, Celtic had a focal point, a strike of clarity. Nygren’s direct run sliced open the Serbian side’s defence; the pass was delivered with precision and just the right amount of power for Iheanacho to calmly sidefoot the ball into the top corner. Except Celtic couldn’t hold it. Red Star rallied; the corner caught Schmeichel out of position, Uchenna cut it back, and Arnautovic bundled it home. The lead evaporated in a congested box. A draw felt both satisfying and insufficient. This is the Celtic reality in Europe today – bright moments punctuated by frustration, glimpses of quality hampered by circumstance, and yet another goal lost by a corner.
The performance beyond the goals was a mix of promise and concern. Donovan, at right-back, stood firm in the face of deafening noise, reminding us of the importance of youth stepping up when called upon. Scales and Carter-Vickers maintained a tenuous structure in the back, dealing with crosses and chaos with relative ease. Iheanacho’s influence was undeniable, but the rest of the team were unable to fully assert themselves. Rodgers organised the team in a shape that could withstand Red Star’s early aerial threats, relying on Scales and Carter-Vickers to control the box and limit clear-cut opportunities. In midfield, Nygren and Hatate were tasked with linking play, but the combination frequently lacked tempo, and passes intended for Tounekti or Maeda were frequently late or misdirected. Celtic’s tactical balance shifted subtly as Iheanacho entered. The Nigeria international provided a direct outlet, allowing Nygren to play more vertically and Tounekti to have a little more space, which led to the goal.
The Europa League is quite obviously this Celtic team’s level. Still, the draw in Belgrade — earned against a side on a seven-game winning streak — shows that we can remain capable of competing. As always, it seems right now, supporters are split. Some view the result as a foundation to build on, a hard-earned point in a hostile environment, proof of character and an early sign that Iheanacho could lead a rejuvenated front line. Others interpret it very differently, as further proof of stagnation. To them, the squad looks short on creativity, spark, and ambition.
GAME FOUR: Celtic 0-0 Hibernian – SPFL
We returned home on Saturday, hoping to reclaim first place in the Scottish Premiership from an impressive Hearts side who had beaten Falkirk 3-0, but were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Hibernian. Iheanacho was assigned to lead the line centrally, flanked by Daizen Maeda on the right and Sebastian Tounekti on the left. Rodgers intended to use Iheanacho as a focal point while Maeda and Tounekti stretched Hibs’ defence, but Hibernian’s compact and disciplined backline made life difficult from the start. Celtic dominated possession, created chances, and showed flashes of brilliance, but their finishing let them down in the final third. On a quick counterattack, Maeda surged down the right and threaded a low ball into Iheanacho’s path, only for the striker’s effort to bounce off the crossbar. This sequence was typical of Celtic’s day – sharp movement and intelligent positioning, but narrow margins denied them the lead. Minutes later, Saracchi cut in from the left and fired from a tight angle, only to hit the woodwork again. Hibs’ backline, led by Grant Hanley and Jack Iredale, remained organised, blocking shots, cutting passing lanes, and forcing Celtic into wide areas. Celtic’s midfield dominated possession and tempo, but the supply line to Iheanacho was inconsistent. Passes to the box were either slightly overhit, deflected, or intercepted. Maeda’s unfamiliar right-sided role limited his impact and his usual instinct to cut inside and shoot was hampered by positioning. Iheanacho had a goal disallowed for marginal offside, leaving everyone perplexed.
In the second half, Rodgers made tactical changes, bringing on Forrest, Kenny, and Balikwisha to add energy. Despite these changes, Hibs defended in numbers, doubling up on key runners, and Hibs keeper Sallinger made impressive saves, including a full-stretch stop from Kenny’s header in stoppage time and a powerful Bernardo effort earlier. Of 26 shots, only six tested Sallinger directly, highlighting the team’s ongoing struggles with shot quality and composure in the final third. Set-piece opportunities that could have broken the deadlock proved largely ineffective and Celtic’s deliveries were well read by Hibernian. Any flick-ons or headers didn’t test Sallinger and Iheanacho’s sharp movements frequently drew defenders out of position, creating opportunities for others, but his finishing was lacking. This game highlighted Celtic’s reliance on individual moments rather than fluid, consistent attacking patterns, which has been evident through the month of September.
Rodgers’ front three remains a work in progress. Iheanacho has impressed with his movement and finishing ability this month, but he lacks consistent service. Maeda’s versatility is invaluable, but being deployed on the right rather than his natural left has somewhat reduced his threat, and he already has one foot out the door for a January move, with questions over his mindset still remaining. Rodgers has also tried Yang and Forrest in wide positions, but Forrest can’t play a full game. Yang does not want to be here, and we don’t want him either, from the rumours of a move to Birmingham in the summer that failed to be finalised.
We used overloads on the flanks, attempting one-twos and diagonal balls to create space behind Hibs’ defence. McGregor and other midfielders attempted to exploit gaps between the lines, but Hibs’ disciplined structure and defensive organisation for this Celtic attack was too much of a challenge. Hibs’ defenders blocked, intercepted, and occasionally just got lucky. The visitors weren’t there to soak up pressure passively. Instead, they launched the occasional sharp counterattack that kept Celtic’s defenders on their toes, with Martin Boyle and Warren O’Hora forcing scrambles in the box. Rodgers will go back to the drawing board, looking for combinations that will allow Iheanacho, Maeda, and Tounekti to thrive while maintaining width and depth.
There was plenty of possession, pace, and creativity, but the final execution fell short. Off the pitch, there was palpable tension. The Celtic Fans Collective organised a “12 minutes of silence from your 12th man” protest against the board, temporarily quieting the stadium. The effect this is having on the Celtic team right now is debatable. September 2024 feels like another universe. Celtic were on fire back then, defeating Bratislava 5-1 in Europe, cruising past Rangers 3-0, hammering St Johnstone 6-0 and beating Hearts 2-0 and Falkirk 5-2. Fast forward to this September, and it’s a frustrating 0-0 draw with Hibs, a front line that can’t score, and suddenly Hearts are at the top of the table. The contrast is stark and stinging. If Brendan Rodgers and his players are to regain momentum, they will have a difficult task. October is more than just another month, it’s an opportunity to shake off the rust, sharpen their attack, and remind everyone that this Celtic are capable of competing. It’s time to roll up the sleeves and get back to winning.
