Celtic need some Rangers Champions League pragmatism but Gio must borrow a pinch of Ange's courage - Keith Jackson

Celtic were given a glimpse of what life without Callum McGregor will look like in Perth at lunchtime on Saturday. And it wasn’t particularly pretty. Yes, they got out of town with all three points thanks to a dramatic late winner from Giorgos Giakoumakis and the Greek’s injury time heroics have kept them clear at the top of the table. For now.

This was a win dug out by sheer desire but all the guts and the grit in the world won’t make up for the calmness and composure which has just gone AWOL from the heart of Ange Postecoglou’s side. And which will probably be posted missing until after the World Cup in Qatar.

Without the quick thinking McGregor plotting Celtic’s progress from the middle of the pitch the champions looked ponderous and predictable despite all of their possession, of which there was more than plenty. And in the end they were within a couple of seconds of dropping another two points as Postecoglou enters the most testing period of his time in charge.

Because, despite all of the manager’s enormous reserves of self belief, Postecoglou’s entire process could be in danger of stalling. That’s what happens when confidence is bruised by a series of painful misadventures in the Champions League and although Postecoglou is adamant that his philosophy is perfectly transferable to European football’s elite level, the hard evidence is piling up to the contrary.

Last week’s loss in Leipzig was a thoroughly damaging affair but the heavier these defeats become, the louder and more stubborn Postecoglou’s message appears to become. In fact, there’s a pattern building here on both sides of Glasgow’s divide. Between them Celtic and Rangers have managed just a single Champions League point from a possible combined