Opinion: Struggling Celtic duo are too good to be written off

It has been noticeable in recent Celtic games where the Hoops have struggled that neither Tom Rogic or Matt O’Riley have been at their best.

The duo played together in the Hoops midfield in both legs of the Europa Conference League tie against Bodo/Glimt, and were ineffective as the Bhoys lost 5-1 on aggregate.

Interestingly, neither player performed well in the Hoops’ recent league games against Dundee and Hibernian, which saw the team struggle to a tight win and a goalless draw.

It may be that both players are left out of the Celtic side for this evening’s game against St Mirren, as manager Ange Postecoglou might well decide to try something different in the middle of the park to get the Hoops back on track.

However, even if the attacking duo are left on the bench, that should not be seen as a slight on the pair, as both players, Rogic especially, have shown enough in their time at Celtic that they will bounce back and be key men for the Bhoys in the title run-in.

O’Riley hasn’t been at Celtic for long, but he thrived against the likes of Hearts, Rangers and Aberdeen at the start of his time at the club. He might be having a loss of form at the moment, but after playing so well in so many big games you can see why Celtic were so eager to sign the player from MK Dons in January.

Rogic has seen and done it all in his time at Celtic. He has won multiple trophies for the Bhoys, and at times has been excellent for the Hoops this season, just recently in the emphatic win over Motherwell last month.

Both players might not start many games together for the Bhoys during the rest of the season, but they are both more than capable of making a big impact for Celtic as the Hoops attempt to win the Premiership title.

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