Celtic called on to 'do better' defensively amid worrying stat as goalkeeping selection thinker addressed
Hoops were held to a 2-2 draw at home to Dundee United
Celtic boss Martin O’Neill is well aware his side have to ‘do better’ defensively after keeping only one clean sheet in their last nine.
The Hoops dropped points for the second time this season domestically at home to Dundee United. The 2-2 stalemate meant they missed the opportunity to extend the gap on title race rivals Rangers and Hearts, who played out the same scoreline at Tynecastle. It also means Celtic have won only three of their last nine.
While Celtic have had few issues putting the ball in the back of the net at the other end, their recent defensive record has become an area of concern. Furthermore, behind the back four, O’Neill still appears to be none the wiser about who his starting goalkeeper is between Viljami Sinisalo and Sam Johnstone. The latter has started in Celtic’s last three - but hasn’t made the number one jersey his own just yet.
O’Neill responds to Celtic defensive frailties
After hearing the statistic that they’d kept only clean sheet in their last nine, O’Neill claimed his side must ‘do better’ collectively to earn more shut-outs. After the match, he explained: “I think naturally we can do better. I think that we could have done better for the goals. But every single goal that’s conceded, every manager and every player on the team that’s conceded will say that he could have done better.”
Celtic took the lead through in-form striker Camilo Duran early on in the clash - but were pegged back by two Dundee United goals in three minutes from attackers Zac Sapsford and Neil Farrugia. In the second half, Hoops defender Liam Scales rescued the point with a well-times run and header.
When are Celtic going to make a decision on their permanent number one?
Wolves loanee Johnstone was signed on a short-term deal to acquire minutes north of the border, however an early shaky performance against rivals Rangers cast serious doubts over his credentials. Meanwhile, Sinisalo was instrumental last season in helping the Hoops secure the domestic double and was able to fill the gloves of Kasper Schmeichel, who suffered an injury midway through the campaign. However, the Finn also hasn’t quite been at his best of late.
When asked what he thought of Johnstone’s performance on Wednesday night, O’Neill outlined the timeline that his coaching staff are looking at to pick a settled number one. He added: “I thought he (Johnstone) did fine, really fine in the game. So it’ll take us a few weeks before we find out who will stay in goal for hopefully the rest of the season.”