Brendan Rodgers destroys the Celtic blueprint, demonstrating that he is a man who is still delving into the mysteries. Keith Jackson

Brendan Rodgers destroys the Celtic blueprint, demonstrating that he is a man who is still delving into the mysteries. Keith Jackson

Often the best course of action is to pass when there’s no obvious solution to the challenge.

And just when it seems Celtic might be out of answers for the myriad of problems that have made this campaign such an incomprehensible battle,

Callum McGregor decided to do precisely that on Sunday afternoon.

As his team was struggling and maybe even considering giving up another prize from the trophy case,

McGregor took the initiative to take charge and calm some really frayed nerves.

The skipper passed and passed again for a good hour as so during a hectic,

evenly matched fifth round tie, until he had managed to solve St Mirren’s problem on his own and prevented Brendan Rodgers from going down into a full-blown quagmire.

When he finished, his team had a two-goal advantage and was into the Scottish Cup quarterfinal draw.

Furthermore, his employer was taking advantage of some much-needed quiet time to reflect after an incredibly confusing and hectic few weeks. Naturally,

McGregor has participated in more significant games than this one throughout the years, and he has undoubtedly done so on more immaculate fields.

Nevertheless, one should not undervalue the scope and importance of his contribution.

Because up until McGregor decided to take matters into his own hands by taking control of the middle of a horribly rutted and completely unreliable pitch, a highly organized and confident St Mirren had Celtic in all sorts of problems.

Just when things were becoming heated, the captain brought some calm and collected demeanor to the situation.

If Rodgers and his team manage to overcome this mid-season slump and conclude the season with a winning record,

then McGregor’s leadership on an otherwise unlucky Sunday afternoon should not be overlooked.

In actuality, his composure saved the situation from getting out of hand because Celtic had to make the quick drive up the M8 on Sunday lunchtime and risked going into the center reservation.

It was McGregor who made sure they returned home with a victory over Livingston in the bag.

 

 

Before kickoff, all it took to see that the holders might have a major issue in Paisley was a quick check at their team sheet.

Even before Rodgers had sent them out for a warm-up, a back four consisting of Anthony Ralston,

Stephen Welsh, Liam Scales, and Alaxendro Bernabei gave off the distinct vibe of a B team.

To their credit, Welsh and Scales performed admirably under intense pressure—again,

not for the first time this season. Nevertheless,

the fact that they are expected to play a key role in Celtic’s defense despite the fact that neither player had high expectations for the season and is now forced to fill in at the center, encapsulates a persistent problem.
The significance of these two highlights the squad’s fragility and the shortcomings in the club’s recruitment plan,

which have caused the manager a great deal of issues ever since he returned to Glasgow’s east end.

Furthermore, Rodgers’ decision to abandon his favored team setup and adopt a new formation showed that he was still looking for solutions to the puzzles that were jeopardizing the season for his squad.

Idam Idah and Kyogo Furuhashi are two forwards who Rodgers chose,

and he sacrificed Paulo Bernardo in midfield to make room for them.

This was essentially a needs-must response to the inconsistent, poor quality of recent performances.

Before the transfer market opened for business at the beginning of last month,

Rodgers was clamoring for the kind of quality that Nicolas Kuhn, the new addition, had not yet provided.

The German was left on the bench and did not make the starting lineup.

Furthermore, a St. Mirren team that entered this match with its tails up will have gained confidence from everything mentioned before. Even though Rodgers had suggested last week that he might soon figure out a way to start Kyogo and Idah together, this felt like a very brave decision to make.

Kyogo was positioned at the base of Celtic’s midfield, behind Idah but far ahead of McGregor and Matt O’Riley.

And from that deeper position, it was the Japanese international who broke the deadlock,

but only after one of McGregor’s expertly timed passes had opened up St Mirren’s defence.

The home team had been hammering Celtic’s back four up until that point,

looking like they meant business. However, as the pressure mounted,

McGregor found the way to let go by sending Luis Palma hurtling down the left wing.

Kyogo met the winger’s cutback near the edge of the box, and with only a single touch, he was able to guide it inside Zach Hemmings’ left hand post. The fact that St Mirren stormed back into the game and were unfortunate not to tie the score before halftime strengthens the belief that Celtic is still susceptible and oddly out of sorts.

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