Three key takeaways from St Mirren's 2-0 win over Celtic...
Too many changes
Ange Postecoglou made several changes to the starting XI that drew in Warsaw against Shakhtar Donetsk. However, the squad rotation was not successful. Abada, Aaron Mooy, Anthony Ralston, David Turnbull and Daizen Maeda all were chosen to start but really struggled to offer anything. Stephen Welsh was forced into the line-up after Cameron Carter-Vickers was ruled out with a groin strain. With so many fresh faces coming into the side, and with several of them having had little game time recently, the pace of the fixture was not like a typical Hoops performance. Everything moved extremely slow, and none of the Parkhead team's players were able to grab the game by the scruff of the neck. Going forward, the manager will want to get more out of his squad players, although, after today's game, it could be some time before they get a chance again.
Poor defensively
The Hoops struggled for both the goals that they conceded. The first one saw St Mirren captain Mark O'Hara appear at the back post to head the ball past Joe Hart. Anthony Ralston got caught under the ball, and no one else in the Celtic defence picked him up. The second goal was just as poor as Jonah Ayunga also scored with his head as the Bhoys failed to defend a long throw-in. There will be major questions for Postecoglou to ponder going forward at the back, and he will be hoping Carter-Vickers is available sooner rather than later.
Slack in possession
The Scottish Champions struggled to string a pass together throughout the 90 minutes. Aaron Mooy was unable to advance the ball from the number 6 position like Callum McGregor usually does so effectively. The captain himself was also not at his best in the more forward role he was undertaking during the game. The lack of quality in the team's passing meant any sort of attack was unable to get properly going, and most waves of possession broke down after just a few Celtic passes. Despite the result, the Parkhead side are still top of the Scottish Premiership, albeit with their lead reduced to two points.
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