Martin O'Neill has stated that Celtic can no longer afford to leave striker Camilo Duran out of the starting lineup after the team's struggles in their recent match against St Johnstone. The champions secured their sixth consecutive league win, with Mika Baur scoring his first goal for the club.
Celtic manager Martin O'Neill was frustrated to see his much-changed side struggle in Perth.
O'Neill opted to bench Duran, who has scored six goals this season, for the first 73 minutes of the game. He expressed disappointment with the team's inability to convert numerous chances during that period. With Kasper Hogh's goal-scoring form faltering, O'Neill believes Duran's impact on both offense and defense makes him irreplaceable. Duran is second only to Daizen Maeda in terms of pressing opponents, highlighting his significant work rate off the ball.
Despite the victory, O'Neill was underwhelmed by the team's conversion rate. He noted that while the team possessed the ball and created opportunities, there was a lack of players in the penalty box. The tempo of the game improved in the second half, leading to the decisive goal, but O'Neill felt the team made scoring opportunities look unnecessarily difficult.
Mika Baur was the Celtic hero after claiming his first goal since his summer transfer.
O'Neill made five changes to the squad for the match, including starting Sam Johnstone in goal over Viljami Sinisalo. Johnstone made a crucial save to deny Joel Cotterill when the score was level, a moment O'Neill described as critical to prevent a repeat of a previous disappointing result. O'Neill also noted that goalkeeper cramp was an unusual occurrence.
Regarding his goalkeeping decisions, O'Neill confirmed he had spoken with Viljami Sinisalo about being left out. He stressed the need to assess various players, using the St Johnstone match as an opportunity to evaluate new talent, including Oliver Sorensen, and to see how the team performs without Duran for extended periods.
Defender Cameron Carter-Vickers was not in the matchday squad but is expected to be available for the upcoming match against Rangers. Carter-Vickers had been experiencing soreness after a yearlong absence due to injury. O'Neill also expressed confidence in Dane Murray's potential career despite his past injury struggles.
Kieran Tierney is also ready to play at Ibrox after making a late substitute appearance in the recent match, with O'Neill indicating he would have been fit to play even if he hadn't been brought on.