Celtic goalkeeper Joe Hart has confirmed this week that he will retire at the end of the season and Chris Sutton says he has been a “huge” player for the Bhoys in recent weeks.
The 36-year-old has often come under criticism for his mistakes. He has been simply outstanding in recent games and probably has Celtic’s best player alongside Callum McGregor.
The BBC pundit has waxed lyrical on Hart saying he is nowhere as bad as many critics try to point it out. Celtic need him to be on top of his game because they didn’t sign any top goalkeeper, and so they have to rely on him.
The Hoops will face Motherwell away from Celtic Park on Sunday, and it is a game they have to win. After Rangers leapfrogged them in the league, Celtic have left themselves in a situation where they cannot afford to make any further mistakes.
“Joe Hart’s announcement of retirement should finally make any lasting doubters realise what a good signing he has been,” wrote Sutton for the Daily Record.
“He’s made mistakes and isn’t perfect, but he’s been huge in recent weeks and is nowhere near as bad as some critics were making out last season or the start of this. Hart is going to be vital for the run-in because, again, Celtic didn’t buy a proper back-up for him in the last window.”
Celtic must believe they can still win the title
Celtic have squandered their massive eight-point lead and they now trail by two points. But they must believe that they can recover from this downfall and win the title at the end of the season.
At the moment, they are lacking consistency, and Brendan Rodgers needs to go back to the drawing board and plan out a system that works best for him.
There are two more Old Firm derbies left to be played, so if Celtic can keep the pressure on Rangers and win those two games, they should win the title. At the moment, the priority is to arrest the rapid decline, as Celtic are dropping points against weak teams, at both home and away.
It is also probably the right time for Rodgers to revet to 4-3-3, and use Kyogo Furuhashi up front. The Hoops boss probably trusts Adam Idah, but Kyogo has proved his class for Celtic in the past. The system has brought them success, and Rodgers must use his wingers – Daizen Maeda and Luis Palma – to form a dangerous trip upfront.
