'Celtic need to nail down a new number one or they're going nowhere'
- Published
Barkas failed to keep out a fierce free-kick from Evander as Celtic were held 1-1 at home by Midtjylland
For some Celtic fans there might have been a touch of fear about Tuesday night's Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland, not just because they were under-manned. The recent reputation of the Danish side might have caused some anxiety, too.
Good enough to make the Champions League group stage last season. Good enough to have two competitive matches against Liverpool, one against Atalanta and another against Ajax. No world beaters, but a similar profile to the teams that Celtic have failed against in this competition in previous seasons - Ferencvaros, Cluj, AEK Athens.
There would have been relief that Celtic played admirably on the night and regret that they didn't build a lead to bring to Denmark next week.
On the balance of play, and the creation of chances, Ange Postecoglou's side were considerably better than the visitors.
Three moments stymied them - Nir Bitton's asinine red card, Odsonne Edouard's missed one-on-one and Vasilis Barkas' awful goalkeeping for the equaliser.
Celtic had an 18-year-old and a 21-year-old in central defence for more than half the game and they stood up well, they had a 19-year-old on the wing in Liel Abada and he was terrific.
They had Ryan Christie returning to form either because he's committed to Celtic or because he was showcasing what he's got to other clubs and they had Callum McGregor delivering a strong performance as captain.
They had lots of things, apart from a victory. Satisfying and frustrating almost in equal measure. Towards the end of his radio interview, Postecoglou returned to a theme that he'd aired pre-match, a call for more recruits. "We've got to help and support these players with reinforcements and it's got to happen quickly," he said.
Given the maxim that a rebuild of any side must begin from the back then, perhaps, the most pressing concern right now is that of the Celtic goalkeeper. They have ducked and dived between Barkas, Scott Bain and, fleetingly, Conor Hazard over the last year or so. Barkas, the £4.5m man, is in situ and he's no more convincing now than he was last season.
His hapless attempt to stop Evander's 63rd-minute free-kick was his Celtic experience in microcosm. Somebody, somewhere must have a file that suggests that Barkas was worth such a lavish fee and is capable of being a commanding presence, but he's played 23 times for the club now and there's still not a shred of evidence that he's a keeper of worth.
You'll search long and hard to find somebody who can remember him making a save of any note. He's 6ft 4in but doesn't dominate his goal, doesn't pull off the kind of stops that any ambitious team needs their goalkeeper to make, and isn't particularly convincing with the ball at his feet.
And yet he was back in the frame. When Postecoglou talked about reinforcements he must have had a goalkeeper in mind. Previously, in their trophy-laden years, Celtic had Fraser Forster, Craig Gordon and, going further back still, Arthur Boruc. All outstanding. Not many successful teams have a shaky operator between the sticks.
Rangers have Allan McGregor. That's the kind of stature required. Arguably, on what we've seen so far, there are at least four or five better goalkeepers than Barkas in Scotland right now. Once again, there's talk about Forster returning. True or not, Celtic need to nail down a new number one or they're going nowhere.
Bitton will be suspended for the return leg in Denmark after picking up two first-half bookings
The fact that Celtic went into a Champions League qualifier with Stephen Welsh and Bitton as their centre-half pairing tells you something about how slowly the recruitment wheels have been turning.
When Bitton was sent off - a disgraceful lack of professionalism given he knew how short on options Celtic were in his position - Postecoglou had the 18-year-old Dane Murray or the 21-year-old Osaze Urhoghide to pick from.
It will all look different in weeks, or months to come - Christopher Jullien will return and a new partnership might be formed with Carl Starfelt, with the Swede having signed the day after the Midtjylland game. Still, that's in the future. In the here and now Celtic have to hang on. One of the immediate challenges for them is to survive in the Champions League for as long as it takes for a cavalry to arrive.
Even with Starfelt signed, they need another centre-half on top of that. They need right-backs, a left-back, an imposing presence in the centre of midfield and another wide player. They have Kyogo Furuhashi to come in up front but they have to be lining up another striker in the event that Edouard departs. Albian Ajeti has it all to prove. Leigh Griffiths? Lord knows how that's going to go.
Hence, Postecoglou's words about recruitment on Monday and again on Tuesday. They might be working hard behind the scenes at Celtic, but there's still no director of football, still no head of recruitment, still no sign of Postecoglou adding to his backroom staff.
The new manager cuts an impressive figure, but he had only one new signing he felt he could trust on Tuesday. That was Abada, who relished his night until he became collateral damage in the wake of Bitton's stupidity. Postecoglou has a right to expect new players - his players - in the door in double-quick time.
At their best, Celtic showed an impressive urgency against Midtjylland. For the sake of their Champions League prospects you'd hope the board will take their lead from their manager and do the same.