Taylor reveals dressing room discussions
Celtic defender Greg Taylor has revealed that the players had some honest and constructive talks in the dressing room after their disappointing defeat to Hearts on Saturday. The loss left the Hoops 12 points behind league leaders Rangers, who have a game in hand.
Taylor said that the players were not happy with their performance and agreed that they needed to improve in every aspect of the game. He also said that they still believed that they could challenge for the title, despite the gap at the top.
“We had a chat among ourselves and we know we need to do better. We can’t accept that level of performance. We need to work harder, be more clinical and defend better as a team. We are not giving up on the title. We have a lot of games left and we have to try to win every one of them. We have to show our character and our quality and bounce back as soon as possible,” Taylor said.
Rodgers backs Taylor to recover
Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers has backed Taylor to recover from his injury and regain his place in the team. The left-back missed the last two games due to a hamstring problem, but is expected to be fit for the clash against Kilmarnock on Wednesday.
Rodgers praised Taylor’s contribution to the team and said that he was an important player for his system. He also said that he was pleased with the performance of Alexandro Bernabei, who filled in for Taylor in the last two games.
“Greg has been a very consistent performer for us. He is a very reliable and intelligent player who understands his role very well. He is also very good at linking up with the attackers and creating chances. He is a big miss for us, but hopefully he will be back soon,” Rodgers said.
“Alexandro has done well in his absence. He is a young player who is still learning and adapting to the Scottish game. He has a lot of potential and he has shown some good qualities. He made a mistake at Aberdeen, but he showed his character by recovering from that and playing well against Hearts,” Rodgers added.
Celtic face Kilmarnock test
Celtic will face Kilmarnock at Celtic Park on Wednesday, hoping to bounce back from their defeat to Hearts and keep their slim title hopes alive. The Hoops have won their last six meetings with Kilmarnock, scoring 20 goals and conceding only two.
However, Kilmarnock are in good form, having won four of their last five games, including a 2-1 victory over Rangers at Ibrox. They are currently fourth in the table, six points behind third-placed Aberdeen.
Celtic will have to be wary of Kilmarnock’s attacking threat, especially from Cameron Green and Tim David, who have scored 15 and 14 goals respectively this season. Green scored a stunning 52-second goal against Rangers, while David netted a brace against Dundee United.
Celtic will also have to cope with the absence of Cameron Carter-Vickers, who is suspended after picking up his sixth yellow card of the season against Hearts. Rodgers will have to decide whether to play Stephen Welsh or Liam Scales alongside Shane Duffy in the centre of defence.
