Celtic face a midfield crisis after a 3-0 Premier Sports Cup loss to Rangers exposed their lack of physical power following Arne Engels’ departure. Chris Sutton labeled the champions flat-track bullies ahead of massive fixtures against Ferencvaros and Rangers.
Former Parkhead star Chris Sutton pulled no punches over Celtic’s recent cup collapses, accusing the Hoops of becoming soft targets in big games. After failures against LASK Linz in Champions League action and a heavy derby defeat at Ibrox, Sutton believes the team suffers whenever standards rise. He said: “That’s what they have been this season. In the games where they’ve come up against a level of opposition who are just a little bit better, a little bit stronger, they have been found wanting.”
The glaring weakness sits in central midfield, where the cash sale of Arne Engels left the team lightweight and lacking running power. Derek McInnes’ side exploited the gap completely, leaving Celtic’s five-a-side technicians bullied across the pitch. Sutton highlighted that management identified this need early on, yet board failure left the squad exposed: “Don’t take my word. You’ve got the Celtic manager who’s turned round after they sold Engels and said: Well, we need to replace a player with that profile, with the same dynamics. Have Celtic done that?”
Sutton believes Celtic made a grave mistake by failing to recruit a robust enforcer to protect the defense before the window slammed shut. Recalling historical battles, he pointed to how legendary manager Martin O’Neill rectified a similar crisis following a 5-1 defeat at Ibrox in 2000: “Celtic then went and signed Neil Lennon to stiffen up that midfield. That’s a robust number six player and we went on to win the league comfortably from there. But Celtic should have done that business.”
Now the pressure shifts onto Thursday’s Europa League tie against Ferencvaros before Rangers visit Parkhead on Sunday. Fans are furious over transfer inaction, and failure to deliver results will spark outrage among 60,000 supporters. Still, Sutton insists the fixture pile-up gives the champions a chance to answer their critics immediately: “But it’s lovely football because they have the opportunity next Sunday to to turn things around and they’ll be desperate to make sure that they roll Rangers over. Next Sunday is the chance to put things right and that’s the only way you can think. It’s always about the next game.”
