I’m not buying that- Chris Sutton’s take away from Bodo

Chris Sutton isn’t buying in to Ange Postecoglou’s claim that he picked a strong. Refreshed side for Thursday’s Europa Conference defeat to Bodo Glimt. 

When the side was announced it was arguable whether the bench or the Starting XI was the strongest, by the time of the final whistle Jota and Reo Hatate hadn’t entered the pitch. It would be a massive surprise if those two start tomorrow’s match at Hibs on the bench. 

Losing, and losing in Europe is never easy to accept but after the disasters of last season playing in the third rate UEFA competition pales into insignificance with the glory and rewards of winning back the SPFL Premiership title. 

In the Daily Record Sutton explains: 

There was a big fall out over the team selection and I get that. Postecoglou said it was a freshened team rather than a weakened team and he wasn’t making Hibs tomorrow a priority. 

No one buys that. You can’t tell me he would have put out that side if they were leading 1-0 from the first leg. No chance but Postecoglou might have taken one look at that surface and though his main men were not worth the risk.

It was still a strong team but you only have to look at the bench. They had the best defender this season in Cameron Carter-Vickers, the two best wingers in Jota and Liel Abada and the club captain who has been absolutely vital to everything the side plays. 

Chuck in the first choice full backs and Reo Hatate and you know they are all likely to be back in at Easter Road tomorrow. 

At 10.45am tomorrow the team for Easter Road will be announced, and the opportunity to go six points ahead in the SPFL. 

After being overplayed in the first half of the season Kyogo Furuhashi and David Turnbull have yet to kick a ball in 2022. 

Celtic will soon revert to one game a week which should see close to a first choice XI starting in every match which will almost certainly include Jota, Hatate, Josip Juranovic, Callum McGregor, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liel Abada.