A wobbly first 20 minutes and conceding two goals took some of the gloss away from Celtic’s 4-2 win over Ross County and the re-emergence of a couple of players.
At peak Angeball last season David Turnbull and Matt O’Riley regularly found themselves starting matches on the bench. While the Danish u-21 internationalist almost always got a run out Turnbull was often left kicking his heels or making do with a five or ten minute run out.
With some attention on Saturday focussed on Carl Starfelt missing from defence it was a big decision of Brendan Rodgers to bench Reo Hatate and start with both Turnbull and O’Riley in from the start.
There were times when the Celtic midfield struggled to get a foothold in the game but equally there were passages where their movement made it impossible for Ross County to cover every angle.
O’Riley had a key role in two of the first half goals then scored the fourth all by himself, last season it was into the new year before he broke his scoring duck.
Middle to front Rodgers’ biggest concern will be getting the right blend and maximising his options, starting with Hatate and Oh Hyeon-gyu on the bench is a sign of strength, much like the second half showing against Athletic Bilbao.
With Alistair Johnston injured, Carl Starfelt on his way and Maik Nawrocki just in the door there is work to do at the back but no-one knows that better than Rodgers as he finalises his transfer plans.
