Brendan Rodgers hasn’t had too many problems to deal with at Celtic over the last few years, but it’s fair to say that he’s got a bit of an issue on his hands at present.
The Bhoys are currently in the midst of a bit of a selection crisis of sorts, with a number of players unavailable for selection. Names including Odsonne Edouard, James Forrest, Kieran Tierney, Olivier Ntcham, Dedryck Boyata and Mikael Lustig are all out of or in doubt for the Hoops’ next fixture, and that’s a real worry for the club.
Of course, a number of those players – including Edouard and Boyata – would undeniably be starting if it weren’t for their unavailability, leaving the squad a little bit stretched.
Burke said: “Obviously, that’s [the selection problems] not great, missing a few players with injuries and the red card, but we have a big enough squad. We’ve got enough players to fill in the gaps and I’m pretty sure that whoever is called upon will be ready for the test.”
He continued: “You have to be ready and we’ll have to see what happens. The manager chooses the team and I’m sure everyone is ready to go. It’s not ideal with the injuries, but we’ll see what happens.”
Certainly, given that a number of players arrived in January, including Timothy Weah and Burke himself, Celtic are in a better position than they previously would have been had they not invested in the transfer market.
However, they do have some real problems on their hands, particularly at the back, and it’s not going to be easy to manoeuvre around them.
Still, Burke – and you’d presume the rest of the squad – aren’t too concerned, and that’s good. They’ll all be willing to muck in and help to improve things, and that’s what Rodgers will need.
Thoughts?