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Brendan Rodgers making a bit of a plea for peace ahead of the Europa League home games made sense. The Celtic manager has said his piece and now wants to draw a line under the chaos of the summer and concentrate on the football. Of course he’ll want everyone singing from the same hymn sheet. But is it going to happen? I wouldn’t bet on it. This weekend is the first home match since the Champions League exit and end of the transfer window, and all of the mayhem that followed, with the infamous statement, Rodgers ’ dynamite press conference and the financial figures coming out. We’ve seen the protests at Rugby Park and Firhill on the back of it all and now it will be interesting to see what kind of atmosphere there will be against Hibs today, especially after fans announced a three game silence . Some of the vitriol might have faded for some fans but I doubt the Celtic board will be in for an easy ride. It’s understandable. Supporters don’t want to let all of this blow over like it usually does, because they’ll feel it’s a green light for the people running the club to keep repeating the same mistakes. The ire isn’t just about this summer, it’s been a build up of issues and seasons of talk of learning lessons without actually doing so. Rodgers is having to get on with it but there are constant reminders of the blunders made in the transfer window. We saw it the other night in Belgrade. The draw with Red Star was a positive result, make no mistake. It’s a decent start at a tough venue. But you couldn’t help but think it could have been so much better – if Celtic had got their act together earlier. Because you can see the side is still working out how to play right now. The patterns are not quite there, the players are not quite up to speed on who to link, where the ball is going to be, what their teammates are going to do. It’s all a bit out of sync – and that is why Rodgers was constantly banging the drum about getting signings in early – so they were not trying to work out all of this stuff going into October. It cost them in the Champions League and now they need to figure it out in Europe, with a couple of crucial home games up against Braga and Sturm Graz. They are fortunate Rangers are in a mess right now and we need to see how Hearts maintain their strong start. The Europa League should be a big opportunity for Celtic – but instead it could be a struggle. The summer failure has also left Rodgers with a conundrum over Daizen Maeda. I don’t want to see fans bashing Maeda because he admitted he wanted to leave. It would be unbelievably harsh on a superb sifting for the club. A guy who cost barely £1m and has paid that back several times over. Yes, Maeda looks out of sorts right now. He’s not the only one. But he’s proved he can be a big game player. He might still be on his way out but getting the best out of him in the 20 or so games until January will be key. Kelechi Iheanacho has made a really positive impact and he’s getting fitter by the week. It should take some of the burden off Maeda but it leaves the question over where to fit him in. Sebastian Tounekti has started like a house of fire on the left but I’d be cautious of going overboard. He was outstanding against Kilmarnock and Partick but found it much harder in the one v ones in Belgrade when he went up a level. Tounetki did okay, but there could still be a dip after his initial adrenalin rush. The jury is still out over Miche-Ange Balikwisha but it’s obvious Celtic are overloaded on the left and short on the right. James Forrest will need to be managed and Yang Hyun-jun remains a frustrating player. When I talk about the combinations and link up play, he is a prime example. The players around him don’t often know what he’s going to do, when you want it to be almost instinctive on the pitch. You often see the difference when Forrest comes on, he knows where he should be and where to look for the lay-offs and runs. Benjamin Nygren has shown signs he can too, but having a genuine centre forward in Iheanacho is a huge difference. You could see it in the second half the other night. Nygren pinged a terrific ball into him for the goal. It’s probably not a ball that would have worked for Maeda, because that’s not his strength. Iheanacho is a more natural focal point and it will help Celtic with those patterns of play that will make the chances and goals flow more freely. I just wonder if Maeda might be the man to do the team a turn on the right side. Rodgers doesn’t sound sold on the idea but it could be the solution in the short term. Either way, getting the best out of Maeda is essential. This was the best player in Scotland last season and a major asset to the team. I don’t buy any talk of him being lazy or being in a huff. He might be lacking a bit of confidence but he’s not a player who will down tools. Absolutely no chance. He’s got plenty of incentive to get performing again too, with the prospect of a move in January and the World Cup on the horizon next summer. It would be a real shame if his successful time at Celtic was allowed to just to quietly peter out.
