Celtics surprise victory over Besiktas in the Europa League has silenced critics and revived hopes of progression, according to Chris Sutton, who admits he initially feared the team selection was a mistake.
Sutton said messages calling the team sheet a "white flag" and suggesting Martin O'Neill had "chucked it" in Europe lit up his phone when the lineup was announced. He withheld judgement, noting that football has a habit of biting you and that O'Neill has a way of making people eat their words.
Gamble Pays Off
The win was a huge result in the circumstances, with few predicting it, including Sutton. Celtic looked dead and buried in the Europa League, but now have hope, though it remains a tall order.
Sutton highlighted the risky calls in the starting lineup: Sebastian Tounekti replacing Callum Osmand, James Forrest at 35 coming in for big-money signing Haissem Hassan, misfiring Kasper Hogh starting while in-form Camilo Duran was on the bench, and Jordan Lotomba being thrown in.
He had sympathy for Lotomba, who was not fully up to speed and faced a tough first start against Leandro Trossard, but said the full back is not to blame for the malfunctioning transfer setup. Hogh had another frustrating night with little service, and Sutton would like to see him and Duran play together, though Celtic lack the legs in midfield to cope, something that may have to wait until the January transfer window.
Impact from the Bench
Osmand was a real livewire, bringing energy and threat, and was brilliant off the bench with a goal, an assist for Duran, and another ruled out for offside. Sutton noted Osmand is starting out in his senior career and needs managing after bad injuries.
With Jota making progress and Yang Hyun-jun potentially back, Celtic suddenly have options, giving O'Neill dilemmas. The final 30 minutes brought much-needed positivity after a week of doom and gloom.
Sutton said the three wins in 10 record was thrown at O'Neill, but the only way to avoid that is to build a run of victories. The questions remain, but the white flag did not go up, and now O'Neill and his team must show they can keep up the fight.
