The deja vu was chronic.
Scott Bain was picked ahead of Vasilis Barkas for the second leg of Celtic’s Champions League qualifier against Midtjylland after the latter’s horrendous error last week.
After 60 minutes without Celtic conceding a shot on target, Bain fumbled an easy cross across his six-yard-box that nearly resulted in a goal and Celtic’s young defence — which, despite all the mitigating circumstances, were relatively composed until the incident — became visibly unnerved. Minutes later they conceded the equaliser that undid Callum McGregor’s incredible volley, with Greg Taylor exposed by a ball over the top.
Celtic never really recovered. They went down 2-1 and were eliminated from the Champions League with a whimper — a tie with FK Jablonec of the Czech Republic now awaits in the third round of Europa League qualifying.
It would be absurd to claim that Bain was directly responsible for the spluttering of his outfield team-mates, but his mistake catalysed the chain reaction.
There was deja vu for last week, and not just because of the goalkeeper howler. Celtic again dominated possession and chances, as they did last week, and again failed to make it count. They again played well in spells, as they did last week, and again they looked agonisingly lacking in player quality in important positions. Again, they had to field a back five that has a credible case to be the weakest in living memory playing in a competitive game. Again, the once-talismanic Odsonne Edouard underperformed. But there was also deja vu from last season.
Celtic veer between one first-team goalkeeper and another, each producing their share of errors while the same unimaginative names are once again touted as potential saviours.
