Schmeichel Under Fire as Celtic Crash Out of Europa League
Kasper Schmeichel’s every touch was met with a chorus of boos from a significant portion of the Celtic faithful following a disappointing 4-1 Europa League defeat to Stuttgart. The veteran Danish goalkeeper, a former Premier League title winner, found himself in the firing line after conceding two goals that were widely described as “soft.”
The first of Bilal El Khannouss’ brace saw Schmeichel slow to react, and his attempt to parry a low drive from Jamie Leweling was equally unconvincing. These moments of doubt from their number one goalkeeper only amplified the existing frustration among the Celtic support, who were already expressing their discontent with the club’s board by disrupting the match in its opening stages with balls being thrown onto the pitch.
Despite the growing criticism, Celtic manager Martin O’Neill publicly backed his goalkeeper. However, Schmeichel bore the brunt of both fan ire and pundit analysis.
Pundits Question Goalkeeper’s Form
Former Scotland international James McFadden, speaking to the BBC, articulated a common sentiment: “It looks to me as if he is not expecting shots, which is strange for a goalkeeper. He’s expecting defenders to stop every shot.” He went on to suggest that opposing teams have identified a potential vulnerability.
“Teams will be saying there appears to be a weakness to his left-hand side,” McFadden observed.
Chris Sutton, a former Celtic striker, took to X (formerly Twitter) to voice his concerns. “This is a bang average Celtic team outclassed by an OK Stuttgart team,” he posted. “Schmeichel has been a top-class keeper but he’s becoming a liability and he’s not the only one…”
A Pattern of Errors
This latest performance marks a worrying trend for Schmeichel, with a string of uncharacteristic errors having already drawn the frustration of Celtic fans throughout the current season. Matches against Kilmarnock and Bologna, among others, have seen similar moments of concern, leading to increased scrutiny of the experienced shot-stopper.
Despite the mounting pressure, manager O’Neill appears steadfast in his decision to retain Schmeichel as his starting goalkeeper.
“Kasper has made some great saves while I’ve been here,” O’Neill stated in defence of his player. “This is a collective, there’s no doubt about that.”
He recalled a crucial save in a must-win game against Feyenoord. “We played Feyenoord in a game we probably had to win and he made an unbelievable save, otherwise we wouldn’t be here playing tonight.”
O’Neill indicated that while he would consider all options before the next fixture, he remained supportive of Schmeichel. “I will think about all sorts of things [before the next game], but Kasper has done really well since I’ve arrived at the football club.”
Captain Callum McGregor echoed the manager’s sentiments, emphasizing the team’s collective responsibility. “Everyone makes mistakes,” McGregor said. “Kasper has been amazing since he’s come to the club. He’ll dust that down. We win as a team and lose as a team.”
A Mountain to Climb
While Benjamin Nygren managed to briefly level the scores for Celtic in the first half, the Bundesliga outfit demonstrated their superiority. Tiago Tomas sealed a dismal night for the Bhoys with a fourth goal in stoppage time, leaving Celtic with a significant challenge ahead of the second leg.
The Scottish club now faces a daunting task to overturn the deficit in Stuttgart next Thursday if they harbour any ambitions of progressing to the Europa League’s last 16. The performance has raised serious questions about the team’s current form and their ability to compete at the highest European level.
