Celtic manager Martin O'Neill is facing questions over his team selection following a heavy 3-0 defeat to Rangers in the Premier Sports Cup quarter-final at Ibrox on Sunday, with pundits pointing to several puzzling decisions that failed to pay off.
Chief among the concerns was the inclusion of Sebastian Tounekti in the starting line-up, with Yang Hyun-jun unavailable due to international duty. The Tunisia winger had struggled badly in midweek, losing possession 23 times during Celtic's 1-0 win over St Johnstone - a performance former Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner branded "awful". Tounekti's difficulties continued at Ibrox, where he was overpowered by Rangers right-back Dujon Sterling and withdrawn at half-time for summer signing Haissem Hassan, who arrived from Real Oviedo in a deal reportedly worth up to £9m.
The change did little to alter the course of the match, with Celtic already trailing at the interval and unable to find a way back into the contest. Reflecting on Tounekti's display, Bonner suggested O'Neill may now reconsider his role in the squad. "That was a question, should Tounekti start or not?" Bonner said. "O'Neill went with him but I think he now realises that maybe he's not the player that's going to be dominant in this team. Sterling absolutely dominated him, and Sterling was playing almost like a third centre-half." Bonner added that Hassan, despite not being fully match fit, should have started given the fee Celtic paid for him.
O'Neill's attacking setup also drew criticism elsewhere. With Kasper Hogh back from injury, the Danish forward was preferred through the middle once again, pushing Camilo Duran - who had impressed in a central role during the win over St Johnstone - out to the flank. Neither player managed to make a telling impact against Rangers. Former Ibrox defender Andy Halliday was particularly critical of Hogh's contribution, saying on Premier Sports: "Kasper Hogh has blown hot and cold for Celtic so far, but he was absolutely freezing today. On the ball, off the ball - no desire, no willingness to get back and defend for his team."
Hogh was substituted in the 64th minute, after which Duran moved back into a central position, only to be replaced himself 13 minutes later by Shim Mheuka as O'Neill searched for a spark that never arrived.
Defensively, O'Neill also opted to break up his regular centre-back pairing of Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty, who had started together in seven of Celtic's nine matches this season. Kieran Tierney was recalled at left-back, with Liam Scales shifting inside alongside Carter-Vickers. In goal, on-loan Wolves stopper Sam Johnstone retained his place despite Viljami Sinisalo having kept four clean sheets in eight appearances this term. Johnstone made several sharp saves against St Johnstone but appeared short of sharpness at Ibrox, understandable given it was only his second competitive outing since March. Rangers striker Kevin Kelsy spurned an early chance after Johnstone's clearance fell straight to him, while Kim Min-Su saw an effort cleared off the line by Scales following a mistake from the goalkeeper. Johnstone was also targeted vocally by the home crowd throughout the afternoon.
Speaking after the match, O'Neill acknowledged the scrutiny that inevitably follows a defeat of this magnitude. "If you've been beaten in a game you always think about selection," he said. "I'll think about my own part in proceedings first of all and then we'll see. I wanted people to experience this atmosphere and they certainly did that today."
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.