Celtic: Ange Postecoglou must axe Nir Bitton vs Hibernian | OneFootball

Ange Postecgolou’s Celtic side return to Premiership action tomorrow, with a challenging trip to Hibernian on the cards for the 56-year-old’s Bhoys side – who are looking to extend their three-point lead at the top of the table.

And, following the Hoops’ 2-0 Europa Conference League defeat to Bodo/Glimt on Thursday, with Celtic losing the tie 5-1 on aggregate, the Greek-Australian coach will undoubtedly be hoping for a much-improved performance from his players at Easter Road.

Indeed, there are a number of players who, following their display against the Norwegian minnows, would appear to be at risk of dropping out of Postecoglou’s starting XI on Sunday – none more so than defensive midfielder Nir Bitton.

Should Bitton start against Hibs?

Postecoglou must axe Bitton

While it was not only the Israel international who was well below-par against Bodo/Glimt, with the likes of Tom Rogic, Matt O’Riley, Daizen Maeda and Liam Scales all having games to forget on Thursday, the 30-year-old will undoubtedly have been extremely disappointed with his personal performance in the middle of the park.

Indeed, over his 90 minutes on the pitch, the £720k-rated man was ineffectual in defensive midfield, losing possession of the ball on 17 separate occasions – with only Scales ceding possession more for the Bhoys – and being dribbled past by an opponent twice – with only O’Riley being beaten more times than Bitton.

These returns contributed to the £15k-per-week Israeli earning a SofaScore match rating of just 6.8, while the Daily Record’s Michael Gannon awarded the 30-year-old a five in his own player ratings, as well as stating of Bitton’s display: “Wanted too much time on the ball and got caught out too many times.”

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However, it was not only Gannon unimpressed with the former FC Ashdod man in midweek, with Bhoys Analytics stating their belief during the match that Postecoglou should “hook Bitton now it’s just sad,” while The Cynic also claimed that “Bitton has played like this is a Sports Relief match.”

walking joke” by Bhoys Analytics, or else he could well cost his side their crucial advantage in the Premiership title race.