Celtic’s break of over a week since they last played has been a welcome one.
Following a 4-1 drubbing against their biggest rivals, the last thing the Hoops will have wanted was another humiliation during a catastrophic season.
This will have been a chance for the Bhoys to reflect and evaluate what went wrong last time out, while it will also have done the playing staff some good to get away from the limelight for a while.
On the chalkboard
Celtic now have two games left before their season climaxes but they will be without Callum McGregor when they face St Johnstone on Wednesday evening.
Tipped to become the Celtic captain when Scott Brown departs Paradise, the midfielder was particularly poor in the hammering against Rangers.
He did his side no favours with a succession of poor tackles that eventually led to a red card being shown.
[snack-amp-story url= "https://www.footballfancast.com/web-stories/read-the-latest-celtic-manager-and-transfer-news-howe-favre-mcgregor-mccann-tierney" title="Read the latest Celtic manager and transfer news!"]
Already cautioned and in the referee’s notebook, McGregor went sliding in on Glen Kamara and caught him late. The result of which was an early bath and a premature end to his Old Firm derby.
The 27-year-old won’t be available for selection this week but there is a simple solution to John Kennedy’s problems.
Sublime Soro
Ismaila Soro has had a topsy-turvy campaign at Parkhead but it’s hard to deny he doesn’t deserve more opportunities in the middle of the park.
He may well earn more minutes when Brown heads to Aberdeen but this should represent the ideal time to audition for a permanent role in the starting XI.
A little bit rash and naive at times, he needs to discover more maturity in the near future.
Speaking exclusively to Football FanCast in April, Frank McAvennie said; “He reminds me of Kante when he was at Leicester and also so much of Scott Brown when he came in the team and caused a lot of fouls and got booked a lot, before the maturity came through.
"I think Soro could be a little tenacious player in there, I think he could do a job."
Soro has certainly shown promising moments in a Celtic shirt.
In the build-up to the Christmas period, the 5 foot 8 midfielder was nothing short of exceptional. The Hoops endured a horrendous European experience this season but when they surprisingly beat Lille, Soro was the beating heart of the performance.
He completed a mighty ten tackles and also won two interceptions during an impressive win for Neil Lennon’s side.
Dominant in the tackle and capable of bursting forward, it’s surely only a matter of time before he becomes a real star in this team.
Linked with a move to Tottenham Hotspur last week, he is a player full of energy. Speaking after his initial transfer to Celtic, his former coach Ori Guttman said he possessed “explosive power.”
It’s not easy to find an individual with that in their locker but that’s why the £11k-per-week earner could become so pivotal to the Bhoys in the coming years.
During the 2020/21 campaign, the Ivorian has won 1.9 tackles per match, the highest number of anyone to play more than once for Celtic this season.
With McGregor’s suspension in mind, Kennedy must hand Soro his first start since February. He may well hold the keys to victory on Wednesday evening.