One of the biggest plus points from Ange Postecoglou’s reign as Celtic manager so far has been Tom Rogic.
The Australian pair have worked together at international level before and it would appear that the attacking midfielder’s career has been revived somewhat.
In 2020, it looked as though Rogic was heading for the exit door. There was interest from overseas and a campaign of rarely featuring only heightened the chances of a departure in the last few months.
Yet, Postecoglou’s arrival has been timely. Rogic scored against Dundee in the 6-0 rout and then claimed an assist in the 6-0 hammering of St Mirren too.
A first start for his country since 2019 over the last two weeks also signified how big of a comeback he’s made.
Yet, after returning to Glasgow this weekend, he looked off the pace. Few can blame the Aussie for a tired display after travelling around the world but Celtic can be fortunate that it didn’t cost them.
The Hoops still routinely beat Ross County 3-0 but were let down by the 28-year-old who was taken off with 12 minutes remaining.
It was a performance that was distinctly out of character with the midfielder’s showings this term.
He gave away possession on 16 occasions, the second-highest number by a Celtic player and prevailed in just 22.2% of his defensive duels.
That meant that Rogic won two of the nine aerial and ground battles that he competed in throughout the clash.
On top of that, his pass success rate stood at a measly 71%, the worst by any Hoops player apart from Albian Ajeti.
The Australia international did provide two key passes but his ill-disciplined performance was summed up by a couple of fouls.
Rogic has impressed significantly under the stewardship of his fellow countryman but this was a display to forget for Celtic’s number 18.
Here’s hoping he can rediscover his early season form sooner rather than later.