Callum McGregor

He cannot be our number 1 holding midfielder next season.

He will have a massive role to play and no doubt rack up 30 plus appearances but it can’t be as a mainstay holding midfielder.

He wouldn’t have made a difference yesterday.

This is the most important and most taxing role in our team given our style of play. You need someone who can firstly do the dirty side of the game to protect the defence but also have the ability and vision to dictate the play and tempo.

McGregor has never been a defensive minded midfielder and that won’t change. He’s also now noticeably slower and his passing range has become so predictable. He’s basically struggling in both elements.

We’ve spent £11m on Engels but I think he’s more box to box than a sitting DM. Alongside a striker, we need to spend considerably on a holding midfielder in the summer.

 

He may have made a difference, but we’ll never know.

What we do know is he plays far too many games when he doesn’t need to.

65 mins v faith and countless other ‘rountine’ home games. He has almost 4000 minutes played this season… why is he still so relied on.

 

Yesterday showed that without him there are no leaders on the park.

 

See the wee debate that’s been going on about McGregor in the 6, that I’ve been baffled about. The fact he is always there, and he has been for a long time, people have took for granted his ability and just what he brings.

Yesterday that first half was the ultimate example of that.

 

Nah see the thing is, we do. AJ, Kaspar, CCV all are definitely. Maeda is in a different way, sheer work rate and taking responsibility. So is Jota, he takes responsibility demands the ball, helps those around him. *, McCowan has shown a lot of those qualities as well.

Schlupp to some degree has shown they qualities so far. Yesterday wasn’t about leadership for me, outwith two players (well one for 45 minutes, 2nd half he tried to step up) Kuhn and Engels, they were cowardly. And Engels was replacing and supposed to do the job that we rely on from Callum, and are too used to relying on.

Although, there was a lack of leadership in the dug out from Rodgers. And I don’t say that lightly.