Competition for places is lacking at Celtic, insists Mark Wilson.
The former Hoops right-back reckons whenever the first starting XI is weakened by injuries or suspension, then Brendan Rodgers' side doesn't look the same.
That was particularly evident yesterday at Rugby Park as Derek McInnes' Kilmarnock defeated the champions 2-1 after a second-half stormer in Ayrshire.
"That's both Sundays they've looked a bit shakey with poor performances," he told Sky Sports. "Brendan Rodgers was correct to call it out at McDiarmid Park. The difference is he got a reaction from his team in the second half because they still had 45 minutes to get something from that game.
🍀 "It is glaringly obvious that the backup to the first starting 11 is nowhere near good enough..." Mark Wilson assesses Celtic's current form and what that defeat at Kilmarnock has done for the title race 🔽 pic.twitter.com/klXigeR0nC
— Sky Sports Scotland (@ScotlandSky) December 11, 2023
"Yesterday it was the opposite. They started okay although Kilmarnock still had chances in that first half to score. The second half was as poor as I can remember from a Celtic side for a long time. A real lack of cohesion in and out of possession. They were rightly punished for it.
"Celtic are missing key players, but they've got a large squad and Brendan Rodgers certainly isn't using that as an excuse.
"It's glaringly obvious that the backup act to the starting XI is nowhere near good enough to come in and take those spots and create real competition.
"I think Rodgers will be desperate for a couple of things. To get those injured players - Hatate and Abada - back in the side, but also the January transfer window to come where he can add the quality he's going on about so much."
Cameron Carter-Vickers was a notable absentee on Sunday, with Killie's attackers Kyle Vassell, Marley Watkins, Danny Armstrong and Matty Kennedy getting plenty of joy out of the Hoops' weakened backline.
Wilson insists with the American out of the side the defence simply isn't the same solid unit.
The pundit has challenged either Maik Nawrocki and Gustaf Lagerbielke to step up to the mantle if Carter-Vickers is out for a spell.
"Not only defensively but also in possession. Carter-Vickers is head and shoulders the best defender at the club. There's a calmness about him that he brings to the rest.
"Yesterday, you could see that even in possession, Kilmarnock were quite happy to let Liam Scales and Nat Phillips have the ball because they posed no threat and they were poor in possession. Whereas, Carter-Vickers starts a lot of Celtic's attacks and gets them going up the pitch as well as being a reassuring presence in the box. They were definitely missing that.
"That's a position that is a problem for Rodgers. If Carter-Vickers is out at any stage, who does he bring in? Phillips, who is on loan, will probably go back to this parent club (Liverpool). You've got [Maik] Nawrocki and [Gustaf] Lagerbielke waiting in the wings have proved not good enough to take part so far this season. I think the Celtic fans would like to see one of them to see if it's possible if they could be a replacement for either Scales or Carter-Vickers if they're not at it."
