Former Celtic assistant manager Johan Mjalby has urged Brendan Rodgers and his team to learn from back-to-back defeats against Rangers, insisting they cannot afford to be complacent despite their strong position in the Scottish Premiership title race.
Celtic, who are still 13 points clear at the league summit and remain on course to secure another domestic title, have now lost consecutive Glasgow derby clashes, raising concerns over their approach in these high-stakes encounters.
Speaking on Premier Sports’ Scottish Football Social Club, Mjalby didn’t hold back in his assessment of the situation.
“I would be fuming, I’m telling you that,” he admitted. “Yes, I know it’s all about winning trophies, so in that sense, Celtic have the bragging rights. But for Brendan Rodgers, I think he must learn because he’s a perfectionist.
“He’s looking for the perfect team and the perfect game to play. For him now to build his team to be really good on the ball, to always build out from the back - now they’ve failed twice against their biggest challengers.”
With another Old Firm showdown scheduled for after the league split, Mjalby believes Rodgers will have to make adjustments, not just in personnel but also in tactical approach.
“It’s going to be interesting to see in the next Old Firm. I’m quite sure Brendan is going to have something in his back pocket. He’s going to change something, and it might not just be the personnel," he explained.
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Despite Celtic’s dominance in the title race, Mjalby believes these defeats should serve as a wake-up call to everyone at Parkhead.
“At the end of the day, it’s probably good in this season where it looks as though Celtic have a good chance to win the Treble, but they are definitely going to win the league,” he said.
“It’s probably good in that sense that these two defeats have come because it is a wake-up call—not to get like a fat cat and think everything is just happy days all the time. I’m looking forward to the next one.”
Celtic have already won the League Cup this season, with further Scottish Cup and Premiership glory still in reach, so Rodgers must now ensure his team responds in the right way to prevent their recent derby woes from casting a shadow over their overall season.
