Rodgers must bring down the Celtic man who has lost the ball 23 times

Celtic Lost a little bit of ground at the top of Scottish Premier League After their goalless draw with Dundee United on Sunday.

However, they still have a nine-point lead over Rangers and have enough of a buffer to withstand a few more mistakes before they start to worry about their rivals catching up to them.

Brendan Rodgers They were without a number of their key players for the 0-0 draw at Tannadice Park, including first-choice centre-back duo Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty.

USA internationals were absent from the matchday squad but the Hoops did not struggle defensively without them, as only Dundee United could. He had two shots In the match.

However, there was one star whose absence was felt, and that was German winger Nicolas Kühn, who was not available for selection after receiving the award. Knee injury during training.

The 24-year-old wizard produced Five goals and six assists In 11 Premier League appearances this season, suggesting he could have been the man to destroy Dundee United had he been available.

Instead, Kwon had to watch from afar and Rodgers gave Hyun-Jun Young a chance at right-wing at Tannadice Park on Sunday.

Hyun Jun Yang's performance against Dundee United

The striker was South Korean I only started one of their previous six Premier League matches this season, before a draw with Dundee United.

Interestingly, his only other start came against Dundee in October. In that match, Yang performed Two key passes He created a “big chance” but did not receive an assist for his efforts, in a great first start to the season.

The 22-year-old's strong performance on his first start suggested it was a good decision by Rodgers to select him to replace Cone on the right flank for Sunday's game, but that was not to be the case.

Who played? Opening 61 minutes in the match before he was substituted by Luis Palma, having failed to make much of an impact in a lackluster draw.

As you can see in the table above, the rarely seen Celtic regular didn't do much at the top of the pitch during nearly an hour of play, taking no shots, creating no chances, and not completing any dribbles on the right side of the pitch. Attack.

The 22-year-old is of course a young player who has not had many opportunities to shine and find his rhythm in the league this season, which is perhaps why he has struggled so much. It is perhaps unreasonable to suggest that a young player who rarely plays should perform at a high level when selected.

However, in addition to omitting Young from the starting XI, Rodgers must also leave out Luke McCowan, who has often been reliable when called upon this term.

Luke McCowan's form with Celtic this season

The Scottish midfielder was signed from Dundee in the summer transfer window as an experienced Premier League player who could come in and be an excellent team option for the Northern Irishman.

For the most part, that's exactly what McCowan has been for the Hoops. Before Sunday's draw with Dundee United, the midfield star had produced Three goals and three assists In 11 league matches, including four appearances.

This shows that he has stepped up to provide quality at the top of the pitch when called upon, more often than not, in the Scottish Premiership this season.

As you can see in the highlights above, his most impressive performance in a Hoops shirt to date came in the 5-0 thrashing of Ross County, in which he registered a goal and three assists in the debut.

The Scottish maestro was not eligible to face Rangers in the League Cup final earlier this month, having played Dundee in the previous round, and Rodgers decided to put him straight back into the starting line-up for the match against Dundee United on Sunday.

But it is unfortunate that McCowan has not stepped up to provide the quality he has proven at Premier League level, and he must be left out alongside Young.

Why should Luke McEwan be dropped?

The 27-year-old Dynamo was named ahead of the summer signings of teammates Arne Engels and Paulo Bernardo in the middle of the park, starting with Callum McGregor and Rio Hattat.

McCowan was in the squad to be a difference-maker at the top of the field for the Hoops, and as you can infer from the 0-0 scoreline, he failed to do so.

The Scottish midfielder was withdrawn from play after 62 minutes, with Rodgers opting to bring on Adam Idah to play with two strikers in a bid to go on and win the game, although that tactic also failed to score a goal.

McEwan was unable to stand up to the physicality of Dundee United's defenders. He lost huge 80% (8/10) of his duels Throughout the match, showing that the opponent players found it very easy to overcome him in physical contests.

As you can see in the table above, the Celtic lightweight's use of the ball also left a lot to be desired, with the midfielder losing the ball an astonishing 23 times in just 62 minutes.

McCowan lost the ball 10.5 times per match Average in the Premier League this season, showing that he was nowhere near his best in possession on Sunday.

The wasteful flop also failed to make the most of his opportunities to make something happen at the top end of the pitch, with no shots on target from two shots, and not creating any 'big chances' from one key pass.

Therefore, Rodgers should immediately expel the central midfielder from the starting line-up after he was unable to seize his opportunity to impress from the start.