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SHOULD MAIK NAWROCKI RETURN TO THE STARTING XI AT DENS PARK?

Celtic's second-half of the season has been one of ups and downs. After stumbling down to second place just a few weeks ago, the champions have got their act together and look to be heading on the right track towards securing a double.


Despite some heroic performances from Joe Hart over the last few weeks as the Englishman continues to make his final season at Celtic his best yet, the Hoops are still conceding far too many goals.


Cameron Carter-Vickers' return to the team has alleviated some of the defensive woes, but the Hoops are still shipping plenty of unnecessary goals against teams that they really shouldn't be conceding against.


Celtic conceded three goals against Rangers at Ibrox and followed that up by conceding another three over 120 minutes against Aberdeen at Hampden, and Brendan Rodgers has to do something to address Celtic's defensive frailties if his team are to push for ultimate success this season.


Supporters have been taking turns at playing the blame game as to whose fault Celtic's poor defending is, with a lot of fingers being pointed at Liam Scales.


Many have speculated for a number of months that his purple patch is over and it's time for him to drop out of the team. Celtic definitely need to be in the market this summer for a high-quality option to partner Cameron Carter-Vickers, but for the remaining fixtures of the season they will have to make do with what is already at the club.


Could today's fixture against Dundee be the right time to bring Maik Nawrocki back into the Celtic team?


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Scales' sliding form


One thing that is certain is that Liam Scales currently looks a shadow of the player who was turning in colossal performances against Rangers and Feyenoord in the first few months of the season.


The Irishman was showing strong leadership qualities and relishing in the added responsibility he had taken on with Carter-Vickers out injured. Recently, however, he has looked very rash and has lacked the strong defensive awareness that made him so good just a few months ago.


He sticks out like a sore thumb amongst Celtic's backline as the clear weak link, and showing opponents a clear point of attack is never going to be a good idea.


Risks of rotating the defence


It may be best for Brendan Rodgers to just stick with Liam Scales at the back against Dundee. At this stage in the title race, you need a team that has gelled together, therefore making unnecessary changes opens the door for potential mistakes that can easily be avoided.


Continuity and consistency is the key at this stage in the season, and the risk may outweigh the potential reward when it comes to changing Celtic's defence.




Should Maik Nawrocki return?


It sets a very bad precedent to those waiting in the wings for an opportunity in the first-team if players can keep their starting spots despite performing poorly.


Maik Nawrocki returned to the starting XI just a few weeks ago and performed admirably, keeping a clean sheet against St Mirren.


Today's fixture should see the return of the Pole to the starting XI, and if it doesn't, then it will cast a doubt over the future of Celtic's biggest signing of last summer.


James McKenzie // @JamesWHMcKenzie

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