"On a Thursday night full of arresting statistics the one about Celtic firing blanks is hard to get your head around. A previously swashbuckling team now struggles to blast its way out of a paper bag on a regular basis. On Sunday they face a confident Motherwell. In losing 2-0 at home to Braga on Thursday evening Brendan Rodgers' side recorded their fifth goalless performance of the season, which for them is only 12 games old."
"The stat that startles is Celtic went goalless five times last season too, but in 57 games. In Ange Postecoglou's second season they failed to score only four times in 53 matches. In the Premiership, Hearts have scored almost double Celtic's number of goals. Motherwell, Dundee United, Hibs, Kilmarnock and Livingston have all outscored Celtic in the league. This kind of thing is unheard of in the modern age."
"Rodgers is a good enough manager to turn this around and maybe that starts on Sunday. Maybe. But before and after the defeat to Braga, he mentioned some of the team's numbers from last season by way of stark contrast. In the first 12 games of last season Celtic scored 38 goals. In the first 12 of this season they've scored 17."
Celtic have recorded five goalless performances in their first 12 matches, the most this early since 1991-92. The team has scored 17 goals in the opening 12 games this season, compared with 38 in the same period last season. A Kelechi Iheanacho effort was ruled out for a handball, but offensive creativity and finishing have declined markedly following the sale of key attacking players. Several Scottish Premiership clubs — Hearts, Motherwell, Dundee United, Hibs, Kilmarnock and Livingston — have outscored Celtic in the league. Brendan Rodgers acknowledges the problem and is seeking tactical solutions ahead of the Motherwell match.
Read at www.bbc.com
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