Celtic lost a bit of ground at the top of the Scottish Premiership table after they were held to a frustrating 0-0 draw by Dundee United on Sunday.
They are still, however, nine points clear of Rangers and have enough of a buffer to afford a couple more slip-ups before they can begin to worry about their rivals catching up with them.
Brendan Rodgers was without a number of his key players for the 0-0 draw at Tannadice Park, including first-choice centre-back pairing Cameron Carter-Vickers and Auston Trusty.
The USA internationals were absent from the matchday squad but the Hoops did not struggle defensively without them, as Dundee United only had two shots in the match.
One star whose absence was felt, however, was German winger Nicolas Kuhn, who was not available for selection after he picked up a knee injury in training.
The 24-year-old wizard has produced five goals and six assists in 11 starts in the Premiership this season, which suggests that he could have been the man to break Dundee United down if he had been available.
Instead, Kuhn had to watch on from afar and Rodgers handed an opportunity to Hyun-jun Yang in the right-wing position at Tannadice Park on Sunday.
Hyun-jun Yang's performance against Dundee United
The South Korean forward had only started one of his previous six appearances in the Premiership this season, prior to the draw with Dundee United.
His only other start, interestingly, came against Dundee in October. In that match, Yang provided two key passes and created one ‘big chance’ but was not rewarded with an assist for his efforts, in what was an impressive first start of the campaign.
The 22-year-old gem’s strong showing in his first start suggested that it was a good call from Rodgers to select him to replace Kuhn on the right flank for the clash on Sunday, but that did not turn out to be the case.
Yang played the opening 61 minutes in the match before being substituted for Luis Palma, after he had failed to have much of an impact in the drab draw.
Minutes
61
Shots
0
Key passes
0
Dribbles completed
0/1
Duels won
2/5
As you can see in the table above, the rarely-seen Celtic starter did not offer much at the top end of the pitch in around an hour of action, with zero shots, zero chances created, and zero dribbles completed on the right side of the 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 may be why he struggled so much. It is, perhaps, unreasonable to suggest that a young prospect who rarely plays should perform to a high standard when they do get dropped in.
However, as well as dropping Yang from the starting XI, Rodgers must also drop Luke McCowan, who has often been reliable when called upon this term.
Luke McCowan's form for Celtic this season
The Scottish central midfielder was signed from Dundee in the summer transfer window as an experienced Premiership player who could come in and be an excellent squad option for the Northern Irish head coach.
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For the most part, that is exactly what McCowan has been for the Hoops. Prior to Sunday’s draw with Dundee United, the midfield star had produced three goals and three assists in 11 league appearances, including four starts.
This shows that he has stepped up to provide quality at the top end of the pitch when called upon, more often than not, in the Scottish top-flight this term.
As you can see in the highlights above, his most impressive performance in a Hoops shirt to date came in the 5-0 thumping of Ross County, with a goal and three assists as a starter.
The Scottish maestro was ineligible to face Rangers in the League Cup final earlier this month, having played for Dundee in an earlier round, and Rodgers decided to bring him straight back into the starting XI for the clash with Dundee United on Sunday.
Unfortunately, McCowan did not step up to provide the quality that he has proven he has at Premiership level, and must be dropped alongside Yang.
Why Luke McCowan should be dropped
The 27-year-old dynamo was selected ahead of fellow summer signings Arne Engels and Paulo Bernardo in the middle of the park, starting alongside Callum McGregor and Reo Hatate.
McCowan was in the team to be a difference-maker at the top end of the pitch for the Hoops and, as you can infer from the 0-0 scoreline, he failed to be that.
The Scottish midfielder was withdrawn from the action after 62 minutes, as Rodgers opted to bring Adam Idah on to play with two strikers in an attempt to go on and win the match, albeit that tactic also failed to result in a goal.
McCowan was unable to stand up to the physicality of the Dundee United defenders. He lost a whopping 80% (8/10) of his duels throughout the match, which shows that the opposition players found it far too easy to get the better of him in physical contests.
Minutes
62
Shots
2
Key passes
1
Possession lost
23x
Duels won
2/10
As you can see in the table above, the Celtic lightweight’s use of the ball also left a lot to be desired, as the midfielder lost possession a staggering 23 times in just 62 minutes.
McCowan has lost the ball 10.5 times per game on average in the Premiership this season, which shows that he was nowhere near his best in possession on Sunday.
The wasteful flop also failed to make the most of the opportunities that he did have to make something happen at the top end of the pitch, with zero shots on target from two shots, and zero ‘big chances’ created from one key pass.
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Therefore, Rodgers must instantly bin the central midfielder from the starting line-up after he was unable to grasp his chance to impress from the start.