During halftime of Celtic’s disappointing 4-1 defeat to Stuttgart in the Europa League play-off, attention turned to goalkeeper Kasper Schmeichel.
Former Scotland forward James McFadden remarked, “It seems he’s not anticipating shots, which is unusual for a goalkeeper—he appears to be relying on defenders to block every attempt.”
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“Opponents will likely exploit what seems to be a weakness on his left side.”
Schmeichel was beaten down to his left by a weak shot from Bilal El Khannouss, which led to Stuttgart’s opening goal. Shortly after, the on-loan Leicester City keeper allowed a second goal from a close-range free header.
After the game, Schmeichel found himself in the spotlight once more.
Jamie Leweling’s strong strike from distance—not aimed at the corner—went straight through the 39-year-old keeper for Stuttgart’s third goal.
Tiago Tomas added a fourth in the closing minutes, sealing a tough night for Celtic, who will face Hibernian and travel to Rangers in the Scottish Premiership, with a challenging salvage mission in Germany ahead of them next Thursday.
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The atmosphere at Parkhead was tense, with fans protesting the club’s board before the match and later ironically cheering Schmeichel for making a save.
Former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon expressed disappointment regarding the jeers directed at Schmeichel, stating, “He had a tough night, but he doesn’t deserve that kind of treatment.”
Thursday marked another chapter in a series of mistakes attributed to Schmeichel, following a looping header from Joe Hugill against Kilmarnock last weekend and a goal from Jonathan Rowe for Bologna last month.
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Following the match, Celtic’s players and management rallied around the struggling goalkeeper.
Interim manager Martin O’Neill commented, “It’s a tough night for us. A 4-1 scoreline looks quite poor on paper. We shot ourselves in the foot and conceded some preventable goals. Kasper has made fantastic saves since I’ve been here and this is a collective failure, no doubt about it.” O’Neill acknowledged Schmeichel’s crucial role in earlier games, including a remarkable save against Feyenoord that allowed Celtic to progress.
Captain Callum McGregor added, “Everyone makes mistakes. Since joining the club, Kasper has been fantastic. We win and lose together as a team—there’s no blame here. He will bounce back.”
‘Sinisalo should have been given more opportunities earlier this season’
There’s evidence suggesting Schmeichel’s performance in Europe has been subpar this season. He has allowed 19 goals in nine Europa League matches with a save percentage of just 62%. Celtic’s expected goals conceded stands at 13.96, implying Schmeichel has let in four more goals than the data would suggest.
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McFadden believes Celtic’s season could pivot based on O’Neill’s decision to either continue with Schmeichel or promote understudy Viljami Sinisalo. “Does this impact the season? It could if O’Neill decides to stick with Schmeichel, which is significant. If a switch is deemed necessary for added security at the back, then it must be made.”
BBC Scotland pundit Pat Bonner, who once played in goal at Parkhead, feels a change should have occurred sooner. “I believe Sinisalo should have had a shot at the starting position earlier in the season,” he said.
Despite Schmeichel’s errors, Lennon voiced concerns regarding Celtic’s overall team performance, particularly in a match where Stuttgart proved too strong. “Celtic seemed to lack power and intensity, especially defensively,” he observed. “There was a distinct lack of aggression, which is unlike a Martin O’Neill team. I can’t fathom the absence of passion.”