'He's off it': BBC pundit says 23-year-old Celtic player looked 'sluggish' last night

By Ben Evans

Celtic maintained their 100% record after the mid-season break with a 2-1 win over Livingston last night.

An Ayo Obileye own goal and Kyogo Furuhashi strike before half-time ended up sealing victory for Ange Postecoglou’s side.

Ex-Celtic goalkeeper Pat Bonner was covering the game last night for BBC Sportsound.

It wasn’t Celtic’s finest performance, but they dominated proceedings at Celtic Park.

Nicky Devlin’s goal just before half-time was one of just three shots Livingston had all game.

Celtic ended the nine with their nine-point lead over Rangers still intact, with the next Old Firm game less than two weeks away.

Three of Celtic’s World Cup stars were in the squad last night, with Cameron Carter-Vickers the only one of those who started.

However, Josip Juranovic still hadn’t returned after his exploits with Croatia, with plenty of clubs interested in his signature.

Bonner admitted during the game that he thought Portuguese winger Jota looked sluggish yesterday.

Coming back from a mid-season break isn’t always easy for players, although Jota has now gone four games without a goal or assist in the league.

He was substituted just after the hour mark, with Sead Haksabanovic replacing him on the wing.

Jota looked sluggish yesterday – Bonner

Speaking on BBC Sportsound, Bonner said: “It’s not been a great night for Jota. He’s looked a little bit sluggish. He’s off it a little bit.”

After spending a season on loan at Celtic last year, Postecoglou’s side made his deal permanent in the summer.

The Portuguese under-21 international signed for £6.5m, making him their most expensive incoming over the window.

He showed glimpses of just how good he can be during Celtic’s disappointing Champions League campaign.

Gordon Strachan said he was better than Vinicius Jr. at times when Celtic faced Real Madrid.

Sadly, Jota looked sluggish yesterday against Livingston, but his side got away with it in the end.

He managed two shots on target, but only three of his ten attempted crosses found a teammate.

Jota misplaced ten passes, although did create one big chance for Celtic before being replaced.

The 23-year-old will be hoping he can keep his place in the side when Celtic play St. Johnstone on Saturday.