Arne Engels could be the answer to Chris Sutton’s Celtic concerns

Arne Engels could be the answer to Chris Sutton’s Celtic concerns

Former Celtic striker Chris Sutton has ruled the Scottish Champions out of the title race as they look to make it 5IAR. The pundit believes that a big part that will cost Martin O’Neill’s patchwork side from winning the title is the failure to controls games in the middle of the park, something that Celtic have done well for a number of years.

Speaking on The Warmup, Sutton stated that he doesn’t see Celtic winning five games in a row after they edged a 1-0 win over St Mirren at the weekend.

“I’m ruling Celtic out of it.

“Martin O’Neill says that Celtic need to win all five games, do you think that’s going to happen?

“The thing about the weekend, I’ve never seen St Mirren in all my years in Scottish football, go to Celtic Park and have that amazing turnaround in terms of style.

“They were like Brazil, Celtic could not get the ball off them.

“They were popping it round them, there were ‘oles’.

“Maybe they could have had more of a threat, worked Sinisalo a bit more.

“The reason Celtic cannot win the league is they don’t control games.

“The midfield three, McGregor, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Nygren, I don’t think they’ve got the legs in there.”

Sutton’s comments on the midfield three at the weekend echo a lot that has been said from the stands in recent weeks. All three players have qualities but they are not able to cover a lot of ground, even McGregor has looked laboured of late as he recovers from a minor injury. This means that Celtic miss intensity in the middle of the park.

Arne Engels of Celtic celebrates scoring to give Celtic a 2-0 lead. Celtic v Dundee United, l Scottish Premiership, Football, Celtic Park, 10 January 2026. Photo Stuart Wallace Shutterstock

Hopefully, one returning star can address the concerns of Sutton and help Celtic towards the title. Arne Engels made his return from a groin strain in the game and his powerful running was a major boost. The Belgian also possesses a wicked final ball, which helped create a threat from corners.

O’Neill, Maloney and Fozzy will be keen to get Engels up to speed ahead of the run-in and the two games against St Mirren in the Cup and Falkirk should allow for managed game time before having him set for the final games of the campaign. Engels will be keen to impress, especially with a World Cup on the horizon and the chance that he makes the long list for the Belgium squad.

Engels has the ability to make the midfield runs into the box and cause the defence some problems, he is also able to make defensive tracks in order to assist his colleagues. This ability to cover large areas is something that the midfield have been missing as they struggle to click, resulting in tired and frustrating backwards passes.

The manager spoke about his concern at the display and hopefully he has communicated this to the squad. Sutton is saying the quiet part out loud for a lot of Celtic fans, who are bewildered to find themselves still in with a shout after this catastrophic season.

There is also the outsider option of bringing Luke McCowan into the team to play a more commanding role given his ability to connect from middle to front, rather than continuing to recycle by playing backwards passes. Paulo Bernardo appears to have disappeared from the first team picture, which again prompts some confusion as he has appeared reasonably solid and assured when called upon.