Chris Sutton slaughters Kieran Tierney before blasting Celtic teammate who baffled him vs Livingston
Chris Sutton tore into two Celtic stars for their role in their team’s 4-2 victory over Livingston on Saturday afternoon.
The Bhoys were handed a great opportunity after Hearts slipped to defeat against their bitter rivals Hibernian in the early kick-off, and they survived a scare at Livingston to close the gap at the top of the Premiership table.
The hosts twice took the lead in a chaotic opening 10 minutes, but a brace from Benjamin Nygren alongside goals from Hyun-Jun Yang and Arne Engels ultimately eased Celtic to victory.
It proved to be another successful afternoon for Wilfried Nancy, who has responded to his four-game winless run at the start of his reign with back-to-back victories in recent weeks.
Chris Sutton blasts Kieran Tierney and Anthony Ralston
Sutton notably blasted Celtic’s players after their recent loss to Dundee United, a result which brought Nancy’s future under serious scrutiny just weeks into his job.
The former Parkhead hero is well-known for holding his former club to extremely high standards, and he has been among many connected to the Bhoys who haven’t pulled any punches when describing the team of late.
Sutton was on co-commentary for Saturday’s clash at the Set Fare Arena, and he was left seething with the way that the visitors defended as they fell behind in just the third minute of the game.
Cristian Montano latched onto a loose ball from Kieran Tierney midway through the Celtic half, before bursting through the defence to finish high into the roof of the net to open the scoring.
Sutton took aim at Tierney for being loose in possession, but also pointed out the misjudgement from Anthony Ralston in the build-up to the goal.
“It’s a really poor ball from Tierney, Montano reads it quicker than Yang,” the 52-year-old said during Sky Sports’ coverage.
“You’ve got to say, Ralston, I do not know what he’s doing there. He should engage, but he doesn’t engage.”
Ralston’s place may be under threat in January
Ralston’s future at Celtic could be in doubt ahead of the January window, as the demands of Nancy’s system begin to take effect on the team.
The Scotland international is very much a traditional right-back, and he isn’t particularly well-suited to playing the wing-back role in Nancy’s expansive setup.
Ralston featured as the right-sided central defender in the win over Livingston on Saturday, but he didn’t look comfortable at all with the ball at his feet.
Both of those positions are markedly different from where the 27-year-old plays his best football, and that may tempt the boss into trying to replace him this winter.
Nancy will be well aware that only results will cool the pressure on him, and with that in mind, he will be desperate to bring in players who can carry out what he wants effectively.