Source: FOOTYMAD
Not an easy touch
Lennon wants presents of points not disappointment Any visitors to Parkhead expecting an easy time of it are in for a shock if they are looking forward to meeting a vulnerable home side. The holiday period sees a Parkhead double header against St Johnstone on Boxing Day and Motherwell on Wednesday. The side followed late collapses against Dundee United and Inverness with a last-gasp comeback of their own on Tuesday when Thomas Rogne headed home in the 85th minute to earn a 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock. St Johnstone manager Derek McInnes has warned his players not to read too much into the stuttering form of the Parkhead side and Lennon has rejected any notion that they are lacking confidence. He said: "On paper it might look that way but if you saw the game on Tuesday night, particularly the first half, then we could have been four or five up. We weren't and that's down to us and a lack of finishing, that's all that was needed. I don't know if Kilmarnock have played against a team who have pegged them back so much and put them on the back foot for so long. If teams want to come here and think it's an easy ride, then good, let them think that, because it's far from it." Nevertheless, dropping six points over the three games could prove very costly after the chance to move above Rangers, who are two points ahead with a game in hand, was missed again. After winning the first eight games league of the season, Celtic have won just two of the following seven, a run which started with a home defeat by Rangers. injuries have played their part with the latest being Shaun Maloney and Gary Hooper being out for long spells after both suffered ankle injuries in the last two games. South Korea's Asian Cup campaign will see Ki Sung-yueng and Cha Du-ri heading off the visit of St Johnstone. However, Lennon is optimistic they can turn the indifferent sequence of results around with Scott Brown, James Forrest and Beram Kayal all coming back to fitness. He went on: "It's always a worry, it was an opportunity lost the other night, but we're not even halfway through the season so I don't feel the need to panic. If we play like that for the remainder of the season then I'll be delighted because I think we'll win a lot more games playing that way. You would rather play poorly and win. There was a lack of concentration for the goal and a lack of composure in front of goal but overall the performance was very, very good. Ki was outstanding, I know we are going to miss him for three or four weeks. Forrest, considering he has been out for three months, was excellent for a long period of time, he tired a little bit. We've got Brown back, we've got Kayal back. There is a lot to be positive about, although we do have to start winning games."
