Celtic crashed out of the Europa League on Thursday night against Zenit.
Celtic suffered a disappointing 3-0 loss to Russian giants Zenit St. Petersburg on Thursday night that ended their participation in the Europa League – and Michael Stewart has reacted by blasting Jozo Simunovic and Moussa Dembele.
The Hoops had been optimistic going into the second leg in Russia after earning a 1-0 win last week thanks to Callum McGregor’s late goal, but a catalogue of defensive errors cost Celtic in Russia.
Former Chelsea defender Branislav Ivanovic scored a header after losing Simunovic in the penalty area, while Dorus de Vries should have done better for Daler Kuzyaev’s second. Aleksandr Kokorin notched Zenit’s third in the second half.
Former Scotland midfielder Stewart, now a pundit with BBC Sportscene, took to Twitter after the match to slam Celtic duo Simunovic and Dembele.
He believes 23-year-old Simunovic was at fault for the first goal and is dumbfounded that he tried to blame his teammates in the immediate aftermath of Ivanovic’s header, while striker Dembele is a “shadow” of his former self.
Croatian defender Simunovic has continually come under criticism this season and he was yards away from Ivanovic as the Russia international headed past de Vries with aplomb.
However, he is expected to continue in the side with Dedryck Boyata and Marvin Compper still sidelined, as the Hoops look to bounce back from their bitter disappointing European display with a clash against Aberdeen at Pittodrie on Sunday.
Derek McInnes’ side will be looking to reduce the gap to six points at the top of the table with a win, while second-placed Rangers play host to Hearts at Ibrox. It could be a determining weekend over the possibility of a title race.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
