The Chuckle brothers

The two strikers may have bagged the headlines along with their goals, but it is the midfield where Celtic's improvement was most obvious. The industrious pairing of Hartley and Robson might not be the most creative, but they won the ball, kept possession and used it with the kind of control and dominance that other pairing have struggled to do in that position since the turn of the year, and before, infact.

With Celtic's creative players holding wide positions this season (Nakamura and McGeady), surely too much importance has been placed on getting a creative yet hardworking balance in the middle of the park. If the Celtic midfield can win the ball using their aggression and energy, be available to take the ball from defence, and be able to use the ball well enough, surely that will be enough to win the majority of midfield battles they will encounter. With the style of the hoops wide men, I don’t imagine the type of swashbuckling and steely grit that the Scottish Hartley and Robson provide, would adversely affect Celtic as a forward moving unit.

As long as at least one of the central midfielders, (alongside a wide man, and both strikers) are moving and supporting attacks then it should be enough for the mercurial Irishman, and the class of Nakamura. Energy and aggression in the middle is not enough without the consistency of team selection in order for the players to understand and forge on field combinations. If Brown cant figure out how to use his assets alongside a partner, then perhaps Paul and Barry will be given a chance between now and the end of the season....