Following a second successive Old Firm derby defeat, it is set to be an international break of introspection for Brendan Rodgers’ Celtic side.
On Sunday, Celtic were beaten 3-2 by Rangers at Parkhead, the visitor’s winner coming in the final minute of normal time, thereby condemning the Hoops to back-to-back Premiership derby defeats, in front of supporters, for the first time in 16 years.
The Celts remain a whopping 13 points clear at the top, with only nine fixtures still to play, on course for a sixth treble in nine seasons, but Rodgers has much to ponder ahead of their next fixture, a home game against Hearts in a fortnight.
So, could an early front-runner to be Celtic’s player of the season, whose form has tailed off lately, lose his place in the team to a rising star?
Nicolas Kühn's mixed campaign at Celtic
With Celtic 2-0 down, Nicolas Kühn was hooked at half-time during Sunday’s derby defeat, replaced by Adam Idah, and his performance has come under widespread scrutiny.
Speaking during Sky Sports’ coverage, former Rangers striker Krid Boyd said Kühn is “due a big performance” but “was really poor that first half”, while ex-Celtic forward Chris Sutton labelled his display “sloppy”, adding “he was miles off it.”
Pass completion %
71%
15th
Shots
0
=11th
Touches
24
19th
Key passes
2
=2nd
Possession lost
9
=12th
Dribble success %
25%
=8th
SofaScore rating
6.5
=21st
Meantime, former Celtic captain and manager Neil Lennon believed Kühn “lacked belief”, unable to get the better of Rıdvan Yılmaz at any point, also looking “lethargic”, understanding why Rodgers decided to take him off at the interval.
Meantime, Sourav Mahanty of Sports Illustrated notes that Kühn was ‘brilliant’ during the first half of the season, but has been completely ‘off the pace’, so let’s assess the validity of these assertions.
Appearances
25
17
Minutes
1,714
1,125
Goals
14
4
Minutes per goal
122
281
Assists
11
2
Given the clear drop-off in Kühn’s form, as the table outlines, should Rodgers consider alternative options, with one player in particular certainly making a case for more minutes?
Celtic's in-form forward could surpass Kuhn
While many may think that January’s arrival, Jota, is the solution here, there are other ideas Rodgers could try.
Indeed, as Kühn’s form has deteriorated since New Year’s Day, on the flip side, Yang Hyun-jun has found the best form of his entire career in 2025.
The South Korean opened his account for the campaign at Dens Park in January, subsequently on target against both Raith Rovers and Aberdeen, before coming off the bench to score a crucial brace during a 5-2 victory over St Mirren in Paisley earlier this month.
Thus, Yang has scored five goals across his last ten Celtic appearances, having netted only once during his first 49 outings in hoops, this solitary strike coming all the way back in December 2023.
Korean journalist Joel Kim believes the 22-year-old is “growing and developing”, adding that he is “on fire”, form that has seen him included in Hong Myung-bo’s squad for World Cup qualifiers against Oman and Jordan, hoping to add to his three caps for the Taegeuk Warriors in Goyang on Thursday.
After the victory over St Mirren, Rodgers credited Yang’s girlfriend for his upturn in form, stating she has been in the country for “a little while”, with the manager then jokingly adding he’s doing everything in his power to make sure she can stay in Scotland.
Thus, as noted by Josh McCafferty of the Glasgow Times, Yang is currently the man in form, potentially set to return from international duty with even greater confidence, so perhaps he could start over Kühn against Hearts in a fortnight.
He’s primed and ready to surpass one of Celtic’s best players in Rodgers’ starting XI.
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