Jota made an immediate impact upon his return to Celtic in January.
From shedding joyful tears after scoring against Motherwell to adding several more goals to his name, the Portuguese winger has looked right at home back in Glasgow.
However, during Celtic’s 1-0 loss to St Johnstone, Jota, like many of his teammates, appeared visibly frustrated as the hosts claimed a deserved win at McDiarmid Park on Sunday.
Brendan Rodgers opted to make changes at the break, subbing off Nicolas Kuhn and Jeffrey Schlupp, though he could’ve made more as Celtic’s slow, predictable passing stifled any attacking momentum.
According to Paul Slane, that sluggishness sparked a furious reaction from Jota, who lost his temper with Auston Trusty and the defence for their failure to move the ball forward quickly enough.
Jota lashes out at Celtic defence for slow build-up play
He wasn’t alone in his frustration, as Adam Idah was also seen venting at a teammate during the game.
“Jota totally lost it at Trusty at one point,” Slane said on Open Goal. “He was raging at the back-four for not feeding him the ball faster. When he did get it, he was always looking to take someone on.”
Slane added that while Jota tried to make things happen – including a slick first-half move where he beat two players before getting a shot off – others like Kuhn and Yang seemed more focused on recycling possession rather than taking risks.
“There wasn’t much space, sure, but that’s exactly when you need to try and beat your man. Just knocking it backwards is far too easy to defend.”
Questions arise over Schlupp’s future
St Johnstone’s winner came from a Daniels Balodis header, with Jeffrey Schlupp losing track of his run in the box.
That defensive lapse sparked debate over Schlupp’s long-term prospects at Celtic. Currently on loan from Crystal Palace and earning a significant wage, his performance raised doubts about whether the club should pursue a permanent deal for the Ghanaian midfielder.
