Celtic were made to come from a goal behind on Wednesday night (November 27), when Club Brugge held the Parkhead side to a 1-1 draw in Glasgow's east end.
A calamitous Cameron Carter-Vickers own goal broke the deadlock during the first period, before Daizen Maeda restored parity on the scoreboard on the hour mark.
As illustrated in The Celtic Way's player ratings, few players excelled on the night, with the club's record signing Arne Engels enduring another quiet even under scrutiny.
As Celtic's most expensive signing of all time, an extra layer of expectation rests on the midfielder's shoulders – however some Celtic fans are beginning to show concern about the 21-year-old's time settling into life at his new club.
Read more:
- Celtic's record-signing Engels must be saved from himself
- Celtic have changed in Europe due to Rodgers says Johnston
On the Celtic subreddit, some fans criticised the Belgium internationalist for being "posted missing" in big moments, not just on Wednesday night but in a handful of other high-profile performances this season so far.
Others pointed to the player's age, and the fact that he's moved to a new country means he needs more time to adjust at Celtic Park; while some others reckon he shouldn't play every game at this point simply because of his price tag.
"The difference between him and Bernardo when he came on was stark," said one Reddit user. "We can't keep carrying him in important games coming up, Bernardo needs a run now.
"If it was someone like McCowan going missing in games like Engels, he wouldn't get a sniff of the 1st team, we can't just play him because he cost 11m."
Another added: "He just needs time to settle; he's young, in a new country playing in a new league, and has the added pressure of the transfer fee with the expectations that brings from fans.
"I agree he needs some time on the bench but that's as much to protect him from some of the more rabid elements of our support who are already starting to get on his back.
"Bernardo has done more than enough to claim his spot."
While another said: "Engels made the same run 30 times last night and not once did the team find him. He ran between the full back and centre back completely unmarked.
"He's 21, never played this much football and just moved to a new country. Rodgers needs to take him out of the team for the next two and allow Bernardo to play."
Again, for the sake of context, here's The Celtic Way's Ryan McGinlay on both Engels and Bernardo via his player ratings from the Club Brugge match:
Arne Engels
A frustrating watch again, the Belgian was careless and ineffective on the ball for the duration of the first half - a big disappointment against his former employers on the night. His second half did not get any better, and he was hooked for Paulo Bernardo on the hour mark. It is difficult to continually criticise the player, but Engels is badly off-form presently - he may need to be taken out of the firing line for his own good. 4
Paulo Bernardo
How is this man not starting games for Celtic? Much like Saturday, Bernardo came onto the pitch and instantly made a positive impact - outshining Engels’ contributions very quickly in proceedings. Another standout cameo from the midfielder - expect his efforts to be rewarded with a start on Saturday vs Ross County - you would think. 6
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