There are plenty of talking points and areas of concern ahead of Celtic vs Rangers on Sunday, and one of them has to be Andreas Skov Olsen.
Quite simply, the Danish international just cannot play at Parkhead.
The 29-year-old has been an incredible disappointment since his January arrival, on loan from Wolfsburg.
A player out of form, out of confidence and out of sorts was supposed to be a difference maker, and an effective operator to add the star quality to push Danny Rohl’s side to the title.
We all know what has transpired since.
What changed inside a week with Andreas Skov Olsen?
Eyebrows were raised when the teams were announced at Tynecastle on Monday.
Andreas Skov Olsen was in from the start, despite being overlooked the previous week at home to Motherwell, despite the late salvage job that was required.
What changed in the space of a week? That could be one of the pointed questions facing Rohl at Friday’s press conference.
On Monday, Skov Olsen was terrible against Hearts, but he was far from dangerous.
The first couple of times he got the ball in space, he opted to turn inside and quickly pass the ball backwards. Again.
This points to the severe lack of confidence inside the player’s head.
Hopefully, all is well with him, but how can a man who has performed admirably in Belgium with Club Brugge and coped fine in Serie A with Bologna be so underwhelming in the relatively easier league that is the Scottish Premiership?
Disappointment and frustration reign.
Andreas Skov Olsen stats against Hearts
Against Hearts, Andreas Skov Olsen had 29 touches in his 69 minutes on the pitch.
16/20 passes were accurate, but no chances were created and his one shot on target was a tame effort from distance.
He had one touch inside Hearts’ box, three passes into the final third and 0/1 accurate crosses.
His 6.7 rating on FotMob represents the bang average performance that we all witnessed.
When Rangers take on Celtic on Sunday, the hosts will be determined to take the game to the visitors in a high-tempo contest.
They will be fully committed and aiming to get their fans out of their seats as early as possible.
In response, Rangers will need to be aggressive, assertive, and up for the battle.
That doesn’t sound like a game for Skov Olsen but to be honest, very few have ‘suited’ him since his January arrival.
With Danny Rohl under pressure, amid speculation of a return to Germany, he needs a result in the East End.
Every decision will be scrutinised and if he opts for the Dane again, that could come back to haunt him.
Andreas Skov Olsen can’t start against Celtic on Sunday.
