If there were any Midtjylland scouts in attendance at Parkhead this past weekend they'll have been rubbing their hands together at the sight of Celtic's dozy defence being ripped apart time and time again.

West Ham may have some top attacking talent in their ranks but it looked at times like their reserves could have had a field day against their Glasgow opponents who were disjointed and sloppy both in and out of possession.

It could be considered a tad harsh to stick the boot into Celtic's makeshift central defensive partnership when it's made up of Stephen Welsh and 18-year-old Dane Murray. The former a somewhat established Hoops defender by circumstance having deputised for Christopher Jullien for most of last season. The latter, Murray, who only just made his competitive debut for the club - again out of necessity - last week when Nir Bitton was sent-off against the Danes in their Champions League qualifier.

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But whether it's cruel or not to criticise the duo, what is not up for debate is the fact that they will absolutely have to produce a much, much better performance against their opponents this coming week if Celts are to stand any chance at all of making it through.

New signing Carl Starfelt is unlikely to feature, so Ange Postecoglou may not have any choice but to go with the inexperienced pair. But it's not just their manager who seems to have faith in their ability. Greg Taylor reckons they'll come good, too.

The left-back is one of the experienced heads in the Celtic backline at just 23 and he hopes to see the kids improve and silence any doubters they may have who watched them toil against Michail Antonio and his Hammers teammates.

"It was disappointing to lose the goals, but it was important to get more minutes into the legs and we are working towards Wednesday," Taylor said. It’s a massive game in Denmark and it is one that we have to win. It’s as simple as that.

"Last Tuesday, I thought we had a good performance and we need to try and take that into the game on Wednesday. We have to be positive going into the game because I thought for 60 or 65 minutes of the first leg, the performance was really good. Maybe with going down to 10 men in the first-half, we tired a little bit near the finish, but that is normal.

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"Come Wednesday, we’ll go and give everything we have got to try and progress to the next round."

On Postecoglou handing the youngsters a chance, Taylor added: "I’m one of the older ones at the moment and one of the bigger voices and it’s important all of us try to help. Age is just a number. It’s about everyone playing a part and getting us the result.

"It’s about taking opportunities when they come. Debuts for young lads or for anyone can be more difficult to come about when you are winning every week and the team is settled. These opportunities don’t arise as much, so it’s about taking them when you get them.

"There’s nothing different to say to anyone younger. As soon as you are out there, everyone's the same. For example, Liel [Abada] has come into the club, he’s 19 years of age and he looks fearless. He’s positive and that again shows what I said about age just being a number.

"Dane is probably a wee bit more reserved than Welshy. But it is about trying to find that from within and it will come with more games for Dano. I thought he did really well when he came into the game last Tuesday night.

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"It was a bit more difficult on Saturday against English Premier League opponents, but he’ll be ready for Wednesday. Michail Antonio is an experienced Premier League player who plays week in and week out against top-level defenders. That is something that everyone can learn from and, hopefully, it can stand him in good stead going forward."

Taylor was not happy, as can be expected, with Celtic's West Ham outing but he remains confident they can improve dramatically for their Euro test.

That's because manager Postecoglou is crystal clear that they must. The Australian head coach may only have taken his first training session at Lennoxtown towards the end of last month, but already he is getting his points and views across to the players.

Scotland cap Taylor has bought in already. The former Kilmarnock full-back likes his manager's matter-of-fact style.

And one thing can be sure in the fact that his no-nonsense approach will be fully tested - and clear for his stars to see - if they fail to improve in Wednesday evening's second-leg away from home.

"The gaffer has been really good since he has come in," Taylor continued. "He’s been very plain about the way he wants to do things and it’s just about believing in that. Everyone needs to get on board and I’m sure the boys will. The gaffer has been positive.

“Of course, he would have been disappointed after Saturday. It’s not good enough from us to lose in that manner. But it’s just about recovering now and going again on Wednesday."