Questions Plague Celtic After Recent Run of Form
The Full Scottish with Brian P. Dunleavy –
Normally, a draw, away, in European competition is cause for celebration.
However, such is the state of things at Celtic Park these days that a 2-2 draw, against Lille, in northern France on Thursday leaves Neil Lennon and his squad with more questions than answers heading into Sunday’s Scottish Cup semi-final against Aberdeen.
Before we get into that, though, let’s take a moment to remind you, dear reader, why the Scottish Cup semifinal is taking place this weekend, as opposed to in the spring. This is the 2020 Scottish Cup, and the semifinals and finals that were supposed to be held in April and May, respectively, were postponed, due to COVID-19.
As a result, Celtic will face Aberdeen on consecutive Sundays, and last week’s 3-3 draw at Pittodrie (again, what in normal times would be considered a “good result”) is not likely to give the Hoops faithful—not to mention the back four—much confidence heading into a match that will only determine whether Lennon’s side can potentially secure a fourth consecutive domestic treble.
Particularly when many of the same defensive shortcomings were on display in France again four days later.
So here are the legitimate questions Lennon’s and his charges will need to answer heading into Sunday’s rematch against the Dons:
- Is Shane Duffy fit? No, the Irishman isn’t 2020’s answer to Efe Ambrose (or Efe Ambrose with a Wolfe Tones CD, as some smarty-pants on social media put it recently), but he hasn’t been the same since returning from the most recent international break. He was culpable, at least in part, for both goals conceded against Rangers and for at least one of Aberdeen’s three a week later. Lennon told the press he had dental surgery two nights before the derby match. Could that be enough to knock him off his game?
- Can Jeremie Frimpong defend? And cross the ball well enough to play out wide? Frimpong can sure run, and he’s class with the ball at his feet. But his final ball? A work in progress at best. The right back is young, and has a fantastic attitude, but with James Forrest out with an apparently long-term ankle problem, the Hoops need a threat on the right side who can get the ball to Odsonne Edouard consistently.
- Can Scott Brown keep up? We’ve defended the Celtic captain in this many times, including recently. However, he was clearly off the pace against Rangers, and Lennon opted to use him as a sub at Pittodrie and took him off in the second half of both European matches since. If this is finally the end, can Callum McGregor take over the leadership role—and can Olivier Ntcham and Ismaila Soro take his place in the middle of the park.
- Did COVID-19 take a piece of Edouard? The Frenchman tested positive for the virus while away on international duty with the French U21s. By all accounts, he had mild symptoms, if any at all, but we know the new coronavirus is serious business, and it affects different people in different ways. Some who have “recovered” end up feeling lousy for months on end. We’ve seen it firsthand. The striker was largely invisible against Lille, his first match back. He’ll need to be visible against Aberdeen for Celtic to have a chance.
- Can Albian Ajeti and/or Leigh Griffiths play a full 90 minutes? If the Frenchman isn’t fit, Ajeti and/or Griffiths need to be. Both have now had plenty of time.
One question notably absent from our list: Is Lennon a good enough manager to lead Celtic? The Irishman felt compelled to defend his record and place as Celtic manager in the aftermath of that 3-3 mess at Aberdeen. We don’t see the need to do so here. Sure, things change, and players tune out gaffers now and again. But Lennon has won plenty of trophies in his time at Celtic.
Can he win another? Celtic surely can’t be expected to win every title on offer in Scotland forever, can they? No, but losing that first will still sting—whenever that inevitably occurs. They’ll need positive answers to those five questions to ensure that it doesn’t happen this weekend.
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