Celtic Squad Players Having Major Impact on Treble Drive
Celtic has been on fire in domestic competition, winning 11 of 12 league games and tying the 12th. The Hoops have already lifted one trophy and sit eight points clear of second place with three matches in hand for the SPFL title.
It seems as if Celtic can coast to the title, but anyone with knowledge of football will tell you that a successful season only happens when you have a deep squad. Some may suggest that isn’t the case, as Bhoys manager Brendan Rodgers has largely kept the same squad starting this season.
Changes have been necessitated by fixture congestion and international breaks more than anything else. However, don’t get Rodgers’ want to put the same side out there on a weekly basis for a lack of quality in his squad overall.
"“You are playing every two to three days but we have a good squad here and they will all be needed,” said Rodgers.“It is a brilliant opportunity for us to accumulate a lot more points. That is the focus.”"
Naturally managers are going to want to see the best players out on the pitch playing well as part of his best XI players. However, that’s not always possible and that has been seen at Celtic Park as injuries have hit this club at different times.
Those injuries gave plenty of opportunity to squad players and those adjusting to life in the Hoops too.
Former in-form striker Leigh Griffiths has battled a hamstring injury nearly all season long, keeping him from gaining any ground on 21-year-old French superstar Moussa Dembele. Arguably, Dembele’s rise came just as Griffiths’ injury issues happened.
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Without that would Dembele be the first-team choice? Let’s remember he struggled to fit in early on in his time at Paradise. It wasn’t until he hit the major penalty against Astana in Champions League qualifying that he got himself going.
A few more missed opportunities, a healthy Griffiths and we’re likely not seeing Dembele on a weekly basis right now. If we are, it would be as part of a two-striker formation. Dembele’s emergence was huge and has continued to be.
There’s also the case of Eric Sviatchenko, who was closer to leaving for Torino than the first team. He has become a stalwart in the middle of Celtic’s defense instead, beating out the aging Kolo Toure for a starting role rather quickly after getting back to full health earlier this season.
It wasn’t by accident that Sviatchenko got his opportunities on the field. That was due to competition on the training ground pitch.
Now we also have the case of one Gordon Mackay-Steven, who made his first appearance for the club in what seems like years in the League Cup final against Aberdeen. He earned that thanks to his competitive level of play according to Rodgers.
“It has been very difficult for him because he missed out over the course of pre-season and by the time he was coming back the team was up and running,” said Rodgers. “James Forrest, Scott Sinclair, Patrick Roberts, these guys were really playing well so it was difficult for him to get a chance.”
That hasn’t exactly been the case as of late, as Forrest and Roberts have struggled for consistency. Mackay-Steven clearly has opportunity in front of him and has earned a look.
He won’t be the last to get a look it seems, as Rodgers also singled out names like Ryan Christie, Liam Henderson, Cristian Gamboa, Dedryck Boyata as important squad players who could be in line for more of a look going forward.
"“The likes of him, Ryan Christie, Liam Henderson, Cristian Gamboa, Dedryck Boyata, these are boys who have been on the outside, working very hard but haven’t had a lot of game time.“But they are so important to what we are doing here as a squad because for us to be at our best, the players who aren’t playing need to be at their best every day and that’s what improves you as a player."
While some may wonder if Celtic has what it takes to survive the grueling stretch that is about to come, it appears Rodgers believes he has the majority of the squad pointing in the right direction thanks to competition from within.