A couple of months back, most Celtic fans did not have too many expectations from Giorgos Giakoumakis. The Greek striker had topped the Eredivisie scoring charts last season but his start to life at Parkhead had been very disappointing. He just could not remain fit for any considerable length of time and even when he was on the pitch, he did not impress. All that has changed after the winter break though.
At this point of time, in the absence of Kyogo, Giakoumakis is looking like the best source of goals that Celtic have. And even when he is not scoring, he is making an impact on games by acting as the focal point up top that the likes of Jota and Liel Abada can play off of.
His importance to this side was clearly visible in the game against Hibernian. Celtic just could not find a footing away at Easter Road, and looked a bit lost going forward in the absence of Giakoumakis, with Daizen Maeda struggling to lead the line.
The good news is that, Giakoumakis could potentially be back this midweek and was left out of the squad due to illness. As reported by Football Scotland, Ange Postecoglou told Sky Sports:
"“It’s just an illness mate. He’ll hopefully be back by Wednesday.”"
Celtic handed Giakoumakis boost and he could be back soon
Celtic just did not get it going in the absence of Giakoumakis and at this point of time, Maeda is not looking ready to lead the line for the Hoops.
But to be fair to him, he just arrived last month from the J1 League and should be given some time to adjust to the Scottish game, just like Giakoumakis needed.
Having the Greek striker back in the mix is very importance as without him, this side looks completely devoid of ideas going forward and resembles a team from last season.