Former Celtic star Frank McAvennie has called out a current Bhoy for not pulling his weight. The Bhoys are preparing for their biggest test of the season so far, facing Benfica away from home in the Europa League on Thursday night.
Benfica are effectively a Champions League-calibre side, likely one of the favourites to go a long way in this competition, and anything Celtic can bring home from the Portuguese capital will be a big bonus.
Celtic returned to winning ways against Motherwell on Sunday after a three-game losing slide before the break, but they still haven't had chance to show whether they have improved against better sides.
The Bhoys have been poor against decent or good teams this season, often crumbling and looking all too flat, and that frustrating trait will be put to the test in a major way on Thursday night.
Martin O'Neill has said he has been searching for solutions, and we are about to find out whether they work. At the very least, Celtic need to show they can stay in a game against a top side, and it will be a big confidence boost if they can.
But to pull that off, Celtic are going to need big players to pull their weight, and one of those players is Benjamin Nygren. Nygren has bundles of quality and is undoubtedly one of Celtic's best players in terms of technical ability.
But while he scored over the weekend, he did not have a big say on the game, and that's not something you can afford when playing an attacking midfielder.
Playing a number 10 is a real luxury in terms of formation, and for it to pay off, you need that player to be constantly providing and causing danger. Nygren hasn't been doing that, not anywhere close to what he managed last season when he consistently scored and assisted.
It's something McAvennie has addressed, telling the Daily Record: "I still don't know why Oxlade-Chamberlain isn't playing. We have got a gap in the middle which I keep talking about. (Benjamin) Nygren keeps going upfront. He scored a goal (on Sunday) but when he is not scoring he has done nothing."
McAvennie is spot on, and we have criticised the likes of Kasper Hogh and Camilo Duran, but Nygren has provided poor service over recent weeks, regularly going missing. Celtic need more from their top players, and it's an even more pressing issue in games against tough opponents like Benfica.
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