KLIMALA LEARNS HIS KEEP AT CELTS
Klimala can be a smash hit now he knows what Lennon wants says old coach Mamrot
FAST learner Patryk Klimala is ready to ease the concerns over Leigh Griffiths’ situation now he has completed an extensive homework course at Celtic. The Polish striker has an open door to step through within boss Neil Lennon’s set-up. Griffiths’ failure to reach the required fitness levels and subsequent omission from the Celtic squad for the trips to Loughborough and France in the past two weeks thrust Klimala into position to grasp a huge chance.
Record Sport columnist and ex-Parkhead hero Chris Sutton is adamant the champions must go into the transfer market for a new hitman to support top gun Odsonne Edouard with the Pole and Vakoun Bayo unproven and Scotland star Griffiths unreliable.
Klimala’s old boss Ireneusz Mamrot, however, is adamant his former charge can alleviate any attacking worries created by Griffiths’ lack of condition now he’s had his education period in Glasgow.
The manager, who is now in charge of Arka Gydnia and remains in touch with the Hoops hitman, developed the striker at Jagiellonia Bialystok and moulded him into the goalscoring weapon which attracted Celtic to part with the guts of £4million to sign him seven months ago.
Klimala toiled for chances to impress in the second half of last term but returned looking stronger after the lockdown.
And Mamrot says that’s because the striker studied what he needed to do before and during the off period and started putting the lessons into practice.
Now the 21-year-old can put his learning into use, having done a similar thing at Jagiellonia.
Mamrot said: “Patryk is ready to play but needs to work with new tactics and systems.
“Maybe the coach wants something different from him than I did and some new things.
“He has to know that and adapt to those styles and expectations but it should be easier for him having had some experiences last season.
“I have experience of this with Patryk myself. When he joined Jagiellonia, he needed time to adapt. But once he learned it all, he became the strong point of the team.
“I hope that will be the same situation for him at Celtic. I’d expect that he can score goals, make assists for his team-mates and he will achieve something.” Mamrot offered an insight into what Lennon will be getting from his hitman during workouts in training at Lennoxtown.
Klimala scored his first goal for the club against Nice during the pre-season trip to France and should get more outings in bounce clashes ahead of the Premiership opener against Hamilton on Sunday week.
Mamrot knows Klimala is under huge scrutiny to deliver but said: “Patryk won’t have any problems dealing with the type of pressures he’ll face at Celtic.
“In fact, I would say he will actually like having to deal with this type of expectation.
“Mentally, Patryk is very strong. He never worries about what people say about him. He just focuses on himself and what he has to do for the team.
“In my opinion, the bigger the club, the better it will be for Patryk because it will just motivate him more to do better.
“He knows that Celtic has a lot of fans but he loves it and the atmosphere at the stadium.”
The striker impressed Lennon and his team-mates by bulking up during the lockdown lay-off and Mamrot insists that’s typical of the youngster’s attitude.
He said: “Patryk was quite strong before he went to Glasgow but he needed to improve upon it. He did it. But that is him. That’s his way of work.
“What he does in his job means he sees what he needs to improve and then he works to make sure that he does it.
“I just hope that it doesn’t affect his dynamics too much because it is important for him to keep his speed and not lose that. “But it is true that Patryk has to improve his game when he has his back to the goal and he is having to link the play. So getting stronger will help him for that situation and that part of the play. “It will also help him to be more of a colleague. Patryk’s speed, strength and power are his best assets. “We have to emphasise that he likes it when balls are played up between the defenders and the goalkeepers and he likes to score his goals but he must learn to do those other things. “The attributes I like most in Patryk are that speed but also endurance. He is always determined to score in every game that he plays and he works so hard. It is an incredible workrate. I never had to ask him twice to do something.”
Patryk is ready but he must work with new systems MAMROT