Griffiths still not quite right as leading man
...and other talking points as Celtic put Falkirk out of the cup on Saturday night
CELTIC’S comfortable 3-0 victory over League One leaders Falkirk in the Scottish Cup at Parkhead earned them a last-16 match against their city rivals Rangers at Ibrox this month.
Overcoming Steven Gerrard’s team, who have beaten them to the Premiership by some distance, in Govan and progressing to the quarterfinals will be something of a step up.
But what did the weekend win, secured thanks to secondhalf strikes from James Forrest, Ryan Christie and Mohamed Elyounoussi, tell onlookers about their chances?
Can Scott Brown and his team-mates record their first Old Firm win of the 2020/21 campaign and then go on and avoid their first trophyless season since 2010? Here are five things we learned.
STRIKERS STRUGGLE
Interim Celtic manager John Kennedy took the opportunity to rest Odsonne Edouard, who both he and his predecessor Neil Lennon have perhaps been overly reliant on this season, and give first Leigh Griffiths and then Albian Ajeti some much-needed game time.
Griffiths worked hard, had several scoring chances and got a couple of half-decent efforts on target. But he lacked sharpness and failed to register what would have only been his second goal this year.
The Scotland internationalist, whose chances of being involved at Euro 2020 this summer look, with the sudden emergence of Che Adams, to be slim, made way for his Swiss team-mate Ajeti after little over an hour.
His replacement went agonisingly close to netting when he fired an attempt just wide of the right post from an acute angle during his time on the park. But there was to be no second goal in five months.
Edouard will depart for pastures new in the summer leaving Ajeti, Griffiths and Patryk Klimala at the disposal of the new manager. He may be able to bring out the best in that trio. If, that is, he decides to keep them.
However, it looks like Lennon’s permanent replacement will need to find a forward or two this summer if Celtic are to challenge Rangers for the Scottish title and silverware next term.
FORREST FIRE
When Lennon suggested in February that Celtic’s season might have turned out differently if Forrest had been fit, he was pilloried for his remark.
Well, on Saturday evening at Parkhead it was hard to argue with his point. The winger started his first match since returning from injury last month and made a definite difference.
He was powerful, sharp and direct and caused the visitors’ defence all kinds of problems. It was no great surprise when he, albeit with the help of a deflection, broke the deadlock in the second half.
Forrest, who has scored five times in 35 appearances for his country, has his work cut out to force his way into the Scotland squad for the Euro 2020 finals this summer after missing so much football.
However, national team manager Steve Clarke is hoping to arrange friendlies before the Group D opener against the Czech Republic at Hampden on June 14. If Forrest keeps performing well he should feature in those outings. He has every chance of forcing his way into the squad in time for the finals on the evidence of this display.
FIVE ALIVE
Celtic managed to make history at Hampden in December despite their on and off-field troubles when they defeated Hearts on penalties in the rescheduled Scottish Cup final; it was the first time that any team has lifted the trophy four years running or won four consecutive trebles.
Can Celtic salvage something from their dire campaign and win the competition for a fifth straight time? They will come up against far tougher opponents than this second string Falkirk team this month. Rangers, who they were drawn to play against at Ibrox yesterday, will be a bit more of a challenge.
But Kennedy’s charges certainly looked right up for it on Saturday and played some nice football at times. They will have a new manager to impress in the coming weeks and that should ensure they perform at their optimum.
BROWN IS BUOYANT
The Falkirk game was the first that Celtic captain Scott Brown had played in since it was announced that he will leave Parkhead after 14 years in the summer.
He showed there will be no shortage of effort between now and his departure with a typically rumbustious showing in the middle of the park. He also highlighted that Aberdeen will, despite his age, be getting a quality player next season.
FALKIRK KIDS WILL LEARN
Winning League One and promotion back to the Championship – something they were denied the chance to do when the 2019/20 season was curtailed prematurely due to the coronavirus pandemic last season – is Falkirk’s priority.
Co-managers David McCracken and Lee Miller left out Morgaro Gomis, Blair Alston, Paul Dixon and Charlie Telfer. But the likes of Lewis Neilson, Euan Devaney and Kyle McClelland, who are all still in their teens, will benefit from the experience.
Celtic will have a new boss to impress and that should ensure they perform at their optimum