Celtic ace loss of form coming at worst time, may crash down pecking order after Jan
COMMENT
One of the many disappointing aspects for Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers and the Hoops supporters in the 4-0 defeat by Hearts was the performance of Leigh Griffiths.
The striker was playing against a team he has a great record against, and the team he dislikes the most – as he is a die-hard Hibs fan – and aside from an early shot into the sidnetting he contributed very little to the performance.
The only reason he seemed to complete the 90 minutes was because Rodgers was throwing players on in attempt to pull goals back.
The poor performance from Griffiths showed exactly why he seems to be relegated to third choice striker at Celtic at the moment, behind Moussa Dembele and Odsonne Edouard.
It’s a far cry from the opening months of the season, when Griffiths was the hero with goals against Anderlecht and Rangers. Since then he has regressed badly.
What could be the reasons for that? The Celtic ace has always been a streaky player, scoring for a few games in a row then not for weeks.
With Edouard only at Celtic on-loan, it seemed inevitable that he would get some starts and as Dembele is the first choice striker Griffiths is left out in the cold.
The situation could deteriorate further for Griffiths in January, seeing him crashing further down the pecking order. If Dembele leaves Glasgow then presumably a new big name striker would be singed to replace him, and he would immediately become the new first choice striker.
The player has to knuckle-down and prove to Brendan Rodgers than he deserves a place in the first-team, but more performances like the one against Hearts will ensure that he remains on the bench.
In other Celtic news, Aberdeen captain Graeme Shinnie is looking forward to the weekend clash with the Hoops
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