IS A CELTIC FORMATION SWITCH ON THE CARDS WHILE WE AWAIT NEW SIGNINGS?
- BY LIAM CARRIGAN
- 7 minutes ago
- 4 min read
I don’t think anyone connected with Celtic is happy with the current squad situation. We all acknowledge that there will be more players coming in and, hopefully, not too many more heading out.
However, the chances of us getting anyone in before our crucial Champions League play-off tie with Kairat Almaty of Kazakhstan appear very slim. Even if Celtic signed 3 new players tomorrow, do we really want to throw them in for their debuts in such an important game?
Is a More Attacking Celtic Formation the Way to Go Next Week?
I would guess most of you would say no to that idea.
Celtic have won two games out of two so far in the league, and against stuffy, difficult to break down, opposition. I expect Kairat will set up with a similar game plan when they come to Celtic Park next week.
However, given that no Scottish team has ever won in Kazakhstan up until now, Celtic will probably need to win by a few goals to feel confident before heading out to central Asia.
Possibly our two best players over the past two weeks have been our full-backs, Kieran Tierney and Alistair Johnston. In addition to solid defensive displays both have made significant attacking contributions, linking up well down the flanks with Daizen Maeda and James Forrest respectively.
Our weakest showing, albeit two games is a very small sample size, has been in attack.
Whether its confidence, fitness, or attitude, I don’t know, but something isn’t right with Adam Idah. The big striker just seems out of sync with the rest of the team at the moment.
It’s too soon to tell if Shin Yamada will prove an adequate replacement.
On the wings, Yang was unceremoniously dropped after the first hour of our opening game, in favor of veteran James Forrest. On the left, Daizen Maeda has been lively, but he also doesn’t look like his usual self. Whether that’s down to a simple dip in form, or something more drastic, remains to be seen.
Back onto Adam Idah for a second. He seems most comfortable when playing for his country, and perhaps this is because Ireland still favors a 4-4-2, or a variation thereof. In any case, more often than not, Idah has another striker alongside him to play off of. The last time a Celtic formation included two strikers was several years ago. Such is the way of modern club football.
However, all strategies have an expiry date, and I think the days of the lone frontman may be coming to an end.
We have a proven striker in Daizen Maeda who many fans, myself included, feel is currently underutilized out on the left wing.
Do you see a picture forming here?
What Celtic could perhaps try, and tomorrow’s League Cup game against Falkirk represents a great opportunity for such an experiment is a 3-5-2.
With the recent acquisition of Jahmai Simpson-Pusey, Celtic now have 5 central defenders in our current first team squad. Both Kieran Tierney and Hayato Inamura can also play in central defense if needed, though I think most would agree they both better suit playing at full-back.
A shortage of attackers, an abundance of defenders, and two very pacy overlapping full-backs who love to attack down the wings. Celtic could go with a 3-5-2, with, for example Auston Trusty, Cameron Carter-Vickers and Liam Scales as a back three.
We then push Johnston and Tierney up into midfield, operating as wing backs.
The starting midfield trio of Hatate, McGregor and Nygren are probably a given at this point, though Engles, McCowan or Bernardo can also slot into this formation if need be.
You then have Daizen Maeda and Adam Idah up front. And if Idah still can’t find his shooting boots, or Daizen continues to look below par, then Kenny and Shin both stand by ready to deputize.
This formation also allows us to adopt a more defensive posture when needed (The humidity and possible fatigue of Almaty in just under 2 weeks’ time springs to mind).
It’s putting a sticking plaster over the metaphorical gaping wound, but for the time being, I think this may be the best way for Celtic to achieve the best possible result with the player resources we have currently available.
The 3-5-2 also gives us a much-needed plan B for games like St. Mirren where time is wearing on and we just can’t seem to crack a stubborn defense.
Ultimately Brendan Rodgers will decide what’s the best way forward next week. That’s why he’s the Celtic manager and I’m sat in front of a keyboard thousands of miles away.
I’m just putting this out there as an idea. Maybe I’m missing something, but to me it seems like just the kind of tactical shake up Celtic are currently crying out for.