Celtic closed the gap at the top of the Scottish Premiership to just three points by beating Dundee 2-1 away on Sunday evening.
Goals from Hyun-jun Yang and Kelechi Iheanacho, both penalties from Simon Murray, secured three points for Martin O’Neill’s side at the weekend.
The Hoops needed Iheanacho to come off the bench to score the winning goal after throwing away numerous scoring chances in the first half.
Celtic created four ‘big chances’ and amassed 3.80 xG in the game, yet they needed a substitute goal to secure a narrow win against Dundee, speaking of the poor finishing shown by the away side.
Despite bringing all three points back to Glasgow, O’Neill must be disappointed with a number of players who failed to deliver a quality performance for the Scottish giants.
Why Iheanacho shouldn’t start for Celtic
Despite coming off the bench to score the all-important goal on Sunday, Iheanacho should not be included in the starting line-up against St Mirren at Parkhead next weekend.
The Nigerian midfielder has scored three goals in seven games for the Hoops in the Premiership, and scored two of those goals as a substitute. He has scored one goal in four games he has started and two goals in three games he has come off the bench.
Therefore, Iheanacho appears to be more effective as a goalscorer for the Hoops when he comes off the bench, which is why he should remain a substitute for now.
His struggles as a starter against Dundee United before the international break, failing to hit two shots and not giving his team-mates chances, lends more weight to that argument.
O’Neill has some decisions to make about his starting line-up ahead of the clash with St Mirren at Parkhead next week, with some players set to miss out on the starting XI.
A Celtic flop that shouldn’t start again
Iheanacho came out and showed the attackers who struggled in the first hour against Dundee, one of them did not start again in the team.
Tomas Cvancara was named to lead the line for the Scottish giants, ahead of Kelechi Iheanacho and Junior Adamu, and he was completely outplayed by Iheanacho, who did more in 32 minutes than he did in 58.
The Czech player left the field after 58 minutes with no goals, no chances and no help for the team, leaving the field after Murray’s equalizer.
Since joining Borussia Monchengladbach on loan in the winter window, Cvancara has scored one non-penalty goal in eight Premiership games for the Hoops, as well as one penalty.
Added over a 38-game season, that works out to a rate of five non-penalty goals per season for a forward, which is far from an impressive strike rate.
|
Vs Dundee |
Cvancara |
|---|---|
|
Minutes |
58 |
|
Shots |
4 |
|
Goals |
0 |
|
Key passes |
0 |
|
Dribbles are finished |
0/4 |
|
Duels won |
1/8 |
|
The property is lost |
10x |
The Czech international’s game also left a lot to be desired, as he missed 88 percent of his tackles and failed with all four of his dribbles.
Cvancara could not blame his teammates for not doing well in the game, as he had a good chance to make it 2-0 in the first half, running against Jon McCracken before hitting the post with his shot.
Unfortunately, chances of lost quality have become the theme of his time at Parkhead. The 25-year-old striker missed ‘four big chances’ and scored one non-penalty goal in his eight league games.
Celtic have the option to sign him from Gladbach on a permanent deal at the end of his loan, but his performances since January have not been good enough, evidenced by his stats and his display on Sunday.
That is why the clash with Dundee should end up being his last start for the Hoops, as he is not ready to start games now and is not doing enough to progress in Glasgow.
With Iheanacho better off the bench, Daizen Maeda or Adamu should be released as a number nine for the Saints in their next Premiership outing, while Cvancara could start again.
The multi-league winning manager made a public transfer claim to take the Celtic role
The Hoops are looking for their next manager on a permanent basis.
