Celtic made their way through to the semi-finals of the League Cup with a 5-2 win over Falkirk at Parkhead in the quarter-finals of the competition last Sunday.
Brendan Rodgers watched his side go 1-0 and 2-1 down in the first half before his substitutions helped the team to bounce back and secure the win with four second-half goals.
The Hoops are now back in action in the Scottish Premiership as they prepare to travel away from Parkhead to face St Johnstone this evening.
Celtic have won all five of their matches in the division so far this season, without conceding a single goal, and will be looking to keep up their 100% record in the evening kick-off later.
Rodgers made a number of changes to his side for the clash with Championship outfit Falkirk last weekend, which provided some of the fringe players with an opportunity to stake their claim for a place in the starting XI moving forward.
One player who may have done enough to earn himself a start in the league this weekend is centre-forward Adam Idah, after his impressive showing last time out.
Why Adam Idah should start
Celtic invested a lot of money in the Ireland international during the summer transfer window, as they agreed a deal to sign him on a permanent deal from Norwich.
Sky Sports reported that the Hoops have agreed to pay an initial fee of £8.5m for the 23-year-old striker, which could rise to £9.5m including add-ons.
This shows that the club have a lot of faith in the young forward and he should be rewarded with opportunities to shine when his performances deserve it, which is why Idah should start against St Johnstone today.
The Irish giant scored two goals in the 5-2 win over Falkirk and his two strikes turned the game around from 2-1 to the away side to 3-2 to Celtic, which illustrates how important his goals were.
That showing from the centre-forward came after he scored his first Champions League goal against Slovan in his previous appearance, with his only shot off the bench.
This means that Idah has now scored three goals in all competitions this season, with all three coming in the last two outings, whilst Kyogo Furuhashi has struggled in front of goal.
Appearances
5
1
Goals
1
1
Big chances missed
7
2
Big chances created
0
0
Assists
1
0
As you can see in the table above, the Japan international has missed a staggering nine ‘big chances’ and only scored two goals for the Hoops this season.
This suggests that Idah, who has already outscored Kyogo this term, could provide a more clinical presence in the final third for Rodgers this evening.
The Northern Irish head coach must make a change to the attacking options around the Irishman, however, as James Forrest should be ruthlessly ditched from the starting XI.
Why James Forrest should be dropped
The Celtic veteran was handed an opportunity to start against Falkirk but did not do enough, unlike Idah, to suggest to the manager that he should keep his place.
Football Scotland awarded him a player rating of 5/10 for his performance against the second tier side and cited his lack of impact on the match as a reason for his low score.
The 33-year-old winger was not directly involved in any of the club’s five goals and was substituted with the team 2-1 down after 61 minutes.
Forrest also had no involvement in the one goal that Celtic did score whilst he was on the pitch, as Alex Valle set-up Paulo Bernardo, before he watched on as his teammates secured progression through to the semi-finals.
The experienced forward had provided four assists in his previous six appearances for the club in all competitions but could not add to his tally of assists for the season against Falkirk.
His lack of impact on the right wing and the quality of his replacement is why Rodgers must brutally ditch him from the starting XI in order to unleash Nicolas Kuhn from the start.
Why Nicolas Kuhn should start
Firstly, the German forward produced an extraordinary performance off the bench, replacing Forrest in the second half, against Falkirk to win the match for Celtic.
Kuhn assisted both of Idah’s goals to put the Hoops 3-2 up before getting himself on the scoresheet with two goals to ensure that it was a comfortable victory in the end.
As you can see in the clip above, the former Rapid Vienna forward was the first to react to a loose ball on the edge of the box and crashed a volley into the bottom corner for his second and Celtic’s fifth goal.
The £3m January signing, who was hailed as “magical” by Rodgers in pre-season, has enjoyed a phenomenal start to the 2024/25 campaign.
Kuhn has racked up five goals and six assists in eight appearances in all competitions for the Scottish giants, which includes three goals and three assists in two League Cup outings.
Appearances
5
Starts
4
Goals
2
Assists
2
Big chances created
3
Key passes per game
2.2
As you can see in the table above, the 24-year-old star has also been on fire in the Premiership for Celtic, with his quality as both a scorer and a creator of goals shining through.
The forward has created 11 chances and three ‘big chances’ in just four league starts, to be rewarded with two assists, and this shows that he excels at carving open opposition defences to create opportunities for his teammates.
This is why Kuhn is the perfect player to bring back into the XI to provide Idah with the service he needs to continue his recent run of goals for the Hoops.
The left-footed wizard can create the ‘big chances’ for the centre-forward to find the back of the net and that is why Forrest should be ditched from the team to allow the winger to return to the side.
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2 ByDan EmerySep 25, 2024
