Celtic are back in action in the Scottish Premiership once again as they travel away from Parkhead to take on Hibernian later this evening.
The Hoops have already dropped points in six of their 24 league outings so far this season and most recently in their last match against Aberdeen.
An opening goal from Bojan Miovski, who had been linked with a possible switch to Glasgow ahead of the January transfer window, gave the Dons the lead.
However, Brendan Rodgers’ side were eventually able to find an equaliser as Nicolas Kuhn fired in his first goal for the club to make it 1-1 during the second half.
Neither team were able to find the winning goal, despite chances at both ends, and Celtic were held to a draw for the fourth time in the division this season.
After a disappointing result, as the Hoops failed to secure all three points, Rodgers could look to make some alterations to his side to cause Hibs problems.
With this in mind, the Northern Irish head coach must unleash Adam Idah from the start for his full Celtic debut as the towering centre-forward could terrify the opposition with both his physicality and his skills, in place of Kyogo Furuhashi.
Kyogo’s struggles this season
The Japan international has been able to replicate his outrageous form from the 2022/23 campaign and is currently on a run of three goals in 14 matches in all competitions for the Scottish giants.
He racked up a staggering 27 goals in 31 Premiership starts under Ange Postecoglou, who then left to join Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League, last season.
This time around, the 29-year-old marksman has scored eight goals in 24 league appearances for the Bhoys, with a goal every 212 minutes on average – significantly lower than his average of one every 86 minutes last term.
He struggled against Aberdeen as the lone striker for the majority of the match until Idah arrived to provide a focal point to provide him with a foil to play off.
Kyogo Furuhashi | Vs Aberdeen (via Sofascore) |
---|---|
Minutes played | 90 |
Shots | Three |
Shots on target | Zero |
Pass accuracy | 50% |
Key passes | Zero |
As you can see in the table above, the former Vissel Kobe whiz played the full 90 minutes but failed to register a single shot on target or chance created for his teammates, which illustrates his lack of impact in the final third.
FFC recently published an article suggesting that Idah and Kyogo could link up to form an exciting pairing at the top end of the pitch but with Hyeon-gyu Oh still away with South Korea, Celtic need at least one senior striker to bring off the bench at the moment, so starting both may not be viable until their third centre-forward option is available.
Therefore, Rodgers should ditch the Japanese forward and place him on the bench this evening in order to provide the Ireland international to showcase his quality from the start.
Idah’s impact against Aberdeen
The on-loan Norwich City forward was introduced in the 59th minute against Aberdeen to make his debut for Celtic, having joined the club from the Canaries on deadline day.
It took just four minutes for the young gem to make his mark on the game as he sharply and intelligently held onto the ball and turned in the box before laying it off for Kuhn to strike, via a deflection, into the bottom corner.
Idah went on to create two more chances for his teammates and was unfortunate not to have a second assist when Matt O’Riley crashed a shot off the post, after a fantastic first-time pass through to the Danish magician.
The £23k-per-week dynamo created three chances and won 100% of his aerial duels (2/2) in just 31 minutes of action on the pitch against the Dons. Only Luis Palma (3.3) had managed three or more key passes per match within the squad and Idah did it in just over a third of the game.
Along with his creative talent the 22-year-old forward, whom Rodgers hailed as having “huge potential” in the clip below, is also a goalscorer who can be ruthless in front of goal.
The Norwich academy graduate plundered six goals from an xG of 5.83 across 28 appearances in the Championship during the first half of the season, despite only starting 12 of those matches.
This shows that he can make the most of the chances that come his way in the box, which suggests that Idah could thrive off the service that Palma and Kuhn could provide out wide.
Standing at 6 foot 3, with pace to burn, the Ireland international could terrify Hibs with his physical attributes, his creativity, and his clinical finishing in front of goal, as he appears to be the full package as a modern-day centre-forward.
Celtic’s creative wingers
Rodgers could unleash two terrific creators on either flank for the Hoops this evening to provide a constant threat and create plenty of chances for the Norwich loanee to score.
Firstly, Palma has been a fantastic addition since his move from Aris last summer and has quickly adapted to life in Scotland with his consistent quality in the final third.
The 24-year-old magician has produced five goals, nine assists, and 12 ‘big chances’ created in 19 Premiership appearances for the Scottish giants, to go along with 3.3 key passes per game.
No other Celtic player has created more than seven ‘big chances’ for their teammates in the division this season, which illustrates how impressive Palma’s creativity has been, as he can regularly create huge openings for his fellow attackers.
Kuhn, meanwhile, spent the first half of the campaign with Rapid Wien in the Bundesliga and showcased his creative qualities for the Austrian side, as you can see in the table below.
23/24 Bundesliga | Nicolas Kuhn (via Sofascore) |
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Appearances | 16 |
Key passes | 29 |
Big chances created | 11 |
Assists | Five |
The German wizard created more big chances than any Celtic player, excluding Palma, as aforementioned, did during the first half of the season.
Therefore, Kuhn and the Honduras international could be the perfect wingers to start either side of Idah, as they have the creative skills to provide the forward with high-quality opportunities in front of goal, whilst they could also benefit from his key passes to get on the scoresheet themselves.