Hoops hero challenges Celtic fringe players | OneFootball

Chris Sutton has been discussing the injury crisis that has yet again arose within the Celtic squad and the players that Celtic will be relying upon to step up and help guide the team through what is going to be an extremely busy month of football in December.

Just as we looked like we were starting to get the bulk of our first team squad back up to full health with the likes of Tom Rogic and Carl Starfelt returning on Thursday night against Hearts we then endured an injury nightmare during the game with 3 of our most important players having to be withdrawn due to injury.

Stephen Welsh of Celtic applauds the fans during the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Heart of Midlothian at on December 02, 2021 (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Portuguese star Jota along with the Scottish defensive duo Anthony Ralston and Stephen Welsh all picked up knocks and as of yet we don’t know how serious these will be. We can only hope and pray that these aren’t overly serious as all 3 of these players have been vital in our recent run of good form and will be hard to replace.

Sutton, writing in his weekly column in today’s Daily Record stated: “Celtic are now a side showing good traits in terms of what’s required to get over the line but they are so heavily stretched and it’s going to get worse.

“The sight of Jota pulling up against Hearts with what appeared to be a hamstring injury is a major worry. Anthony Ralston hobbled off as did Stephen Welsh, these issues could prove significant. Jota’s going to be a huge loss, hopefully he’s not out for long as he’s been superb in the last few months and is a key attacking weapon”.

Anthony Ralston of Celtic arrives prior to the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Heart of Midlothian at on December 02, 2021 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Sutton then goes on to make some good points regarding the potential candidates to replace those who will be missing for the foreseeable future. The likes of Mikey Johnston and James McCarthy haven’t really grasped their first team opportunities this season with them both struggling with injuries and then failing to make much of an impact when they do get game time.

Jota of Celtic arrives prior to the Cinch Scottish Premiership match between Celtic FC and Heart of Midlothian at on December 02, 2021.. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

He continued “I had to check Johnston’s age and it’s hard to believe he’s still only 22. I can remember him playing a Champions League qualifier in Sarajevo a few years ago, he was excellent that night and scored. That was the start of a really good campaign for him and then he dropped out of things.

“He’s someone who needs to show more, for years now he’s been in and around the first team but hasn’t managed to get a decent run in the side. Injuries haven’t helped his cause but his time is now and he needs to show Postecoglou what he can do and on a consistent basis. It looks as though he’ll get his opportunity now as a straight replacement for Jota and he’s got to grab it.

20th November 2021; Hampden Park, Glasgow City, Scotland; Scottish League Cup semi-final, Celtic versus St Johnstone; James McCarthy of Celtic

“McCarthy’s an interesting one, he’s arrived on a four-year contract and has a pedigree and was a high profile signing but again he was on the bench against Hearts, after starting against Aberdeen on Saturday he should be making himself a permanent fixture.

“He’s another who’s had injury and illness issues but he really hasn’t performed, there needs to be much more from him”.

I  agree with Sutton when it comes to Mikey Johnston. He’s always been a fantastic prospect and early on in his Celtic career when he broke into the first team he produced some excellent displays and gave a lot of us hope that he would be a mainstay in the years to come.

20th November 2021; Hampden Park, Glasgow City, Scotland; Scottish League Cup semi-final, Celtic versus St Johnstone; Mikey Johnston of Celtic on the ball

Unfortunately injuries have blighted his career since then but now he has a huge opportunity and needs to show he is Celtic class. I honestly think if he can’t show the manager he’s good enough to be in the first eleven during this spell Ange could be looking elsewhere for wingers capable of pushing Jota for a starting berth.

Again I agree with Sutton when it comes to James McCarthy, we need to be seeing a lot more from him. Unfortunately I think that he just doesn’t suit the type of football Ange Postecoglou likes to play. Previously he played in Everton and Crystal Palace teams which were more defensively minded and the passage of play was more pedestrian which suited him. His main job was to mop things up in front of the defence but at Celtic under Ange he is required to help build up play quickly which I think he struggles to do.

Time will tell I suppose but back in the summer I thought it was astounding that we handed him a 4 year deal and nothing so far has changed my opinion on the matter. Hopefully I am proved wrong.

Conall McGinty

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