da premier bet： Not too many players at Celtic would have been displeased about winning 5-0 at the weekend.
da dobrowin： The Bhoys were at their best as they overcame St Mirren in devastating circumstances but the result should have meant bad news for one man in particular.
On the chalkboard
After drawing 2-2 with Livingston in midweek this was the ideal result for the Hoops as they bounced back from that tough encounter.
It’s not often Neil Lennon’s side drop points – they’ve failed to win on just four occasions – so this was a test of their resolve as they looked to open up their advantage over Rangers.
A 5-0 win showed their dominance over Scottish football but Leigh Griffiths was particularly bright, netting a hat-trick.
Those goals meant the forward has now registered seven strikes in 2020 alone, turning the page following a break from the game where his future in football looked in doubt.
Alongside Odsonne Edouard, Celtic once again have two strikers they can rely on to grab the goals on a regular basis. Although that’s good news for the club, it doesn’t bode well for Mohamed Elyounoussi.
The casualty
Griffiths’ hat-trick should be a dagger to the heart of Elyounoussi who has done very little wrong in his time at Celtic Park, scoring seven and assisting six.
However, the Southampton loanee has been the victim of the system Lennon now gets his team to play with.
The Norwegian is a winger by trade but the Celtic boss has preferred to set his team up in a manner that accounts for three central defenders and two wing-backs. Among that, Lennon plays with two central strikers.
With Elyounoussi not naturally gifted when it comes to defending, it’s meant that he’s had to sit on the bench since returning from injury or play out of position up front when Griffiths hasn’t been favoured. The second aspect has been a rarity, however.
The 25-year-old was deployed on the wing against Copehagen a few weeks ago but even then he spurned a tremendous opportunity in the first half to score. He isn’t a man in form, failing to contribute to a single strike since returning.
However, with the system change and Griffiths now bang in form playing in attack, it seems difficult to envisage Elyounoussi getting into the side. It also feels tricky to see him arriving for a fee once his loan expires.
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Southampton value the player at £10m and could move to Glasgow in the summer on a permanent transfer but at this moment in time, it would be foolish to spend that on someone who doesn’t play regularly.
Griffiths should be putting any potential plans Nick Hammond and Lennon had for Elyounoussi to bed. After failing to score in midweek and then being dropped to the bench last weekend, he could well become the biggest casualty of his teammate’s good fortunes.
In other news, loads of Celtic fans SLAMMED one man who “couldn’t beat an egg” on Saturday…