Ange Postecoglou has explained why James Forrest and Giorgos Giakoumakis struggled so much to make an impact under him in 2021.
Giakoumakis was a summer arrival from VVV-Venlo in the Eredivisie. Forrest, meanwhile, has been a household name at Parkhead over the years with big things expected of him again this season.
But neither would consider the first half of the season a success. Forrest does have 3 goals and 3 assists, but he struggled for momentum in large spells after being sidelined more than once. Giakoumakis only has 1 Celtic goal to his name, but injury woes have also followed him combined with sheer bad luck with regards to his penalty miss against Livingston.
Fortunately, both men featured against Hibs last night after returning to full fitness and the pair looked strong. James was given 82 minutes whilst Giakoumakis was handed the closing stages. And speaking after the contest via Celtic TV, Ange put their struggles in the first half of the campaign due to not having a solid pre-season:
“Guys like Giakoumakis and James Forrest – there’s a few in that boat who I guess it’s hard for people to understand. But when you miss a pre-season like they did and it was so interrupted, trying to play catch-up during a season is awfully difficult. They always come in and they pick up little niggles and we have to get put out again.
“So again they’re guys who are looking forward to a strong second half of the year. We’re going to need them. Absolutely we’re going to need them. So it was good to get them some game-time today, and with the games coming up they’ll all get significant game-time through this early period. We need to have a strong squad to cope with what’s ahead.”
Forrest and Giakoumakis clearly ready to hit their Celtic reset buttons
It was a massive boost seeing so many previously injured stars return to action against Hibs last night. The likes of Jota got a runout whilst Joe Hart was back between the sticks after missing the final 2 games of 2021.
However, Forrest and Giakoumakis both deserve acknowledgments for their performances even if their spells on the pitch differed greatly. James, for example, was a constant menace as his direct running caused Hibs plenty of problems. Operating on both the right and the left, he was almost impossible to control for the Easter Road side.
As for Giakoumakis, the signs were positive again. He was strong in the hold-up play and made some key runs that just weren’t spotted by his teammates. He also provided himself with a decent opening in the closing stages that came from him peeling off the Hibs backline. A fine cameo indeed.
There are certainly major improvements for both players to make in the coming weeks. Giakoumakis has one heck of a battle battling his way into that number 1 jersey too. But it’s a sign of the strength Ange is now able to point to when it comes to depth.
Their pre-season woes are now firmly behind them. Both men are injury-free and clearly ready to make an impact whenever the manager deems it necessary to call on them.
In the meantime, of course, it’s important they continue to go without further setbacks in training. So long as they do that, they’ll both have a major role to play this season.
In other news, Hibernian star laughably claims they largely “dominated” in Celtic Park defeat
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