Jonjoe Kenny may have settled in well at Celtic, but he’ll likely still be kicking himself with his two costly Glasgow Derby errors last month.
In the recent encounter between the sides at Celtic Park, we could only muster up a 1-1 draw. That’s despite the fact we were by far the better team and were dominating the contest for large spells. Rangers struggled to touch us.
John Kennedy took the brunt of the criticism for failing to see the game out. And that was only right given the fact he made some mind-boggling in-game decisions that allowed Rangers to get off the hook.
With so much of the spotlight on him, however, not many were left discussing Kenny and the key errors he made. Celtic were bossing the derby and were in control of possession when the right-back stumbled. He sent a long pass back to Scott Bain when there were simpler balls around him. His pass would be way off key, and actually gave Rangers a corner-kick. It was a bemusing moment at the time.
He then allowed Ibrox striker Alfredo Morelos to run off him too easily to glance home at the far post. Had he stuck with the run, it’s likely Kenny would’ve been able to clear it before Morelos was provided with an opportunity. Thus, our lead would’ve been maintained and we almost certainly would’ve gone on to win the game.
Steady Jonjoe Kenny needs to stay switched on for 90 minutes in today’s Glasgow Derby
Outside of that minute or two of madness, Kenny actually had a steady Glasgow Derby debut. He generally kept Ibrox winger Ryan Kent in check, and didn’t get beaten in the one-v-one battles in the way some would’ve feared.
The loan defender – currently at Parkhead from Everton until the end of the season – is a certainty to start today. Celtic have no other dependable right-back on their books. Therefore, today presents an opportunity for him to redeem himself.
He’s well capable, as he showed last month. Had he not made that poor back-pass alone, he likely would’ve had a commendable outing. But the fact is it happened and it cost Celtic supporters some major bragging rights over their rivals.
Kenny owes Celtic fans 90 minutes of sheer reliability today. He doesn’t need to do anything flashy. He doesn’t need to try and make himself a hero. Just focus on keeping tabs on Kent and ensuring he has next to no impact on the game. If he does that, he’ll have done his job and admirably so.
It’s looking highly unlikely that Jonjoe will be here next season of course. What with the new manager coming in, he’ll likely want to put his own stamp on the right-back position. But Celtic has been great for Kenny – it’s allowed him to throw himself into a piping hot atmosphere and get 90 minutes under his belt every week.
It’s time for him to repay us back with a solid Scottish Cup performance at Ibrox. Do that and he’ll have the love of every Celtic fan on the planet.
In other news, a Celtic legend yesterday ended his 12-year wait to win his first trophy in coaching.
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