John Kennedy has confirmed he’ll make some changes to the Celtic first-team for Aberdeen after Sunday’s dismal defeat at Ibrox.
The 2-0 Scottish Cup fourth-round defeat in Govan has left us with nothing to play for anymore. The Hoops were bundled out of the League Cup back in December by Ross County before losing the league to Rangers by 20 points.
Incredibly, we still have four games to play. The Celtic supporters, however, have now been left in the unusual position of not having any real purpose to cheer their team on. The four remaining league games feel, more or less, like glorified friendlies.
But Kennedy has managed to provide a tempting carrot to tune in for those thinking otherwise tomorrow night. He’s confirmed to fans that some changes will be made, but with a consistency to try and ensure positive results continue to occur.
Speaking via Celtic TV, Kennedy said: “We’re missing a couple of bodies but we’re not carrying a big squad at the minute. We’ve sent some guys on the fringes and the youngster guys to go out on loan and get them some exposure and game time toward the end of the season to put them in a better place.
“So we’ll make some changes but with a consistency to make sure we’re going out with good rhythm and we go out to win the games as well and represent the club properly.
“It comes down to training. In terms of what we see in training, what we see in games, who’s fighting for the jersey. There are guys there who are approaching going to the Euros and stuff as well. We want to make sure they’re in the best shape possible.”
John Kennedy to finally make changes for Celtic vs Aberdeen
Kennedy has often gone with the usual suspects throughout his first six games in charge. The likes of Odsonne Edouard, Kristoffer Ajer, Scott Brown, and Ryan Christie have underperformed in recent weeks but have all been constants in his team.
It looks as though a couple of those could finally be about to be shifted. Granted, some will look at Kennedy’s remark regarding the European Championships and be a bit concerned. Does that mean we’ll see more of the quartet mentioned above? Undoubtedly.
But it also looks as though there will indeed at least be some changes on a week-to-week basis. For example, the likes of Ismaila Soro – the man Celtic fans are calling for to return to the fold – looks a good bet to make an appearance tomorrow night. Especially with the awkwardness surrounding Scott Brown coming up against his future employers. Celtic may want to shield the captain from that contest.
And the same could go for the striking position. We have both Leigh Griffiths and Albian Ajeti waiting in the wings for opportunities. Odsonne Edouard left us all infuriated with his Ibrox display. Surely, the time is right for him to be dropped.
Diego Laxalt is another who looks destined to drop out of the fold. Greg Taylor took up press duties earlier today and impressed in the second half at Ibrox on Sunday. Those are three changes Kennedy could easily make to keep the game interesting.
Thankfully, it doesn’t look like we’ll be sticking with the status quo.
In other news, John Kennedy has provided an update on Mikey Johnston and James Forrest.
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