It is notable than in Celtic’s last two league games the Hoops didn’t score an early goal. In the 1-1 draw against Hibs, Ryan Christie’s equaliser didn’t arrive until the 24th minute.
In the 2-0 loss to Livingston, the Hoops didn’t find the back of the net. That is in contrast to some of Celtic’s performances earlier in the season.
Hoops took control of games early on
They were defined by the Hoops taking control of the game early on, and scoring an early goal. For example, in the 1-0 win over Hamilton, James Forrest scored the only goal of the game in the fourth minute.
Against St Johnstone, Mikey Johnston scored in the ninth minute, whilst in the win over Motherwell, Kristoffer Ajer scored the Hoops’ first goal in the 14th minute.
That is what Celtic need against Ross County. A goal early on will calm some nerves, especially after two poor performances in Celtic’s last league games.
Scoring goals suddenly a problem
Up until recently, scoring goals in the league hadn’t been a problem for Celtic. However, one goal in the last two matches has to be a concern to Neil Lennon.
He will be hoping that run comes to an end against Ross County. The perfect way for that to happen would be a goal in the first 10 minutes of the game.
That would show that Celtic have got their recent goalscoring problems out of their system. The Hoops have the players capable of doing that.
Ryan Christie might be missing, but there are other Hoops players with the ability to find the back of the net – Odsonne Edouard, to name but one.
The most important thing for Celtic against Ross County is to get back to winning ways. That is what Hoops boss Neil Lennon will be telling his players ahead of the game.
However, an early goal would no doubt help with the Hoops’ quest for three points.
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