Celtic’s midfield didn’t have the best of games against Hamilton. Despite winning the game 1-0, both Callum McGregor and Scott Brown seemed to struggle at times.
That could be down to the conditions that the game was played in. The wind was hard to deal with for both sides, and the artificial pitch didn’t help either.
Interestingly though, Neil Lennon opted not to bring on Olivier Ntcham at any stage of the game, even though he was on the bench.
A method to manager’s decision?
Perhaps that was a method to Lennon’s idea, which will see Ntcham return to the Hoops starting line-up against Rennes in the first game of the Europa League group stages on Thursday.
Ntcham was excellent when he came on as a second-half substitute in the 2-0 win over Rangers before the international break.
He helped Celtic control the midfield, and set up Jonny Hayes for the goal which clinched the game for the Hoops.
That performance could be rewarded by Lennon with a start in the Europa League. Perhaps the Hoops boss will change his system, and play three midfielders across the middle of the park.
System could change for Rennes clash
That would mean that Brown, McGregor and Ntcham all get a start for the Hoops. That might be slightly different to how the Hoops usually play.
However, the Celtic boss might like to change his system to combat the threat that will be posed by Rennes. That does not mean that Celtic won’t still go out to win the game.
A point would not be the worst result for Celtic in France though. That is why we could see a change in system implemented.
Should that happen, then Ntcham might well start for the Hoops. It might be a gamble for the Hoops to change their system for the game. If it pays off though, it will be a job well done by the Celtic manager.
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