At last!
We can write positively about Celtic on 67 Hail Hail credibly and joyfully. We haven’t enjoyed all this rampant negativity in recent weeks, I promise you.
Neil Lennon’s men were excellent against Lille at Celtic Park in large spells tonight, and it’s a performance that deserves to have the most exciting bones picked from it.
The 3-2 win doesn’t mean anything other than a bit of prize money and a co-efficient boost, but after weeks of terrible results, the 90 minutes was a breath of fresh air.
We can deal with the usual defensive errors and problems another time.
Tonight I want to talk about the fringe players who have brightened up my week.
Turnbull delivers
David Turnbull had a bit of pressure on his shoulders heading into tonight’s match. He certainly had something to prove. After moving for a multi-million-pound fee in the summer, his opportunities have been limited in Neil Lennon’s squad.
Thankfully, he took his big chance tonight.
Dynamic and ambitious moving forward with the ball, with clear awareness, the quality of his set-piece delivery was also on full display. That was particularly true for Celtic’s first goal when his classy corner connected with the head of Christopher Jullien.
As for his goal? Sheer class. A brilliant arrival in the box and a superb finish. We’ll be seeing much more of that in his Celtic career.
If he doesn’t feature more heavily in the weeks ahead, then serious questions have to be asked.
Soro shines
Ismaila Soro was a revelation in the middle of the park tonight. His impressive defensive nous and positional play was a foil for the Lille midfield all evening.
He tackled in machine-like fashion, rarely making an error and providing the home side with defensive stability we just haven’t seen in Europe this season.
The contrast between his performance tonight and those from Scott Brown in recent weeks was startling.
Like Turnbull, if the little Ivorian doesn’t play more for this Celtic side, then Neil Lennon won’t be a popular man with supporters.
We’ve needed his hunger, desire and intelligence at defensive midfield for quite a while.
Ajer and Henderson on Celtic’s right side
Much of our best play tonight came down the right flank where Kristoffer Ajer, Jeremie Frimpong and, eventually, Ewan Henderson performed excellently.
The combinations were neat, the commitment was clear to see, and it was a fantastic, functional display all in.
Frimpong won a penalty, and Ajer provided both defensive strength and a brilliant assist for Turnbull’s winning goal.
Henderson was asked to perform an unusual role outside of his natural position, after months without any football, and did his job excellently.
They all deserve some of the plaudits for tonight’s exciting performance.
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