3-5-2 here to stay: Lennon said pre-match it’s his preferred Celtic formation, could see Klimala in second half

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Celtic manager Neil Lennon revealed pre-match that the 3-5-2 utilised against Ross County today is his preferred formation, speaking to BBC Radio Scotland in Dingwall (14:37).

The Scottish champions are currently 2-0 up on the Staggies in the Highlands at half-time. It’s been a difficult 45 minutes but the cushion is something we’ve not seen away from home so far this season.

Lennon decided to unleash Albian Ajeti and Odsonne Edouard together, both of whom have found themselves on the scoresheet.

The big changes he’s made to his team have paid off so far and it’ll only lead to fans wanting to see the formation used more often.

It could be here to stay if the manager has his way with the fitness and form of individuals.

The Bhoys boss also stated he’s only expecting to use Ajeti for 60 minutes today, meaning Patryk Klimala may get an appearance in the second half.

As quoted by BBC Radio Scotland on Saturday (14:37), Lennon said: “It’s my preferred formation. We just had to get our strikers fitter.

“We might get an hour out of Albian Ajeti today, and Odsonne Edouard is back, so we have two good strikers. We have pace in wide areas and a very strong midfield.

“Duffy comes in after having two games for Ireland – his first action since January – so that will have done him the world of good. Obviously we wanted to put him in as soon as possible.”

We will, of course, see how it all plays out in the second 45 minutes but so far Celtic have done well to get ahead and keep a clean sheet.

The manager looks to have the right blend of talent in his team and despite a few shaky defensive moments, I’m hoping this is a permanent change to our game approach.

Players will only get more comfortable with the system as matches go on.

With plenty of action on the horizon between now and the next international break, Lennon has the chance to solidify his best eleven and find the consistency we need.

In other news, Chris Sutton has had a cheeky dig at the big talkers coming out of Ibrox.