Ange Postecoglou has certainly favoured a rotation system in his debut campaign with Celtic, but it’s fair to say Boli Bolingoli hasn’t been a big part of it.
The Belgian last featured for the Hoops 3 weeks ago at Fir Park. Ironically, he impressed the Celtic support too as he played a key role in a 2-0 win. This came weeks after he did the same at Livingston in another surprise appearance.
Boli is back at Parkhead after a loan spell in Turkey with Istanbul Basaksehir. That came after controversially breaching Covid protocols last term. But even though he looked like he was being handed a reprieve, it’s been anything but permanent.
Whilst the anger towards the former Rapid Vienna man has died down, the opportunities haven’t arrived for him to make amends on the pitch. Postecoglou again snubbed Bolingoli for today’s trip to Dens Park.
That makes it 4 consecutive Premiership snubs since that victory at Fir Park. It comes after the left-back also failed to make the Europa League squad for the group stages. An ominous sign at the time.
However, he’s now behind Josip Juranovic, Adam Montgomery, and Liam Scales respectively in the Celtic pecking order.
Boli Bolingoli is a last-resort at Celtic; optimism fading fast
It’s clear that the man signed by Neil Lennon for £3m in 2019 is now a last resort [The Herald]. A player that Postecoglou doesn’t overly trust but is happy to throw in if there are no other options.
Yes, there were times when it looked as though Boli had a path back into regular football at Parkhead. Unfortunately, however, that looks as if it’s simply turned into a damp squib. Instead, the player needs to accept that he’s the 4th choice.
Postecoglou has tried to rotate players regularly when possible. He’s constantly stressing the need for keeping his squad fresh. Why, then, wouldn’t Boli be getting any minutes if he was valued to any real degree?
The last period of games between the October and November internationals have told a story. That story being that Boli isn’t part of Postecoglou’s long-term plans.
When the manager decides to trim the fat of his squad, don’t be surprised if Boli is off. It says a lot that he can’t even get into a matchday squad even after a tiring European away-day.
It would probably be a stretch to say he’ll even see another minute of action in Glasgow. The manager’s decision here looks to have been made. Come January, Boli will likely be on a list of dispensable assets.
It’s looking like the right move for everyone if he left for pastures new.
In other news, The 2 big squad boosts Celtic appear in line to receive for their next match
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