The pressure cooker is going to be ramped up to extreme levels in the coming weeks, as Celtic battle it out with Hearts and Rangers for the Premiership crown.
Martin O’Neill has been here and done it before, many, many a time. But this is different, given that it isn’t his Celtic team that he has moulded.
One huge call O’Neill has to make during the hectic and drama-filled post-split fixtures is whether or not to start Kelechi Iheanacho, starting with Falkirk on Saturday evening.
67 Hail Hail writers shared their thoughts on whether Iheanacho should start after his brace from the bench during Celtic’s Scottish Cup semi-final win over St Mirren, and it’s a 3 against 1.
Would Celtic’s style be better if Greg Taylor was still at the club?
Share your thoughts, Celtic fans…
Martin Crawford
At this point, it’s the only viable option for me. His general striker play is just so much better than Tomas Cvancara’s and Daizen Maeda’s.
We know that O’Neill is big on confidence, and it’s not a time of the season to be indecisive, so I’d have Iheanacho as the first name on the team sheet on Saturday.
Verdict: Yes
Callum Boyle
Start start start. If O’Neill had no qualms over starting Kasper Schmeichel with his fitness issues, then he shouldn’t hesitate when it comes to Iheanacho.
He has proven that he is up for the fight on multiple occasions and, crucially, can stick the ball in the back of the net.
Iheanacho has shown more than any of the other options, and it would be unfair not to give him a run in the XI.
Verdict: Yes
Paddy Sinat
100% should start. Get the goals, get the result assured early and then take him off.
Iheanacho could prove crucial for the title run-in and the Scottish Cup final. O’Neill can’t hold him back any longer. Unleash him!
Verdict: Yes
Amir Mir
It seems as though I am on my lonesome here, because I wouldn’t start Iheanacho. I completely understand the calls for him to be thrown into the XI. But when O’Neill is still questioning whether the free transfer is still fit enough, then it’s a real worry.
Sure, O’Neill could roll the dice and throw his Scottish semi-final winner right in against a highly-charged Falkirk team. But a short-term high of him scoring and playing well isn’t worth the long-term cost if he limps off after 20 minutes in the next fixture.
Simply put, Iheanacho can’t be trusted to start. If you want to bring him on at the break, so be it. But don’t start him.
Plus, you know you have that goalscoring weapon on the bench, and that’s where a lot of Iheanacho’s goals have come from.
Iheanacho’s goals from the bench: 5
Verdict: No
Receive a digest of our best Celtic content each week direct to your mailbox
