The difference between Celtic this season and last is “night and day”, according to BBC pundit Michael Stewart.
And it’s only going to get better for the Bhoys under Ange Postecoglou, Stewart believes.
Stewart, who writes a column for the Sun, as well as being the national broadcaster’s more popular football voices, was a harsh critic of Celtic under Neil Lennon. This year, the tactics have changed, some key players have come in to excellent effect, and the Bhoys are playing entertaining, cavalier football.
It’s certainly winning neutrals and pundits over. Supporters, meanwhile, are becoming cautiously optimistic about what Celtic can achieve this season.
BBC and Sun pundit Stewart wrote of Celtic [Scottish Sun]:
“…That’s the exciting thing about the Hoops for me. There’s PLENTY more to come. Right now you can clearly see the improvement since new boss Postecoglou came in.
“Compared to last season, for example, it’s night and day.
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“But the encouraging thing is this team is only going to get better and better as the season goes on. That’s a pretty daunting thought for the sides who are going to have to try and deal with that.
“Kyogo, Abada and Jota are obviously the key to that.
“When they are in full flow, as they were in Ferencvaros on Thursday night, they are a joy to watch. They are not the biggest – but no defence is going to enjoy going up against them.”
BBC pundit Michael Stewart extremely impressed by Celtic and their attacking options
Even if you have absolutely no stake in the fortunes of Celtic, you’d surely be hard-pressed to argue that the Bhoys aren’t the most entertaining side in the league.
While Rangers have stuttered of late, the Bhoys’ 0-0 draw against Livingston was an absolute aberration. Celtic’s most on-form attacking trio returned to the starting line-up against Ferencvaros, and each got on the scoresheet.
With Jota, Kyogo and Abada causing teams problems, this Celtic side is going to be extremely hard to out-score.
For sure, there’s a contrast between now and last season. While the likes of Mohamed Elyounoussi and Ryan Christie did contribute, there was still enormous pressure on Odsonne Edouard. Few combinations up front provided real confidence for our attack in Neil Lennon’s second full season after returning.
This year, we have options. And lots of them. Mikey Johnston, James Forrest, Giorgos Giakoumakis and even Karamoko Dembele, when he’s back, can provide real impetus.
Having options wins trophies. There’s no doubt about it, and it’s been key to our recent successes in this decade. If one player had to drop out, another quality option would come in.
BBC pundit Michael Stewart is right, too; there’s plenty more to come from Celtic.
How exciting is that?
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