Celtic goalkeeper Vasilis Barkas has been showing vital improvements at Lennoxtown ahead of tonight’s big opportunity.
With Scott Bain injured, Barkas has the chance to step in for Celtic’s final two games of the season against St Johnstone and Hibs. This comes after a torturous debut season at Celtic park for the Greek shot-stopper.
The former AEK Athens man has twice been entrusted as the club’s number one this season. However, after a couple of runs in the side, he’s eventually lost his spot to the underwhelming Bain.
Tonight, Barkas has the chance to build a bit of momentum heading into pre-season. And as quoted by the Daily Record, Kennedy has said that he’s been noticing improvements in his game as he confirmed he’ll play tonight.
“Barkas will play tomorrow night, that’s a given. I’ll look at the game at the weekend, but he’ll certainly play against St Johnstone. Hopefully that can get him back in the groove.
“He’s been training and even the training has been different for him, all different to what he’s used to. So he’s had to adapt to that. We’ve seen improvements in training – so this is a good opportunity for him to come in and perform again.
“He’s had high levels of performances for his country and at Athens in the past, so I know he’s capable of it. It’s up to us to get it out of him.”
Celtic goalkeeper impressing at Lennoxtown; time to show the fans what he can do
If we’re being frank, Barkas may not get many more opportunities given he’s now had a couple of runs in the side. That’s why it’s absolutely essential that he makes this one count.
In previous months, he’s looked a nervous wreck at times. He hasn’t dominated his box well enough whilst routine strikes have managed to slither past him. Celtic fans will do well to remember at least three decent saves he’s made this season. That’s a problem.
Barkas needs to improve his image amongst the Celtic support. The only way he does that is by bagging clean sheets and showing these apparent improvements on the pitch. Finally, he’s going to get his chance tonight, and it’s absolutely crucial that he takes it.
Celtic need a massive improvement from Bain next season. Not one of our three goalkeepers have proven that they’re good enough to take the number one jersey next season. They certainly haven’t shown themselves to be good enough to replace Fraser Forster either.
So if there are genuine improvements in Barkas’ game that have developed over the last four months or so, then that would certainly be welcome. Hopefully it’s not just Kennedy trying to give him a bit of confidence before he gets thrown in tonight.
At the very least, however, it adds some intrigue to the game. Hopefully, Barkas leaves Parkhead tonight with a clean sheet in the bank. Goodness knows he could use it.
In other news, we take a look at 3 forgotten Celtic players who could feature this week.
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