Celtic manager Neil Lennon doesn’t want squad players

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Celtic manager Neil Lennon has stated that he doesn’t want any squad players at Parkhead – only first-team players.

That’s the mentality the Hoops manager is looking to instill into every single one of his men. It’s been clear early on that the manager has a favoured starting XI. There can be one or two tweaks from week-to-week, but generally, when everyone is fit, we know Celtic’s best starting line-up.

Behind that, you have players such as Olivier Ntcham, Mohamed Elyounoussi, and Leigh Griffiths who are high-quality players in particular. To sum it up – there is quality rippling throughout this squad.

And speaking to the Celtic View (Volume 55, Issue 12, Page 7), Lennon stated that he wants players to come into the side seamlessly when he makes changes.

“What you want is players to come in and be seamless. You’re a first-team player, not a squad player. Every squad has squad players, but I want a core of 18 or 19 that I can turn to and put in the starting XI without it disrupting how we operate.

“If there’s an injury or we need to rotate, players have to come in and it’s seamless.

“The new boys have given the core group, who have been here for a while, a real jag of energy and enthusiasm. It’s given the likes of Brown, McGregor, and Edouard a lift and you’re seeing that in the performances.”

Celtic are proving they have the required strength in depth

Lennon is spot on when it comes to what’s required from fringe players at Celtic. They can’t come into the side and think that they’re second-choice. They have to know that they can perform when they step over the white line.

So far, however, Celtic are showing no signs of that kind of sluggishness or lack of self-confidence. The 5-0 rout of Partick Thistle saw eight changes occur to the side. There wasn’t a seriously poor performance from any of them.

Celtic have been a joy to watch this season so far. This is due to the fact we have the likes of Ntcham, Vakoun Issouf Bayo, Jonny Hayes, and Tom Rogic coming into the side and producing when Lenny decides to rest key players.

It’s one of the main reasons Celtic were able to accumulate treble after treble over the years. Lennon deserves huge credit for managing to keep that strength in depth intact.

This Saturday sees Celtic take on Hibernian. It’s a match where you would expect those eight players to return back to the squad if not the starting XI. But Lennon knows already that he has a massive core of players he can trust if he feels the need to rotate.

There’s no guarantee of success in football. However, Lennon is certainly giving himself the best of chances with this squad.