Celtic’s stuttering season looks to have caught fire in their last two games and they have turned to Tom Rogic and James Forrest to lead their resurgence. The pair have sparked Celtic into life recently and they both shone at Parkhead on Saturday.
Undeterred by the international break, Celtic followed up their 6-0 destruction of St. Johnstone by turning in an impressive display to beat Hibs 4-2 at Celtic Park. It was the Bhoys’ very own wizard of Oz who got them on their way with a superb curling effort.
James Forrest, following his four goal showing in Perth two weeks ago, was at the heart of everything good about Celtic’s performance along with Rogic.
The former capped his fine showing by setting up Odsonne Edouard to fire home Celtic’s third goal. He rounded his opposite number before unselfishly laying the ball on a plate for the French striker to fire home.
The interplay between Forrest and Rogic, as it was in Perth last time, was a key factor in how Celtic managed to carve open the Hibs defence time after time in a frantic first 45 minutes.
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The attacking duo will be crucial if Celtic’s upturn in form is to continue heading into their crucial double header against Hearts. On his day, the Aussie is the best footballer in Scotland. It’s no surprise that when he plays well he usually proves to be the star of the show.
Forrest has been a revelation since Brendan Rodgers took over in 2016. It is the improvement in Forrest which has cemented Rodgers’ reputation as a top class man manager. His sizzling season last year kept Patrick Roberts on the fringes at Celtic Park. Although he has endured a slow start this year, his last two performances should worry every defender in Scotland.
Looking ahead to Hearts
Celtic head to Leipzig on Thursday for what looks to be the first of a two-legged battle which will determine who follows FC Salzburg into the last-32 of the Europa League. The big test for Celtic though, lies in the form of the double header against Hearts.
Every domestic game feels like one of high importance with Hearts maintaining their excellent start to the season. If their bubble is to burst like everyone predicts, then Celtic will have to deal the knockout one-two combo themselves.