As the Premiership title race for Celtic enters its crucial final months, Chris Sutton is absolutely bang on with his latest assessment of James Forrest and Hyunjun Yang.
The Scottish Premiership battle leaves no room for poor decision-making, and Sutton has perfectly highlighted the glaring difference between raw graft and a veteran’s football brain.
Speaking recently with the Daily Record, the former Celtic striker delivered a harsh truth about the modern ‘dribblers’ currently operating on the flanks.
“They are dribblers,” Sutton said of Yang and Tounekti. “That is their skill set. Are they good at it? Yes. But they aren’t players who will get their head up, pass and follow.”
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Chris Sutton champions James Forrest amid Celtic’s attacking troubles
While Yang ‘grafts like anything,’ as Sutton rightly points out, his final ball simply isn’t at the elite level required for a relentless four-way title battle in Scotland.
This is exactly why Forrest remains the ultimate tactical antidote. The 34-year-old might not have the explosive pace of his youth, but he possesses the one trait you cannot teach: efficiency.
“When James Forrest comes on… There is always a sense with me that he will create something,” Sutton explained to the Daily Record, praising the winger’s vital recent contributions and his innate ‘football brain.’
For Celtic to secure the league flag, Martin O’Neill must prioritise Forrest’s clinical end product over Yang’s inefficient running.
The South Korea star worked his socks off during Celtic’s Scottish Cup win over Rangers on Sunday, but he was one of many reasons why the Hoops could only muster one shot on goal during the 120 minutes at Ibrox.
With Celtic facing Motherwell next, after a rare midweek break, perhaps O’Neill should listen to his former player by bringing Forrest into the XI, because the last time he started, he was part of a 4-0 win over Falkirk.
“They are dribblers,” said Sutton about Tounekti and Yang. “That is their skill set. Are they good at it? Yes. But they aren’t players who will get their head up, pass and follow. They aren’t that type of player.
“Yang grafts like anything, he does. But his final ball or whatever. His decision-making. He isn’t that type of player.
“Ideally, you want a mixture of both. You want players who can go past their defender, but also have that intelligence when that isn’t on.
“When James Forrest comes on. I know James is getting on. But there is always a sense with me that he will create something. He will produce a moment. His contribution in the last few games for Celtic, and I know he hasn’t played large parts of it, but they have been crucial.
“He has that football brain. That comes with experience. It will be interesting to see how Martin uses James in the final few games.”
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