Chris Sutton has serious concerns about the direction Celtic are heading in and is worried about Brendan Rodgers’ failure to get the best out of the club’s top players.
The Bhoys got back to winning ways against Hibernian on Wednesday night but the performance was far from convincing.
Form has been patchy throughout the season and too many dropped points against lesser teams has drawn Celtic into one of the tightest title races in recent years.
For Sutton, the form of Kyogo Furuhashi is particularly worrisome and he doesn’t think his drop-off is necessarily down to the player.
Chris Sutton on his Celtic concerns
He said in his Daily Record column this weekend: “Kyogo Furuhashi is having his influence absolutely killed. There’s a real chance it may lead to the slow death of Celtic’s title bid. Brendan Rodgers has been outspoken about needing quality, yet he can’t find a way to get the best out of the highest-quality striker in the country. Now he’s been left out of the side.
“If that continues, could it lead to him inevitably looking to leave? Kyogo has gone from being the most-feared forward in Scotland to barely getting a chance in a game. It’s actually quite remarkable and, for me, it’s not got that much to do with the boy himself.
“It’s almost painful to see what has happened to the Japanese over the past few months. The guy scored 27 league goals in 31 starts last season. Eight in 21 this season. It’s the drop in levels around him which is the problem. Not Kyogo. That’s on the slip in standards of his supply line. Ange Postecoglou found a way to supply him Rodgers has not.
“We keep hearing the need for speed, yet Celtic have a guy with the sharpest feet and the sharpest mind who hasn’t operated fully due to team who, for most of the season ,have gone through the motions. It’s Brendan’s failure if he doesn’t find a way to get the best out of Kyogo.”
It’ll be interesting to see if Kyogo returns to the starting line-up against St Mirren in the Scottish Cup on Sunday afternoon. There’s every chance Adam Idah gets the nod again after his midweek double.
Maybe a match or two out of the team will give the Japanese forward a bit of a refresh and allow him to attack the final stages of the season at optimum levels.
But Sutton is right, ultimately. If Celtic don’t get Kyogo firing on all cylinders soon, it’s hard to see the Bhoys sustaining trophy pushes when it comes to the league or cup.
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