Everyone seems to be talking about Celtic wide options – and understandably so.
At the start of the year, things were grand for Brendan Rodgers. Jota had returned, Nicolas Kuhn was on fire and Daizen Maeda was having the best season of his career.
Fast forward until now, and things have taken a nosedive – starting with Jota’s horrible injury which will likely see him ruled out until the new year.
Kuhn has left Celtic to join Como in a move which took place early in the transfer window. There was no sign of a replacement until after the Hoops’ catastrophic Champions League exit.
As for Maeda, he wanted a move too, but didn’t get one – and is now spending more time playing as a striker following the departures of Kyogo Furuhashi and Idah.
The new wide men at Celtic? Sebastian Tounekti and Michel-Ange Balikwisha – and opinions on what they’ve shown so far have differed.
Chris Sutton on Celtic’s Michel-Ange Balikwisha
Celtic had pursued Balikwisha for over a year before finally welcoming him to the club at the end of August – and starting him immediately in the Glasgow Derby at Ibrox.
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In his column for the Daily Record, Chris Sutton examined Rodgers’ options – and addressed Balikwisha’s start.
He said: “In terms of positives, Sebastian Tounekti could not have made a better debut at Rugby Park. He was superb. It was just refreshing to see a player so direct, so confident, so willing to take on his man.
“It would be daft to go overboard after just one game – and likewise on the other flank with Michel-Ange Balikwisha.
“While Tounekti made an explosive impact, it’s fair to say it’s been a more low key start from the other winger who arrived in the summer.
“Listen, it’s only been two games so I’m not going to write him off. Nicholas Kuhn didn’t exactly get off to flyer at Celtic and look how he turned out. Balikwisha has a long way to go to get to that stage, though, and I’m still struggling to see what his main attributes are.
“He doesn’t look like he has blistering pace or is too willing to take on his man. I found that a bit strange in the Rangers game when he was up against 33-year-old James Tavernier and there was a similar reluctance to do so on the other flank at Kilmarnock.
“He just seemed to want to play safe, going backwards rather than driving towards goal.”
It will be telling whether Balikwisha can keep his spot for this weekend’s clash with Partick Thistle.
Will Michel-Ange Balikwisha start for Celtic against Partick Thistle?
Sometimes, a new signing has to be given time to bed in. This isn’t new – and given how Rodgers has spoken about Balikwisha, he has plenty of belief in the Belgian.
Even when players are struggling in their first games, sometimes the best option is to just keep playing them in order to let it click. Carl Starfelt is a good example of this, as well as Kuhn.
Balikwisha’s first two matches have been in challenging circumstances, in away games against Rangers and Kilmarnock, the latter not played on his favoured side.
A game against Championship opposition could be perfect for the 24-year-old to truly show fans what he can do.
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