Chris Sutton today ripped into Celtic’s style under Neil Lennon, after another uninspiring display yesterday.
Lennon was the first to acknowledge that the performance wasn’t vintage at Parkhead against Kilmarnock. But the Hoops have been struggling for real consistency in their performances since the Northern Irishman came in the door.
Against Kilmarnock, too many crosses went flying into the Killie box without a Celtic jersey near it. Lennon didn’t switch from the system either, with Jozo Simunovic scoring the winner from a cross-ball.
But Sutton didn’t choose to focus on the result alone. Speaking to BT Sport, the Englishman slammed Celtic’s lack of a plan B.
“They’re a one-trick pony, and we have to say that. Celtic can only play one way. When was the last time a Celtic centre-forward scored a header? I can’t remember. When do they score from set-pieces?
“It’s an issue and what teams do against Celtic is they narrow up and say ‘you’re not going to play through us, and we’re happy for you to just cross balls in’.
“So Celtic, in that respect, have work to do in the summer and they need to get their finger out.”
Nothing will change before the end of the season
Everyone has just about had their say on Celtic’s style under Lennon. Whether you think it’s decent enough, or believe improvements must be made, it’s difficult to see any wholesale changes on the agenda.
Lennon seems to be saying the same thing in that he hasn’t actually changed anything. And given the lack of time between now and the end of the season, don’t expect him to make further tweaks for now.
This direct style of getting the ball out wide and aiming crosses into the penalty area hasn’t worked. But what more can Lennon instill at this point considering we’re now less than a month away until the end of the season?
Like it or not, this is Lennon’s stamp. This is all he’ll likely feel he can do with the team. At the end of the day, improvements must be made in several areas this summer in our pursuit of 10-in-a-row.
But Sutton just seems to be as frustrated as the rest of us. He wants to see more dynamism from the Hoops going forward. Many fans will likely have been hoping for this for months, however.
If it changes to any great extent between now and the end of the season, it would be a huge surprise.
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