Celtic winger Mohamed Elyounoussi couldn’t help but tease Neil Lennon after Norway’s stunning win in Northern Ireland.
The Norwegians romped to a 5-1 mauling in Belfast in the two countries’ vital Nations League match at the start of the month.
Elyounoussi managed to bag himself a goal, whilst Kristoffer Ajer played the full 90 minutes in what was a dominant performance against Lennon’s home-nation.
And the Hoops boss has admitted that making a beeline for Lennon was the first thing Elyounoussi did when he arrived back at Lennoxtown.
As quoted by the Scottish Sun (print edition 13/09, page 61), Lennon said: “He’s dropped! (Mo Elyounoussi). I am obviously pleased for Moi, but not pleased about the result.
“He gave me dog’s abuse for it the moment he arrived back!
“It is great that he and Ajer are back in such a buoyant mood.”
Lennon wasn’t lying…
Funnily enough in what was almost certainly a coincidental move, Elyounoussi was indeed dropped to the bench for yesterday’s 5-0 mauling against Ross County, coming on only for the closing stages.
With the Hoops switching to a 3-5-2, Lennon moved James Forrest over to the left wing-back role whilst he pushed Jeremie Frimpong higher up the pitch to be more effective in the final third.
Taking the humour away from matters, that formation could potentially offer a problem for Moi. Lennon seldom drops Forrest when it comes to the big occasion, and there’s absolutely no way Frimpong should be losing his spot in the team if recent performances have been anything to go by.
Whilst Forrest was hardly electric down the left flank against County, he offers much more pace than his Norwegian team-mate. That’s a big part of the left wing-back role. You have to cover the entire left-flank and get from one end of the pitch to the other quickly.
If Lennon is really pressing ahead with this formation, something many of us would be pleased to see, Moi is going to have to adapt. It gives him far more challenges than his more natural left-mid role, and places a lot more defensive responsibility on him.
So it’s going to be extremely interesting to see whether Elyounoussi finds his way back into the team for Wednesday’s clash at St Mirren. Don’t rule it out, but in the long run, the Southampton-owned star may not be a cert to start every week.
In other news, the Celtic manager has confirmed English interest in another of his Lennoxtown youngsters.
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