Celtic’s recruitment has come under intense scrutiny this season, with several new arrivals facing a barrage of criticism from fans, media and everyone else who wants to join in.
However, John Hartson offered a surprisingly positive assessment of January arrival Tomas Cvancara, but was pretty blunt in what he felt about summer signing Sebastian Tounekti.
“Cvancara looks alright,” Hartson noted. “He puts his head on it. He will bring one or two other players into play, but he is injured. Tounekti, weak. Gets pushed off the ball too easily.”
| Cvancara’s games at Celtic | Starts | Goals | Assists |
| 11 | 7 | 2 | 1 |
Yes, it’s not overly praising for Cvancara, but at least it’s something positive for the on-loan Borussia Monchengladbach hitman who still hasn’t been able to cement his place in Celtic’s declining team.
Perhaps that will change after the March international break, as the likes of Tounekti and the rest of the Celtic squad now have zero room for errors.
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John Hartson on ‘danger’ of Celtic missing out on the Champions League
Hartson’s praise for Cvancara is perhaps an indicator that Martin O’Neill should start him more often.
It should be clarified that Hartson was slightly off the mark regarding his absence against Dundee United last time out; the striker isn’t actually injured, but was sidelined through illness and now is back in contention for the Dundee clash.
But Celtic now enter a period of the season where it’s do or die. This is where everyone will find out the true answers to what has largely been an abject campaign.
It all started in August when Celtic were booted out of the Champions League by minnow Kairat Almaty, and that sparked on and off-field issues, including constant protests against the Parkhead board.
But looking forward, Hartson is worried that the champions of Scotland are in ‘danger’ of missing out on the Champions League again.
Some would argue that the likes of Dermot Desmond would deserve this financial hit, as the Not Another Penny campaign continues.
But all it does is harm Celtic all over, as Hartson shared his views on Let Me Be Frank.
“Cvancara looks alright,” said Hartson. “He puts his head on it. He will bring one or two other players into play, but he is injured.
“Tounekti, weak. Gets pushed off the ball too easily. I could go right through the team. We are where we are because we aren’t good enough. That’s the bottom line.
“At this moment in time, we have to go to Dundee and win. We have to hope some teams take points off each other in the split.
“And obviously concentrate on the Scottish Cup. At this moment in time, we are fighting for the top two. We want to get into the Champions League and the qualifiers. There is a danger we might not, unless we start playing better.”
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