Celtic boss Neil Lennon looks all but set to wring the changes this afternoon against Ross County in the Betfred Cup – with a potential start for Vasilis Barkas on the cards.
The Hoops fanbase has been crying out for some fresh talent to be thrown into the mix during our recent barren run. Celtic have only won two out of nine games, with too many of the usual suspects’ positions being safe throughout that run.
Underperformers who have yet to be dropped include the likes of Callum McGregor, Scott Brown, Scott Bain, Mohamed Elyounoussi, and Ryan Christie to name a few.
Thankfully, it looks as though some of Celtic’s other bench-warmers could get the nod today – Barkas included. Lennon has been speaking about the big Greek stopper’s start to life in Glasgow, and admitted it’s been difficult for him to bed in properly.
As quoted by The Glasgow Times, Lennon said: “You have to look at the whole picture. He did ok, I think he can do better and I think he knows that. I think he’s getting more accustomed to the tempo of the game and the physicality and what’s required of him as a No1.
“I see Sunday as a chance to maybe making a few changes but not too many. All positions will be considered for the game. We don’t have any fresh injury worries from Thursday night.
“Whether I bring him in or not is irrelevant. I want to see an improvement in his body language and his functionality as a goalkeeper.”
Yet to hear Lennon call out Bain
It’s interesting to see the manager call out Barkas for his demeanour as a goalkeeper when his form still reads better than current stopper Scott Bain.
Granted, Barkas was the one who cost Celtic as much as £4.5million in the summer (Scottish Sun), but in terms of goals conceded, Bain’s form hardly deserves him to be stuck by for now.
The former Hibernian and Dundee goalkeeper has now conceded as many as 16 goals in his last seven games – 10 of them coming in the Europa League (Transfermarkt). Compare that with Barkas, who had only conceded 11 goals in 14 appearances before being dropped – he’s hardly disgraced himself (Transfermarkt).
Perhaps Lennon feels that he’s not getting what he paid for in Barkas, and that he could offer more than Bain which is why he’s trying to light a fire under him. That’s fair enough, but in order to do that he’s going to have to put him back into match-day action to see if it’s worked.
And it looks as though today could be a chance for many of the fringe players to be given their opportunities. The likes of Stephen Welsh, Ismaila Soro, and Patryk Klimala have seldom seen game-time this season. Hopefully, this can be their big opportunity.
David Turnbull is unfortunately still out due to the Covid setback with Scotland under-21s, whilst James Forrest is still sidelined.
In other news, Celtic’s Moi Elyounoussi has disclosed key dressing room talks that have recently taken place.
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