Lennon's Soro explanation bodes well for Ibrox; Celtic look set for exciting XI

By David Walton

December 27, 2020

Neil Lennon’s recent comments on midfielder Ismaila Soro should be taken as a huge boost for Celtic fans who want him in for Ibrox.

The Ivorian missed the starting lineup for the recent Scottish Cup final against Hearts at Hampden. This initially looked to be down to sheer loyalty from Neil Lennon. It appeared the manager simply wanted to play Scott Brown instead given he had played in every round.

But it looks as though that wasn’t the case after all. Soro wasn’t just snubbed because he didn’t play. It appears to be that food poisoning done him in after home-cooking by himself.

Speaking in comments published by the Daily Record, Lennon said: “We couldn’t start him last Sunday because he came down with food poisoning on Saturday night. He had sickness and diarrhoea the night before, although he felt better in the morning.”

Lennon, therefore, made the right decision. It appeared at first as though the manager had made a huge blunder. With Brown tiring and extra-time being a necessity, it was clear we needed Soro in there from the start.

Celtic boss likely won’t be sticking with favourites for Ibrox

There are now so many things that point to Soro starting at Ibrox next Saturday.

First off, he’s now been in the starting line-up for four of Celtic’s last five games. There’s a consistency there which you can’t just take away for our biggest challenge of the season.

In addition to that, the level of performance he’s putting in is incredible. Soro was superb again vs Hamilton on a plastic pitch yesterday after similarly impressive displays against Lille, Kilmarnock, and Ross County respectively. He’s one of the first names on the teamsheet at the moment.

Ismaila Soro was in fine form again for Celtic in Hamilton (Photo by Mark Runnacles/Getty Images)

And with Lennon pretty much hinting that he was going to play a bigger part in the cup final, it’s clear he’s now valued. It’s clear he’s in the ascendancy for Ibrox.

You also have to take into account the criticism Lennon would receive if he didn’t play him. Should the manager revert back to Brown and lose in convincing fashion in Govan, we’ll all be fuming. That’s something the manager could do without. At least if he goes with the likes of Soro and David Turnbull then he’ll know he went with our best XI.

Our starting line-up at Ibrox is starting to look the most exciting it has done for some time. Rangers really should gear up, because Celtic look ready to take the fight to them.

In other news, a Philadelphia-based reporter has launched a rather bizarre dig at Celtic fans over Mark McKenzie.