The Celtic jersey weighs heavy.
Being an attacker for the Hoops is unique. Brendan Rodgers’ side face deep defences every week, forcing players to get creative.
This is a sink-or-swim situation for attacking players. It can take patience for the Hoops to break teams down – they can’t afford to not have match-winners on the park.
Rodgers has said that he wasn’t satisfied by the club’s transfer business, but with the window shut, he has to work with what he has.
As his new players go through their adjustment period, one has been told that he looks ‘intimidated’ in a Celtic shirt by one radio pundit.
Michel-Ange Balikwisha has contributed nothing for Celtic says Hugh Keevins
Balikwisha has made two appearances since coming to Glasgow – we are working off of a very small sample, in two tough games.
But for Hugh Keevins, there is one big issue that the Belgian has to address.
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Speaking on Clyde Superscoreboard, Keevins said: “I’ll summarise it by saying that there is a reason why Balikwisha lasted as long as he did at Ibrox and at Rugby Park. He was taken off because he was contributing nothing.
“But when he goes to Firhill on Sunday, people will be looking at him and hoping that he does more in a forward-going sense because he has a faithful fascination for going backwards rather than forwards.
“And then, the following week, Hibs going to Celtic Park, 60,000 people – Tounekti looks as if he’s thriving on it all and he will absolutely adore Celtic Park against Hibs and the chance to go through his tricks in front of 60,000.
“Balikwisha looks intimidated by it all – but that’s not to say that, like Nicolas Kuhn, he later flourishes.”
Who will be Celtic’s right-winger from now on?
Rodgers has been clear that Balikwisha doesn’t favour the right – he was played there at Rugby Park out of necessity.
A difficult transfer window has left the Hoops boss fitting square pegs in round holes. So who will fit that spot long-term?
If he wants someone who can cut in onto their left like Nicolas Kuhn did, he has no choice but to use Benjamin Nygren on the flank – but he has also been clear that this isn’t his position either.
Yang Hyun-Jun and James Forrest are the other options – but neither has been consistent in their rare appearances since the turn of the year.
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