James Forrest is nowhere near as effective on the left-wing. The Scotland man is a right-sided player after all. It’s the position that he’s played the vast majority of his career, and it’s the position Neil Lennon must restore him to for Sunday’s Betfred Cup final against Rangers at Hampden.
Our homegrown hero has been a regular scorer in the final of the competition. Forrest has netted in three of his last four League Cup finals and many would have him down as one of our most likely attacking threats this time around.
He can contribute chances for his team-mates too but the reality is that he’s far more likely to do so on the right-wing. Forrest has looked less sure of his surroundings while playing on the left, in the absence of Mohamed Elyounoussi, in recent weeks.
Having Forrest on the right at Hampden will be like a new player
Lennon has chosen to play Forrest and Ryan Christie on opposite flanks and, despite goals for both, neither have looked quite as comfortable in unnatural positions. And make no mistake about it, we’ll need all of our players to be at their best against Rangers despite the Ibrox side’s evident lack of bottle.
Thankfully for our boss, it’s a pretty simple issue to rectify – and we don’t even need Elyounoussi to be fighting fit. Lennon should play the emerging Mikey Johnston on the left if the Norwegian isn’t around, restoring Forrest to the right and having Christie where he is most effective – in the middle.
Our front line will be revitalised as a result as we chase a tenth successive trophy.
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