Celtic manager Neil Lennon has explained to supporters why he hasn’t actively gone about resting Callum McGregor.
The club has been under the spotlight when it comes to McGregor’s fitness over the last few months. It all came from a tweet the club put out that stated he had played more minutes than anyone in world football. Fans responded poorly to it, and didn’t think it was something the club should’ve been bragging about.
Naturally, McGregor’s inconsistent start to the season has led to calls for a rest. Poor performances from the Scotland international have been more frequent than ever before.
Lennon, however, quite clearly isn’t ready to bow to them. Speaking in the Scottish Sun, Lenny had his say on the McGregor situation.
“Callum is so reliable. I think people take that for granted, because he has that consistency of performance week in, week out. People are saying he needs a rest, but he’s too good a player to rest.
“But we have to strike a balance with Callum, because there’s no question there was fatigue kicking in last year due to the volume of games he played.
“As the season goes on and the games come thick and fast I’m sure we’ll give him a break here and there just to keep him fresh — but he’s in a good place at the minute. I’ll always ask Callum how he’s feeling about this game or that, and ask him about needing a break.”
Fatigue proved no issue on Thursday night
As supporters, the majority of us were all caught up in the idea that McGregor needed managed better. Playing 69 games last season for club and country was excessive. Something similar wouldn’t be ideal this season.
However, on Thursday night against Cluj, McGregor hardly looked as though he was struggling. He scrapped for every loose ball and was snapping into challenges. The impressive thing? He managed to do it for 90 minutes straight.
McGregor’s form at the start of the season has likely been nothing more than a small dip. Every player has them, and CalMac will be no different. However, any idea that he’s too tired or fatigued can be binned. He’s recently had too many decent displays for that to stand anymore.
It’s good to hear Lennon actually cover this issue extensively too. It’s been a massive frustration for supporters over the last few months. Whilst not everyone will like the answer, it’s great to see our manager give us some clarity on the situation.
He knows he has Olivier Ntcham available if and when he’s needed. However, with McGregor’s performance vs Cluj, you would expect him to start today against Livingston.
Celtic can’t afford to take any risks at the Tony Macaroni today. In order for it to be a success, our quick flair players need to be on the pitch to break this tenacious Livi side down. McGregor, you have to imagine, will once again be one of the first names on the teamsheet. If not? Some fans will have gotten their wish.
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