It’s fair to say that Scott Sinclair’s goals have been monumental for Celtic in their run to the treble treble.
He’s the highest scorer of the treble treble run with 60 goals to his name. It’s an incredible statistic, and one the Englishman will be proud of. But for many supporters, it will also have masked what’s been a pretty poor 18 months or so for Sinky in terms of his all-round displays.
His performances haven’t been up to par compared to his first season. That would be okay at face value of course. He was so sensational with his pace, directness, ball-control, and finishing ability in that first year. He romped to 25 goals and managed an incredible 50 appearances in his first campaign. That’s not even mentioning his 11 assists.
But for a long time now, his performances haven’t been anywhere close to that standard. We’re all hoping pre-season and the summer break has given him the chance to find some of his previous for once more. And, to put it bluntly – he needs it.
Sinclair was fortunate that his contract got extended towards the tail-end of last season. It had been the second consecutive poor year he’s had in terms of his all-round performances. But still, the winger was returning some decent scoring figures, and he certainly has a cult following in the Celtic support.
Scott Sinclair’s goals are needed once again
But this year, it’s arguably a career-defining campaign for him. Can he truly lift his performances yet again to be Celtic’s number one man down the left once again? Or will he slump to poor display after poor display whilst being overtaken by Mikey Johnston?
Something is going to have to give in the battle between Sinclair and Johnston. Someone is going to lose out, and at the moment, it looks like being Sinclair if pre-season has been anything to go by.
Another poor year from Sinclair and it wouldn’t be surprising if he left next summer and wasn’t offered a new deal. He’s been trying so hard to get back in-form for some time now. But it’s clear the winger is suffering from a real confidence crisis.
Sinclair needs a big goal in a big game to announce himself once again. Long spells last season of two goals in 17 games and no goals in 12 can’t occur yet again this year. Celtic need to start getting more from him, whether his stats read better over a three-year period or not.
For the likes of Daniel Arzani, Johnston, and Lewis Morgan, the left-wing spot is an opportunity. But for Sinclair, it’s his everything at Celtic. If he loses it, he’ll struggle to win it back.
So, to sum up, it’s the biggest and most difficult season of Sinclair’s Celtic career. The big question now is whether he’ll step up to the plate.
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