Former Celtic striker Simon Donnelly has hyped up the return to 100% match sharpness of Leigh Griffiths.
Griff has been back since the end of November. Yet, despite making 10 appearances since then, the striker still hasn’t managed to find the net.
But it’s more than just that too. Griffiths hasn’t looked sharp, and has struggled with things such as his first touch, general hold-up play, and his movement of the ball.
But Celtic TV pundit Donnelly has urged the club to use the winter break to get him back up to speed. Speaking in the Daily Record, our former striker couldn’t speak highly enough of Griff.
“There’s a lot of talk about Lenny signing another striker and I am sure he would love to have another option up there. For me, a fully fit Leigh Griffiths would be like a new acquisition for Celtic. He has struggled for fitness this season and they have been reliant on Odsonne Edouard up front.
“I can see why Lenny would want to bring another one in, and it would make sense. They have been linked with the few and I am sure there are options. But it was be a huge boost if they can use this break to get Griffiths fully up to speed as he could play a big part in the remainder of the season.
“The squad looks strong when you consider the bench on Sunday and the injured players who still have to come back. They need to use these three weeks wisely.”
Celtic can’t sit and hope for a return to form from Griffiths
Donnelly isn’t wrong in anything he says here. If Griffiths did manage to return to the form that has seen him bag 107 goals for the club since his arrival in 2014, we know we have an incredible talent on our hands.
But Celtic can’t just act as though that’s a cert to happen. Not many would’ve predicted the striker to have scored no goals between his return from injury and the winter break. However, a shortage of confidence and match-sharpness has made that happen.
The Rangers match at Parkhead was the prime example of why Griff just can’t be relied upon for now. He came on and failed to have a meaningful kick. His free-kick from just outside the area was also extremely poor as he belted it way over the bar from a great position. He’s lacking in confidence, and it’s anyone’s guess as to when that will return.
Dubai is a huge training camp for Griffiths. He really needs to hit the reset button at Parkhead. Right now, it’s not even a battle as to who starts between Odsonne Edouard and himself. Any new striker you would fancy will also leap ahead of Griff in the pecking order.
With only three goals this season to his name, it’s been another barren campaign so far from the ex-Hibernian man. Goodness knows the club could do with him rediscovering his old form.
However, for now, he hasn’t done enough to warrant Celtic not going in for another centre-forward. How he responds to any new signing will be critical for his Parkhead career.
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