Three things we learned as Celtic hammer spirited Hamilton

By David Walton

August 2, 2020

Celtic ripped Hamilton apart 5-1 at Parkhead this afternoon to get their domestic campaign off and running in the best way possible.

An opening day hat-trick from Odsonne Edouard stole the show, with Jeremie Frimpong and Patryk Klimala also getting on the scoresheet.

Naturally then, fter such a convincing first game of the season, the positives really are bursting out of Glasgow’s East End as the road to 10 starts now.

And here, we take a look at three key points we learned from this afternoon’s mismatch:

Celtic don’t need a packed house to turn on the style

Celtic celebrate vs Hamilton (Photo by Andrew Milligan/Pool via Getty Images)

One of the main concerns for some Celtic fans would surely have been the idea that their side may have struggled to put in a commanding display with no fans in the ground.

Sure, the prize of 10-in-a-row should be enough to keep the levels high. But with a bit of a training ground feel to the venue, there’s always a chance the performances dip.

Well, Celtic put any notion of that to rest on matchday one. They were well on top throughout the afternoon and created a host of chances as well as the five goals they scored.

It won’t be sparkling five-star performances every week, and there’s no denying that the sooner fans get in the better, but at the same time it still doesn’t look as though it’s going to affect us negatively in the meantime.

Klimala needs to be taken seriously this season

Klimala gets on the scoresheet against Hamilton (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

If Klimala’s goal this afternoon was to send out a message, then he certainly did just that.

His movement when he came on was extremely impressive, and he capitalised on the tiredness of his opponents to get in behind and slot a fine finish beyond Ryan Fulton. But make no mistake, that’s the kind of goal Klimala could score against anyone in Scotland.

He’s ready to cause some real havoc to defences domestically this season. Obviously, with the form of Edouard, chances up top could be limited. However, Klimala can’t just be forgotten about this season.

It’ll be interesting to see how he kicks on, but things look very positive for him at the moment.

Two minus one = plenty of goals

Celtic celebrate a goal against Hamilton / (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

Before lockdown, Lennon often decided to play with two up top. Leigh Griffiths was in scintillating form alongside Edouard as the Hoops often went with a 3-5-2 formation.

The manager, however, has favoured a one up front system ever since we came back for pre-season. Edouard has been leading the line but the lack of a partner certainly didn’t affect the chance-creation rate of the side.

For now, it looks as though it’s going to be down to Klimala or Leigh Griffiths to force Lenny to change his mind on the formation. One up top looks like being the go-to going forward, but it still looks as though the goals will flow regardless.