Celtic’s emphatic 3-0 win over St Johnstone on Wednesday night was perhaps one of the Hoops’ best performances of the season.
Celtic were three goals ahead by the 26th minute, and didn’t look back from there. There is one aspect of the win that should not be overlooked.
That is, Celtic’s ability to win games without one of their most important players – namely Ryan Christie.
Key man didn’t get off bench
Christie made his return from suspension on Wednesday against St Johnstone, but was left on the bench, and didn’t play a single minute of the fixture.
The fact that the Hoops were able to win a game so comfortably without one of their best performers of the season featuring – a player who has scored 17 goals this season – is testament to the strength in depth Celtic have in the current first-team squad.
Strength in depth is vital to title bid
That strength in depth is why it is perhaps not a massive blow if Celtic fail to make any more signings before the transfer window closes on Friday at midnight.
The Hoops seem to have a strong enough squad to fight every challenge that the team faces. That has been shown in how the team has performed without Christie.
In the four games Celtic have played since the start of the second-half of the season, the Hoops have scored 11 goals and conceded just two. That is four games without Christie.
It will be intriguing to see if Christie gets back into the Celtic team for Sunday’s trip to Hamilton. If you are picking the team on form at the moment, then the answer would have to be ‘no’.
However, Neil Lennon may decide to rotate his team and give a chance to Christie, who hasn’t played a first-team game for around a month.
No matter who starts against Hamilton, it is a good sign for Celtic that the club are able to keep winning players without a vitally important player being involved.
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