Will Neil Lennon keep faith in Celtic history maker Olivier Ntcham?

By John Reid

November 20, 2019

Celtic’s Olivier Ntcham, no matter what he does for the rest of his career, will always be remembered as a player who made history for the Hoops.

His injury time winner against Lazio in Rome in the Europa League gave Celtic their first ever triumph in Italy. Perhaps almost as importantly, that goal helped the player regain his place in the Hoops starting line-up. Ntcham started in the 2-0 win over Motherwell, Celtic’s last game before the international break.

Now the Hoops are set to return to action against Livingston on Saturday, in what will be the first game of an incredibly busy schedule for the rest of 2019.

May not start every game

(Photo by Giuseppe Bellini/Getty Images)

A question that has to be asked is – will Neil Lennon keep faith in Ntcham to start most games for the Hoops? That could really depend on the fixture.

For example, it would not be that much of a surprise to see Ntcham back on the bench for the game against Livingston. The reason being, Celtic will be on the front foot for most of that game. That is not where Ntcham excels, despite his goal against Lazio.

Might well be suited to midfield battle

(Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

He is more suited to games where the Hoops could be in a midfield battle. Two games that could suit Ntcham to a tee at the Betfred Cup Final and the trip to Tynecastle. He could be vital to helping Celtic win the midfield contest in those fixtures.

Ntcham might not start every fixture for Celtic in the 11 fixtures up until the winter break. That does not mean though, that he will not be a key player for the Hoops in this vital set of matches. He most certainly will be, even if he starts some games on the bench.

Should that be the case, perhaps Ntcham will once more score a winning goal as a substitute. He will be a key man for the Hoops in the hectic schedule that lies ahead.