Kyogo and Albian Ajeti last night had their names added to Celtic’s growing injury list joining the likes of Anthony Ralston, Jota, and Giorgos Giakoumakis which leaves Celtic short on options in the centre forward department with all three strikers now unavailable and almost certainly out of next Sunday’s League Cup Final against Hibs at Hampden.
Before that Celtic have two Cinch Premiership matches and six points are absolutely essential. Motherwell visit Celtic Park on Sunday before the midweek journey to Dingwall to play Ross County on Wednesday evening.
The front three this weekend looks likely to be the last three men standing, Liel Abada, Mikey Johnston and James Forrest and all three are injury prone so we’ll be doing very well to get 90 minutes out of that trio over the games ahead up to and including 2 January.
And the injuries in recent weeks prove to everyone including crucially this with the purse strings that this Celtic squad is in desperate need of the additions that Ange is desperate to bring in as soon as the transfer window opens. Both Starfelt and Kyogo played pretty much as soon as they arrived in Scotland and that might need to happen again on 2 January if at all possible with the new recruits from Japan going straight into the game against theRangers.
“We’ll need to wait and see what the assessment is. We were maybe going to give Kyogo a bit less time tonight but obviously Albian also got a hamstring injury,” Ange told BT Sports last night after that dramatic, entertaining but ultimately costly victory over Real Betis in the Europa League. See this tweet below and it’s NOT from that Celtic Way, the ones from the Herald / Glasgow Times stable who reckon that Kyogo is a cheat.
4/8 teams qualified from the UEL groups with 9 or less points.
1 qualified with a pitiful 8 points and 6 goals.
We go out with 13 goals and 9 points.
Only 2 teams scored more goals than us.
The groups came too early for this team, but things are promising.
— The Celtic Way (@TheCelticWay3) December 9, 2021
“We’re just going through a rough trot that never seems to end but we’ll cope. We’ve had a few injuries but the amount of games we’re playing is just ridiculous to be fair,” Ange added.
“We don’t have the squad to cope with it at the moment. Tonight we got some 90 minutes in some guys that will hopefully help us moving forward.”
Big positives from last night – and there were many – include the performance of some of the fringe players, some of whom had already started to have been written off in some quarters. Urhoghide and Shaw, the two Bhoys signed from Sheffield Wednesday looked particularly impressive as indeed did Liam Scales.
“Credit to the lads for putting in 90 minutes, especially as quite a few of them hadn’t played for a while,” Ange admitted. “We had to fight hard at times and I’m pleased for the players that they got a reward for their efforts.
“The boys who started and hadn’t played for a while, I told them that’s why they work hard every day. There is a meaning to it and a reason for it and they were a credit to themselves and the club.”
Ange Postecoglou on Ajeti and Kyogo injuries: “we’ll assess them, we’re not really sure at the minute”
“I’m nowhere near having a doctors degree, I’m nowhere near knowing what a scan looks like. Give me a chance, we’ve just walked off the field” pic.twitter.com/nbjwBK1OXu
— Jo Hendry (@_jo_hendry) December 9, 2021
Gutsy win for Celtic. Brilliant effort and desire👏👏Kyogo wasn’t worth the risk though. Huge month ahead. The squad is light. The support need to get Ange Postecoglou and the team through the next few weeks until January!
— Chris Sutton (@chris_sutton73) December 9, 2021
🎙️ “I said to them after the game that’s why we train hard every day and push them to be ready when the opportunity comes and they did that tonight.”
Ange Postecoglou On the Match ⤵️#UEL | #CELRBB | #COYBIG 🍀 pic.twitter.com/wpcBeJf8Lb
— Celtic Football Club (@CelticFC) December 9, 2021