Neil Lennon praises stand-out Celtic star Matt O’Riley

Our start to the season has left a lot to be desired, it has to be said. Going out of the League Cup in such a poor fashion to Derek McInnes and his Kilmarnock side was bad enough, however, to then follow that up with an insipid and uninspiring 0-0 home draw with one of the worst teams in the league (no disrespect to St Johnstone), was pretty abysmal.

Celtic need to get their act together pretty quickly now with a trip to Ibrox looming large as well as the UEFA Champions League Group stages starting too. Difficult away venues also lie in wait in the form of the Toni Macaroni Stadium and Fir Park too. So it’s got the possibility to be a tough few weeks for Brendan Rodgers and his players if things don’t turn around dramatically.

One of the brighter sparks form the campaign thus far has been Danish midfielder, Matt O’Riley. The English-born Denmark youth international has been really good in the middle of the park and helped create some of our best stuff in these past few weeks. So much so, that our former boss, Neil Lennon, has praised the midfielder for his start so far while encouraged more from his teammates.

Speaking to PLZ Soccer, the Irishman talked about what he reckons Brendan Rodgers needs in the final few days of the transfer window and talked up the encouraging start to the season from Matt O’Riley.

“He needs a striker. You’re looking at the chances, the goalkeeper was great for St Johnstone on Saturday. But all the chances fell for O’Riley, he could have had a hat-trick to be fair. He looks like the only one at the minute who’s got the bit between the teeth and looks a threat. They definitely need a striker and for me, they still need more physicality in midfield and more legs.

“I’m not sure about Brendan’s comments after the game, I understand what he’s saying about playing free, fast and flowing football. But it’s the same players from last year, I don’t know if they are struggling with a bit of fatigue from last season.

“Certainly in Callum McGregor’s case, he’s played a lot of football. He needs a bit of a hand, but they need a bit more energy and a bit more quality and that’s really been apparent in the last few games.”

It cannot be denied that despite our slow and sluggish start, Matty has been the sole light that has given us hope and encouragement that things will turn around.

The transfer window is still open and with a bit of luck we’ll get a few more additions that will elevate the starting line-up moving ahead into the new season. The clock is ticking though and we haven’t a moment to lose in that respect.

Fingers crossed.

Paul Gillespie