‘Abysmal’ – Celtic New Boys Don’t Impress Former Bhoy | OneFootball

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Former Celtic star Darren O’Dea has slammed the Bhoys’ number 9s, calling them ‘abysmal’ and insists that they have not contributed anything.

Celtic won their game in hand in midweek to close the gap to Hearts to five points, with goals from Kieran Tierney and Benjamin Nygren either side of a Kevin Nisbet penalty being enough to see off Aberdeen.

Nygren took his tally to 19 for season with the strike at Pittodrie, with 15 of those coming in the Scottish Premiership.

O’Dea praised Nygren for his positional sense and speculated that Celtic are nearing a stage where they might have to try out the winger as a number 9.

Arguing that Nygren’s strength lies in arriving into the box from midfield, O’Dea cautioned that the Swede might be blunted if he has to play with his back to goal.

O’Dea said on the Go Radio Football Show (18:25): “I think they are getting to the point where they have to try it [playing Nygren up front].

“The one thing I would say about Nygren is, he is in the right position constantly.

“Some people would say it is timing, for me it is not.

“It is relentless arriving into the middle of the goal, potentially arriving into the six-yard box where you would normally see a number 9.

“My only worry with him playing as 9 is, back to goal and he is arriving off the back of midfield players doing that, he is not arriving in front of centre-backs doing that, don’t just think because he’s doing it.”

O’Dea is harsh on Celtic’s nominal centre-forwards, declaring them to be ‘abysmal’, as he lambasted the new signings of Tomas Cvancara, Junior Adamu and Joel Mvuka in particular.

“But Celtic’s No 9s have been abysmal.

“Cvancara has come in, I am not judging them as footballers, I am just judging them over the games they have been in, they have not played much football elsewhere.

“He has done nothing, he has had two assists and other than that hasn’t contributed.

“Adamu likewise, the fact that he can’t get ahead of Cvancara tells you that.

“There’s a winger that’s come in, we have not seen after 45 minutes.”

Former top flight striker Gordon Dalziel too has expressed his worry about Celtic’s inability to get more out of Cvancara and Adamu.

A journalist dubbed Mvuka’s transfer ‘weird’ and not much has transpired to dispel that notion with the winger making a solitary appearance in the Scottish Cup while a league debut is still forthcoming.

All five of Celtic’s previous victories have come by a single goal, with injury time winners required against Dundee, Livingston and Kilmarnock, and the fans will have every reason to feel aggrieved with the lack of firepower if the Bhoys fail to overturn Hearts’ lead by the end of the season.