Martin O’Neill’s decision to start Kelechi Iheanacho at Tannadice came with a clear plan behind it. The Irishman wanted a focal point in a game where the surface made it harder to move the ball the way Celtic usually do.
Celtic saw plenty of the ball, mainly in the first half, but the pitch slowed things down. That pushed the game towards something more direct, with the striker asked to hold it up and bring others into play.
Iheanacho was used in that role. He stayed central, took the ball into feet, and tried to link play around the box. There were a few moments where it worked, and he showed glimpses of what he can offer, but it never lasted long enough to change the game. He is still some way off being fully match fit, and that showed as the game wore on.
Fitness also played a part. Iheanacho has not had many minutes recently, and that shaped how long he could stay on the pitch.
O’Neill said: (TCW), “I think the thing that I thought in terms of the conditions, which beforehand you’re trying to take into consideration, that if we could have some possession and then play it into Iheanacho, that he could hold it and be in the penalty box and be a threat.
“But I knew that he wouldn’t last the game anyway, not having played since he came off in the Cup final.”
That explains both why he started and why he came off when he did. Iheanacho gave Celtic something to work with early on, but it was never likely he would get through the full game.
The problem came after that. Once he went off, Celtic lost that option. The ball still went forward, but it didn’t stay there, and moves began to break down more quickly.
Celtic ended the game still looking for a way through. The plan made sense, but it needed more around him and a better level across the full ninety minutes.
Keep Reading
