Celtic brought Tomas Cvancara and Junior Adamu in to bolster options in attack, but neither has staked their claim to lead the line. Do they have what it takes to hit form during the title race run-in?
Attacking options have been lacklustre all season. That’s shown in the remarkable decline in goal difference, which is currently +22. To put that into context: this time last season, the Hoops’ goal difference was +75. A staggering 53 goals worse off in the league (Scotland’s Coefficient on X).
When Adam Idah was moved on to Swansea in the summer, the club delved into the free agent market to sign Kelechi Iheanacho. Injuries have hampered him all season.
Then came January. Johnny Kenny departed for Bolton on a loan deal after failing to seize his opportunity as Celtic’s leading man.
Then came Tomas Cvancara, who joined the Hoops until the end of the season, with an option to buy for €8 million. It’s safe to say there’s been no urge to meet that clause, so far.
O’Neill trusted him from the start against Aberdeen, but the 25-year-old struggled to make any sort of impression on the game.
He had a big part to play in Julian Araujo’s late winner against Kilmarnock, using his stature to make life awkward for defenders to deal with. But Celtic fans need to see more.
Usually, at this point in the season, there’s at least one striker that supporters turn to for goals. That isn’t the case now.
Junior Adamu, another loan with a buy option, showed debut heroics against Dundee to take the tie to extra time.
He set up Luke McCowan to seal Celtic’s first-ever win on German soil, and showed glimpses of good link-up play, but his presence in the box is yet to be fully seen.
Both he and Cvancara have one goal each for the club. A significant improvement is needed between now and May.
But at Celtic, there should always be that focal point up front that wears that ‘big-game’ tag with pride. Granted, strikers at the club are under immense pressure to consistently deliver.
But with the title on the line, fans need to see more.
That includes the decline in the form of Daizen Maeda, who almost certainly looks gone in the summer. A player with bags of experience must step up to the plate if this title is to be retained.
The discussion comes back to the Celtic hierarchy’s reluctance to invest in quality in transfer windows. That left the club with five loanees arriving, including the two forwards.
They’re now experiencing the demands of playing for Celtic first-hand. This isn’t a club you can stroll into and expect to hit the ground running; that’s not to say Cvancara and Adamu thought that personally, of course.
But they need to show a bit of belief. This run-in is going to be gruelling. There’s no room for passengers.
It can be difficult when you’re not starting week in week out, which is why opportunities must be grabbed with both hands.
Cvancara has already spoken about wanting to prove to the club that they should sign him permanently. Now is the perfect chance to show that.
Whether either starts at Ibrox this Sunday remains to be seen. One thing is certain: scoring in that fixture would do wonders for confidence.
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