Matt O’Riley’s performance trajectory this season at Celtic has been a topic of much discussion among fans and pundits alike.
The Danish international, who had a stellar start to the season, has seen a noticeable dip in his contributions in terms of goals and assists since his last league goal and assist in the 3-0 win over St Mirren on January 2nd.
This decline in form coincides with interest from Spanish giants Atletico Madrid during the January transfer window, an offer Celtic chose to decline, leading some to speculate whether the transfer talks impacted O’Riley’s performances.
However, Andy Halliday, a current Motherwell player and pundit on Clyde 1 Super Scoreboard, offers a different perspective on O’Riley’s recent form. Halliday suggests that the change in O’Riley’s role within the team could be a contributing factor to his quieter presence on the field.
“Yesterday [Sunday], he played as part of two 8s. Whereas before he played as a sole number 10 behind whoever the striker was,” Halliday explained on Clyde 1 SSB.
“Since Adam Idah came in there have been two or three games where it’s been Idah and Kyogo and he’s been the deeper one playing alongside Callum McGregor.
“Yesterday, he wasn’t the sole number 10. It was him and McGregor as two high 8s.
“When he was that sole number 10, he was that one to they pockets of space in front of the striker and that’s what he was doing but now it’s a bit more crowded.”
O’Riley is still influencing the game with some of his passing play, but he’s not as involved as fans would like further up the pitch. With Celtic chasing the title, O’Riley will need to play a big part in the final 12 games.
