Last night, fans were given a glimpse of what summer signing Giorgos Giakoumakis can bring to Ange Postecoglou’s side – particularly in Europe.
Although the Greek striker wasn’t on the scoresheet after being introduced into the game on the 70 minutes alongside James Forrest and Mikey Johnston, he brought a different aspect to the game.
The 26-year old is a much more physical option in the final third, which was key to seeing the game out and securing all three points.
At times, he held up the ball well and was very clever in his play to buy Celtic some time by winning free-kicks off Ferencvaros defenders.
This is arguably something we have been missing in Europe for several years.
Of course, it was brilliant to see Kyogo in action with his fantastic ability, which played a massive part in the goals. But it was also good to see another side to our game on the road in Europe.
Given Saturday’s disappointment with the late penalty miss, Giakoumakis will likely have to build his confidence back up again.
He might not have done that in front of goal, but I think within some sections of the support, he showed last night what he could offer for Ange Postecoglou.
The boy is still working towards full match fitness. I’ve no doubt when he gets that sharpness and has fully settled he will score plenty and contribute to the team. This is just a matter of time.
I appreciate the need to talk players up in the hope that they will come good. But this guy is a big lump of wood. He reminds me of the big Eastern European we signed from a minor Spanish club a few seasons ago. I can’t remember his name, I think both his first and second names began with S. Sepcovic or something. Or another Chris Killen. He will fall out of the squad and end up transferred to a second division Greek team, to ‘rebuild’ his career. He is clearly not good enough and could be damaging if he is given chance after chance that he does not deserve.
I agree that he definitely gives us a more physical presence upfront and held the ball up very well in the closing minutes. He also had a good headed clearance from a corner. In a recent game he came on along with Bitton and gave us a physical boost.