Ex Celtic star assesses forward line dilemma as Martin O'Neill's 'hands are tied' in keeping new hitmen happy
Hoops have spent a combined £17m on their new look attacking force
Former Celtic midfielder Scott Allan doesn’t envy boss Martin O’Neill in his current dilemma to accommodate new strikers Camilo Duran and Kasper Hogh.
After impressing in the Champions League last season, the Hoops signed Colombian marksman Duran from Qarabag for £6m. 18 days later, Norwegian hitman Hogh - who was also prolific on the European stage - then signed for a record-breaking fee of £11m. The big-money additions have been welcomed with open arms by O’Neill - who now has the task of getting the best out of them.
As Celtic generally play with one recognised striker, Hogh was given the nod to start through the middle in their opening day encounter against Dundee. In turn, Duran was moved to the right wing, despite scoring three goals in three games during pre-season as a number nine. Neither managed to get on the scoresheet on Monday night, as last season’s output machine Benjamin Nygren headed home for the only goal of the game.
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Allan on Celtic’s attacking dilemma
Without a complete revamp of the formation or changes in personnel, there’s no instant solution to Celtic’s attacking problem, which could become a non-issue if Duran finds a way to make an impact from out wide. Former Celtic and Hibs man Allan, believes Martin O’Neill’s ‘hands are tied’ in some ways trying to accommodate both. Speaking on the Scottish Football Podcast, he said: “I think that was always going to be the challenge for Martin O'Neill.
“He knows they've got two strikers of good quality, he's trying to fit them on the pitch at the same time. I would agree, I don't think Duran in that position worked as well against Dundee. I don't think we got to see what he's really good at. His attributes are getting behind, making the runs off the shoulder and he didn't get a lot of chances to get his shots away, so that will be interesting to see if he sets up like that again.”
O’Neill’s ‘hands are tied’ with attacking conundrum
It’s early days, but Hogh missed a few chances against Dundee you’d perhaps expect an £11m striker to put away. Despite this, Allan believes that the fact he’s getting the chances is all that matter going forward. He continued: “If you’re Martin O’Neill, your hands are kind of tied when you spend £11 million on a striker, and he's already fit, obviously the season at Bodo Glimt had already started for Hogh.
“What I would say of him is that, although I expected him to score that night (against Dundee) with some of the chances he had; it's that old one where at least he's in the area to get on the end of chances, and I do think once he scores then that confidence will come in front of goal.”
Next up for Celtic is a trip to Kilmarnock on Sunday afternoon where both new signings will have another chance to get off the mark in the league. The Hoops are also closing in on a deal for Egyptian winger Haissem Hassan, which again would be a welcome addition, but may create more attacking complications.