Out of form Celtic star puts on 'smile' in Hearts rout as sympathetic pundit explains how to change fortunes
Attacker was dropped at Celtic Park and saw his teammates flourish
Celtic’s emphatic 7-1 Premiership victory over Hearts marked a successful day all-round for the champions - although for striker Kasper Hogh, it could be cause for concern.
The £11m striker was dropped for Sunday’s clash and watched from the bench his fellow attackers run riot against last season’s title rivals. Hogh came on with half an hour to go and did notch an assist to his name for midfielder Benjamin Nygren’s second of the game and Celtic’s seventh, however it does mean he’s failed to find the target in ten games running.
Before the Hearts fixture, manager Martin O’Neill backed Hogh to score 20 goals this season despite his early struggles. However, with the likes of fellow strikers Camilo Duran - and now Callum Osmand firing on all cylinders, Celtic’s record-breaking signing is perhaps vulnerable.
What must Hogh do to stop the rot?
Former Hoops striker Cillian Sheridan played behind the likes of prolific goalscorers Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Georgios Samaras and Scott McDonald during his three seasons at the club. The pundit sympathises with Hogh - but reckons if he can just get one goal then the floodgates will open. He told the Scottish Football Podcast: “It's always tough.
“I've been in those positions where you see the team clicking and all the strikers and attacking players all scoring. You feel like they’re flying and you're sitting there on the bench having to put a smile on through it all. It's a good problem for Martin O'Neill to have - that he can drop his £11 million striker and still the team scores seven goals. I think Hogh just needs that one goal to trigger a bit of confidence.
“In fairness, I thought when he came on he done really well. He got a little bit of his sharpness back, had a few nice touches and set up Nygren’s second. But it's a tough one for him where you have to watch the team do so well. Sometimes it can be that feeling of ‘the game's done’ when he comes on and it can be a bit difficult. But like I said, I think he just needs that one goal to kind of get things moving again.”
What did O’Neill say about Hogh’s difficult spell?
A first half hat-trick against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park showed when Hogh is on it, he can be a huge attacking threat. Furthermore, his exploits for previous side Bodo Glimt in Norway show he has an eye for goal. O’Neill still backs his number nine to come good despite his difficult spell.
Ahead of the Hearts match, he said: "At the end of the season, I expect Kasper Hogh to score 20 goals. He has lost a bit of confidence; we will get that back during the course of time. We have game, after game, after game between now and January, but he will score goals for us; there is no question about it, and it is just a matter of tinkering around, but that's the nature of the business.”