Plan of Attack

After a week of ups and downs watching Celtic the international break is now upon us. Players will head off on international duty with the exception of Mika Baer  who has been ruled out of joining up with his German team mates after picking up an injury in Celtic’s 1-0 win over Kilmarnock.

Baer has been one of a number of players brought in during the Summer transfer window who have cemented their place in the starting eleven. The players brought in during the latest transfer window have had mixed fortunes Camilo Duran has been the stand out performer from the bunch even if he has played out position for most of the season. He is Celtic’s top scorer with 13 goals scored since his arrival from Qarabag. His goals have come in all competitions Champions League, Europa League, SPFL and the League Cup.

The reason he has played out of position is to accommodate Celtic’s record signing Kasper Hogh from Bodo Glint. Things looked rosy for the big Danish striker after a first half Hatrick against Kilmarnock at Rugby Park back in early August. Since then he has huffed and puffed but failed to score. Last Sunday he was unlucky to have his goal chalked off against Kilmarnock at Celtic Park after VAR ruled out the goal for a foul in the build up by Baer. I think Baer makes contact with the ball but Brother Beaton and his mates on VAR thought otherwise. No surprise there!

It is incredible to think that Hogh has the same amount of goals as Celtic’s Central defender Liam Scales who joined up with the Republic of Ireland squad after scoring his third goal of the season against Kilmarnock on Sunday. A player who splits opinion within the Celtic support gives 100% every time he pulls on a Celtic jersey.

Callum Osmand has been used sparingly since returning from injury and made an immediate impact when coming off the bench to play on the wing against Besiktas last Thursday scoring to equalise for Celtic before Duran knocked in 2 goals to secure a dramatic win for Celtic after he also came off the bench. If Duran can not nail down the main strikers role at the club than Osmand will also have to be content with his playing time on the wing rather than in his preferred position in the central role.

Celtic’s other central striking option is Shim Mheuka who arrived in the Summer on loan from Chelsea. The young man’s playing time has also been limited at Celtic and sitting fourth in the pecking order for a start upfront.

The question now is how long does Martin O’Neill continue to persist in playing Hogh up front if he fails to score when football commences after the international break. Every Celtic fan wants him to get some goals but for me I think to rediscover his form it has to be coming off the bench to replace Duran who has shown he is Celtic’s number one striker.

Andrew Milne is Editor of More than 90 Minutes Celtic Fanzine & Host of the Celtic Soul Podcast