BT Sport pundit Chris Sutton has not been convinced by Celtic striker Leigh Griffiths this season – and believes that the title would have been “done and dusted” by now if he was scoring regularly.
He has blasted the 5ft 10in [Transfermarkt] attacker by saying that he needs to get himself into better shape in order to recapture his form once again, and that he needs to “knuckle down” – something which will only happen if he is played more often.
Sutton adds that Griffiths – along with summer signing Odsonne Edouard – would not have “pass marks” this season based on their displays for the Hoops so far, no matter how many goals they have scored.
“[Brendan] Rodgers would have thought he could have relied on Griffiths – and he certainly has an obligation to get himself in better shape and firing like he can,” he said in his Daily Record column.
“He hasn’t convinced me this season. I know it’s been stop-start and there’s been all sorts of issues but the title would have been done and dusted with a fit and firing Griffiths.
“People might point to Edouard’s 12 goals and six for Griffiths but in terms of level of performance they wouldn’t have pass marks this season. He is a player I rate so highly but he needs to knuckle down. He will need games and time to get back in but he looks short of fitness.”
OPINION
Sutton is right – Griffiths has fallen short in terms of performance this season, and there is no doubt that he needs to get his head down and start delivering the goods. Like the pundit pointed out, if the forward had been scoring on a regular basis this season, then Celtic would be runaway leaders in the league with the title most certainly in the bag. However, that is not the case, and that is arguably due to a stop-start season for the 28-year-old this year. Yes, admittedly he cannot really help that, but in terms of the times he has been given the chance to play, he just has not been good enough. The league has been more open than it has ever been this year, but fans know that would not be the case with a reliable striker in the team. Griffiths needs to improve, not just for his own career, but for the sake of the team too.