Celtic legend Jackie McNamara has been hailing the performance of Celtic and Scotland duo Greg Taylor and James Forrest in the national team’s recent performance in the recent international break.
McNamara was recently talking to Football Insider and he talked up how well Taylor and Forrest did together down the left side for Steve Clarke’s men in the recent games against Cyprus and Kazakhstan.
He said: “I thought down the left-side, with Taylor and Forrest, I thought they linked up really well in both games.
“Considering they’ve not played much together at Celtic, they seemed to have a good understanding, Greg and Forrest, obviously produced a few goals.
“He’s (Greg) a strong lad, he’s shown that in the back-to-back games there, from Cyprus to Kazakhstan, he’s recovered well considering he’s not played a lot of football. That’s credit to him for how he’s training and preparing. He’s ready when called upon.”
Contrasting for one, all the same for the other
Taylor had joined Celtic from Kilmarnock this past summer but has not been given enough time on the pitch for Neil Lennon so far this season.
The Scotland international has played only three times in the Scottish Premiership so far this season, playing twice in the Europa League qualifying rounds and playing once in the League Cup campaign.
Lennon has given preference to Boli Bolingoli at left-back, but Taylor did get one assist each in the recent performance for the Scotland senior team. He has now made a total of three appearances for the country, with his first coming before his move to Parkhead.
As far as Forrest is concerned, the midfielder has played 25 times in all competitions for the Hoops this season, contributing directly to as many as 23 goals so far. In the Premiership, the winger has played 12 times and has been involved in just as many goals.
Forrest has been a regular for the Scottish national team ever since he made his debut in 2011. He has made 34 appearances in total, scoring five times and assisting three times. He was also a starter in both of the country’s games against Cyprus and Kazakhstan.
TIF Tactics
While Taylor did have the advantage of not having Andy Robertson and Kieran Tierney in the squad in this round of the international break, he has done enough to show that he can hold his own in the nation’s first-team.
His position in the Celtic side is in stark contrast to how things were at the Killie last season. The 22-year-old had been a first-choice at his former club, playing 41 times in all competitions. He had also scored once and had assisted four times.
The partnership Forrest and Taylor salvaged for Scotland could prove vital in the coming months for Celtic. And that is another reason why, perhaps, Taylor deserves to play more. He has to play the next 2-3 games ahead of Bolingoli and deserves to be given a chance to show how important a player he can be for the club.
At the age of 22, he can sit on the bench at a big club and watch everyone else play. Forrest, on the other hand, has to keep doing what he is.