Some Celtic fans have expressed their satisfaction about the performance of their striker Leigh Griffiths in the club’s recent 2-0 loss to Cluj in the UEFA Europa League on Thursday.
The Hoops failed to make sure that they finished the group stage round on an unbeaten note, but they did finish at the top of the group for the first time in history. This was their second loss of the season in all competitions.
The Hoops had a second-choice side feature in Romania, with some youngsters also featuring. And it saw Leigh Griffiths play up front, while Lewis Morgan also got another game.
Celtic fans: Griffiths surely deserves time?
He doesn't!
He's done enough to deserve time
And some Celtic fans are happy with the effort Griffiths put in and feel he’s getting back to his best.
Celtic looked lightweight against a physical Cluj team. Griffiths looks pretty sharp but had zero service from wide. Johnston a threat. Morgan not strong enough in possession. Young lad Robertson has cruised it so far neat & tidy. A few others not giving NL any food for thought.
— Tam McManus (@The_Tman10) December 12, 2019
Ach well non-event match out of the way after doing the hard work previously. Good to see Griffiths looking sharper. No doubt we’ll get Cluj again in the knockouts
— AM (@annemarie6377) December 12, 2019
Europa League job was done in Italy last month by Celtic. Hard to generate desire in Cluj when there was no need. Griffiths got game time, teenager Scott Robertson did well on debut,Karamoko Dembele becomes youngest-ever Euro Celt at 16. Well done both. #CelticFC #CLUCEL #UEl
— Phil Gordon (@PJG_Sport) December 12, 2019
Thought griff done well considering, good at holding up made some good runs
— Ricky (@rickyglsgow) December 12, 2019
He has some great runs but no supply HH
— Celtic Gossip (@CelticGossip) December 12, 2019
Thought N’tcham had a good game in midfield, and young Robertson was steady – too many guys not had enough/if any game time. Lost the goals once Jullien departed, and although Griff looked threatening, link-up play wasn’t quite there – maybe MJ didn’t quite do it tonight.
— Cathal EU Scot (@CathalDL) December 12, 2019
Griffiths has been slowly introduced back into the first-team ever since he came back from a hamstring injury early on in the season.
In all competitions this term, the Scottish striker has played 13 times in all competitions. A vast majority of those came early on before he sustained the hamstring injury. But Griffiths has been involved in all three of the club’s previous Premiership games and has also played the last two Europa League games.
Last season, Griffiths was a regular in the first half of the campaign. The former Wolves and Hibernian man had played 20 times in all competitions for the Hoops, scoring six times and assisting twice. But in December, he took a break from the game due to mental health issues.
What do we think?
Griffiths, who is valued at £1.8 million (as per Transfermarkt), has been a very important player for the club over the last few years. He’s been through tough times and he’s still coming out of an injury-ridden spell. Every player needs time to rise up from difficulty and for what Griffiths has done over the years, he deserves that bit of patience from the club’s management and fans.