Celtic legend Chris Sutton has been discussing if the club should give players the time to settle, with the tenth Premiership title in a row on the line next season.
Sutton was a guest on the latest episode of the Record Celtic podcast recently and he was talking about the adaptability of the Celtic side. The former Hoops star also said that the club can’t give time to players for settling in as it is the tenth Premiership title in a row that is at stake next season.
The Hoops were handed the title back in May, as the Premiership campaign was cancelled because of the pandemic. The 2020/21 campaign is seemingly on track to start in early August.
But when talking about next season, Sutton talked about the club’s adaptability in terms of formations. He said: “It is so important to be adaptable and we can go back and think about the switch to the 3-5-2, but there was a switch in game away at Aberdeen as well where the 3-5-2 wasn’t working.”
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Yes, absolutely
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“He [Neil Lennon] went back to the back four. Kristoffer Ajer galloped up the field and that system was changed late on in the game. Wasn’t [there] about half an hour to go and that tactical change won them the game. That’s what Celtic have to be. That’s what all good teams have to be.”
But when talking about the aspect about giving players time, Sutton said: “I do get annoyed with this point about where people are saying, well, we need to give players time. We all understand what is at stake next season.
“This isn’t a friendly game of badminton in the back garden where you can let your little kids come in and have a couple of shots and lose you the game.”
Sutton seems pretty certain that Celtic need to take next season very seriously. And in some ways, he is saying that the Hoops need to go with tried and tested players or formations as they can’t risk missing out on the tenth Premiership title in a row.
TIF Thoughts…
Going by Sutton’s comments, the club should really commit itself towards winning the title and because of that, they should forget about anything else. The club last won nine titles in a row back in 1974 and they haven’t replicated that feat until now. So they can’t afford to miss out on the chance to go one better this time.
Winning the tenth title in a row would really help the club assert dominance in Scottish football. And Sutton really seems to understand the importance of that.