Celtic legend Chris Sutton believes that Neil Lennon sent a ‘message’ to Peter Lawwell through his approach in the club’s 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Sutton was recently present as a guest on the latest episode of the Record Celtic podcast. The panel discussed many issues surrounding the Hoops and they focused on the club’s 1-1 draw against Kilmarnock on Sunday.
Sutton delivered his verdict about the game and he believes that Lennon would have delivered a ‘message’ to Peter Lawwell through the formation and system that he used at Rugby Park.
The Hoops used a 4-2-3-1 shape on Sunday, with Christopher Jullien and Kristoffer Ajer playing as the centre-backs. Odsonne Edouard started as the striker, while Callum McGregor and Scott Brown played in central midfield. Goalscorer Ryan Christie played in the attacking midfield position (as per WhoScored).
Sutton stated that he was “surprised” that Neil Lennon didn’t use the 3-5-2 formation that he had used many times last season as Kilmarnock were defending ‘deep’.
He feels that playing that system would have allowed the Hoops to get more ‘bodies in the box’ as it has two strikers playing upfront.
Which formation should Celtic use?
3-5-2
4-2-3-1
When talking about the game, Sutton said: “The fact that [Kilmarnock] defended so deep, it surprised me that Neil Lennon didn’t go with two up [front] because it worked last season – balls in the box, bodies in the box, filling the box.
“It was all just slow, back, across and Celtic [had] a lot of shots from distance in the second half, but they couldn’t play through them. So, go wide, get crosses into the box, attack the ball – and they lacked that.
“[Mohamed] Elyounoussi didn’t get into the game and that is not a criticism of him, there was no space in there. So, therefore, if teams are playing with a low block or defending deeply then that was the beauty of Celtic after the winter break last season.
“He [Lennon] just absolutely went for it, and I’m surprised that he didn’t do that against Kilmarnock.
“I just wonder whether it’s a message to Peter Lawwell to say come on, liven up. I’ve always hated this and for a number of years, we’ve done columns on [how] Celtic need to liven up in the transfer market, get their work done, bring players in.
“And I know how difficult it is, but it’s so, so important with Champions League qualifiers on the horizon, [which are] often the first games of the season.
“It’s so, so important to get a settled squad, players in who can lift the team, which may be something which the team needs as well, so there’s no real complacency.”
TIF Thoughts…
The Hoops used the 3-5-2 shape many times in the second half of last season and they didn’t lose a single game in the Premiership during that time.
Leigh Griffiths had scored seven league goals in the second half of the campaign and this included a hat-trick against St. Mirren. That is a reflection of how the 3-5-2 system can work well for Lennon’s men.
Celtic have been linked with strikers like Albian Ajeti and Steven Fletcher in recent weeks and getting another striker in will allow them to play the 3-5-2 regularly.
Patryk Klimala did score against Hamilton, but he’s yet to start a Premiership game for the Hoops. Vakoun Bayo has been linked with a Parkhead exit and Griffiths was injured.
So, it will be interesting to see whether Celtic sign another striker or not and how it impacts the club’s system.