Podcaster Chris Sermanni has recently made a claim about Celtic midfielder Ryan Christie and his current situation in the club’s first-team.
Sermanni was a guest on the latest episode of The Cynic podcast and the panel discussed many issues surrounding the Parkhead club. Sermanni talked about the Celtic midfield and this led to him criticising Christie’s recent performances.
Christie played 73 minutes in Celtic’s 6-0 win over KR Reykjavik in the Champions League qualifying first round on Tuesday. As per Transfermarkt, he had featured in the attacking midfield position, while Callum McGregor and Scott Brown had started deeper in central midfield.
Olivier Ntcham replaced Brown in the second half, though while the Frenchman is yet to make a single start for the Hoops this season, Sermanni believes that Christie ‘doesn’t deserve’ to start over him in the Celtic midfield.
When talking about Christie, who is valued at £5.85m, Sermanni said: “I would point the finger right now at Ryan Christie. In that midfield, if I was to bring Ntcham in for somebody it would not be Brown, it would be Ryan Christie.
Who will you start in the attacking midfield for Celtic?
Christie
Ntcham
“Now, Christie scored huge goals for us last season. This isn’t me saying Christie is not a good player. The guy scored against Lazio, he scored against Leipzig for us. He’s scored goals at a fairly high level for us and we know there is a player there. But right now? No; I don’t think he’s composed enough in possession. He kind of runs about, I think the phrase ‘headless chicken’ was used – that maybe is a bit harsh. For me, Ryan Christie is standing out like a sore thumb as somebody in that midfield that doesn’t deserve a place over Olivier Ntcham.”
TIF Thoughts…
In the current season, Christie has made three appearances in all competitions and he has already contributed to three goals, which include his strike for the Hoops in their recent Premiership game against Kilmarnock.
Last season, he made 43 appearances in all competitions and found the back of the net 19 times, racking up 16 assists. That is a reflection of how Christie is a reliable contributor to goals and that can’t quite be said for Ntcham, going by his numbers from the 2019/20 season.
So perhaps, that is why Neil Lennon is keen to play Christie over Ntcham in the attacking midfield position at present, much to Sermanni’s dismay.