Pundit Alan Rough was a guest on the latest episode of PLZ Soccer’s The Football Show, during which the panel discussed multiple issues involving Scottish football, one being Leigh Griffiths and his situation at Parkhead, with Rough sharing that he believes Griffiths needs to go out on the pitch and prove what he can really do once again.
Griffiths is yet to play even once for the Bhoys this season and he had an injury issue earlier in the campaign.
He was included in the club’s 24-man squad for their game against Riga last week and he was also on the bench for Celtic’s recent league game against Hibernian.
Rough talked about Griffiths, who is valued at £1.80m, according to Transfermarkt, and the pundit believes that if the striker isn’t up to speed, Celtic could have a problem on their hands.
He said: “He needs to go on the park for a start. He needs to go out on the park and show everybody what he can do and we all know he can score goals.
“It’s just this level of ‘not up to speed’ that we keep hearing about in the modern-day player and he can be up to speed, so the only way he can prove [to] everybody that if he thinks he is, is [by getting] on the park and scoring goals.
“I don’t know how far away he is on that one. We’ll all just have to wait and see but certainly with the injuries at the weekend there, [Patryk] Klimala has not really set the head on fire.
“So, you’re relying on [Odsonne] Edouard and if he’s not producing it, then you’ve got a problem because if Griffiths isn’t up to speed, then you have really got a problem with the big games that are coming up.”
Can Griffiths still be an important player for Celtic?
Yes
No
TIF Thoughts…
While Griffiths has had a fair share of injury issues over the last few years, he did impress for the Hoops in the second half of the 2019/20 campaign.
He found the back of the net seven times in the Premiership during that period and even racked up three assists for Celtic (as per Transfermarkt).
This clearly shows that Griffiths can be an important player when he’s fit. With the Old Firm derby coming up on 17th October, having Griffiths fit can be a bonus for the Bhoys, considering his abilities.