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The problem Neil Lennon must fix to make history with Celtic

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The 2020/21 season in Scotland is going to be remembered in the history books no matter who is crowned champions.

For Celtic, it’s the campaign that means so much as they chase a record tenth domestic title. For those who don’t understand the magnitude of that, it’s everything to the club as it will see them do something their bitter rivals Rangers have never done before.

Both sides of Glasgow have produced excellent teams that have delivered nine successive titles but the tenth has eluded them. For Steven Gerrard and Rangers, the task is simple – make sure Celtic don’t have that over us.

Celtic have the slight edge on that front in the eyes of the bookmakers. A glance at the latest odds on football matches shows they are always expected to beat any team outside Rangers but they are just 8/13 to lift the title again. Even though that makes them favourites, it shows that there isn’t too much between the sides at all.

This guarantees enthralling viewing to everyone on the outside, but it makes life in Glasgow more intense than it has ever been. With Celtic, that may be evident in some of the performances Neil Lennon’s side have produced in recent weeks.

Firstly, it should be pointed out that the Parkhead outfit are winning games despite not playing well. A draw at Kilmarnock domestically and a defeat to Ferencvaros in the Champions League was alarming, proving the team have some issues. Additionally, narrow, unconvincing wins against St. Mirren, Livingston and Riga in September showed this wasn’t just a blip.

They have the talent to be performing to a much higher level and there has to be a concern that a failure to improve will see Rangers mount a serious challenge for the Scottish title.

The problem for Celtic seems to stem from midfield. Lennon is blessed with an array of options in the middle of the park, with Scott Brown, Olivier Ntcham, Callum McGregor, Ryan Christie, David Turnbull and Tom Rogic all at his disposal. Yet, for whatever reason, the right balance hasn’t been found in such a crucial area of the pitch.

On paper, the midfield options have it all for Celtic but it’s not working right now. They aren’t playing with any real tempo, they are vulnerable on occasions to the counter-attack and there doesn’t seem to be a plan in the way they build up the game.

The 3-5-2 formation, which often includes Christie as an advanced midfielder, means four are on the park at one time but when the opposition sit deep it becomes too crowded and they struggle to break through. Meanwhile, a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 doesn’t seem to work as the team don’t get enough numbers in the box or create enough chances, whilst star man Odsonne Edouard benefits from players closer to him.

It’s a situation that Lennon needs to resolve quickly and it may include making some very bold decisions. One may be that skipper Brown isn’t needed in games where Celtic dominate possession as he isn’t as good on the ball as some of his teammates. Plus, players need to be dropped when they aren’t performing as there is quality waiting to come in.

Either way, the opening part of the season should be a warning to this Celtic team that they need to improve significantly if they are to write their names in the history books for the right reasons.

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