Post-Match with A Celtic State of Mind – Edouard’s five minute masterclass

PAUL JOHN DYKES:

“The introduction of Odsonne gave us a real spark.”

Neil Lennon knows that his French striker is a class apart. It took the introduction of Edouard to breathe life into a Celtic side who looked bereft of ideas and worryingly vulnerable to Ross County counter-attacks for the opening hour of this league encounter.

All the noise this week had been around Leigh Griffiths, who started as a lone striker, but it was Griff who made way for the arrival of a player who will be worth his weight in gold in the run-in to securing nine-in-a-row.

For all the criticism I’ve read about Kris Ajer since the defeat to Rangers in December, the Celtic defence looked much weaker without the big Norwegian this afternoon. His and Ryan Christie’s return will give Lennon a huge lift, as will the news that Jeremie Frimpong’s injury is not as serious as first envisaged.

Meanwhile, the supporters, who ensured another Celtic Park sell-out, will be hoping for further reinforcements before January is out. Filip Benković, who has been told he can leave Leicester on loan, would be the ideal addition to a defence who have looked suspect in recent weeks.

DAVID SLEIGHT:

It really was pretty rugged, I thought, until Eddy came on. We could very easily have been one or even two goals behind at half-time.

KEVIN TAIT:

Poor finishing by Ross County was the reason for a clean sheet this afternoon. We defended very poorly today.

KEVIN GRAHAM:

A game where the scoreline flattered us on an afternoon where we were flat all over the pitch for long spells. Odsonne Edouard was the catalyst for five minutes of life that sealed the deal with the three points. I’m thankful for that. Thankful that he is ours and I can remember his moments and forget the 80 minutes around them.

A lack of aggression and confidence seems to grab the players at home. Some will tonight go home knowing they didn’t do enough, took the easy option and weren’t brave to grab the game and make it explode. For this I’m glad the next few games are away; this may allow for a freedom of expression that we need and want. 

It’s three points – the same three points that we got on Wednesday but in different circumstances. I wanna be Edouard and we want to be adored. We can make that happen on Wednesday. 

🍀 A CELTIC STATE OF MIND
⭐️ Man of the Match
🏆 Celtic 3 Ross County 0

1️⃣ Odsonne Edouard
2️⃣ Callum McGregor
3️⃣ Mikey Johnston