Under the tutelage of Brendan Rodgers, Scottish giants Celtic have been really taking marauding steps. The Celts clinched the domestic treble last season and have started the 2017-18 campaign in a scintillating manner. Rodgers’ men defeated Heart of Midlothian by a 4-1 score line in their opening game of the Scottish Premiership and then, they outclassed Kilmarnock in every aspect as they clinched a stupendous 5-0 win in the Betfred Cup yesterday.
The Glasgow giants kept the scoreboard ticking in their favour as goals came thick and fast. A goal each from Anthony Ralston, Kiernan Tierney and Stuart Armstrong and a brace from in-form striker in the shape of Leigh Griffiths made it look very easy for the home side as they paved their way into the quarter-final of the League Cup. The former Liverpool boss of course didn’t field his first-choice side and made a lot of ramifications to rotate his squad, and he did succeed pretty well in the process.
Here are three points that were derived from the Hoops’ one-sided affair at the Celtic Park:
- The Youngsters Impress
Five teenagers, namely, Kundai Benyu, Ralston, Calvin Miller, Eboue Kouassi and Kristoffer Ajer started the game and without any shadow of doubt, they made an appealing statement with their performances. They were precise while passing, had crispness in their movements and the requisite camaraderie and understanding that enabled the Bhoys to perform as a unit. The competition for earning a place in Rodgers’ starting line-up will be really huge this season.
- Tierney’s Thunder Shall Be Remembered
There is something very special about Kieran Tierney who has been absolutely intriguing to watch in the green and white shirt. The 20-year-old Scottish international was handed the captain’s armband and he took the game well beyond the reach of Lee McCulloch’s outfit with his audacious long range strike which breezed past Kilmarnock’s goalkeeper Jamie McDonald to render Celtic their fourth goal. Tierney’s strike from 40 yards away shall linger on for a long time to come.
- Griffiths Redeeming Himself Completely
Owing to the absence of striker Moussa Dembele, who is out until mid September, Leigh Griffiths has been getting the chance to prove himself of late and the Scot is making the most of the opportunities that are being given to him. Brace against Hearts was followed by a brace against Killie and to be very honest, Celtic would need him to keep firing, particularly in the Champions League qualifying fixtures against Astana coming up.
