WILFRIED NANCY could do Johnny Kenny a massive favour tonight and leave him out of Celtic’s starting line-up against Motherwell at Fir Park.
Even the most myopic among us can clearly see the striker is not just struggling for confidence – he is utterly and totally devoid of the precious commodity.
Kenny looked lost in Livingston. His contribution, such as it was, could only be described as negligible. It was bewildering he remained on the pitch for 83 minutes before being replaced by Paulo Bernardo in the champions’ nerve-riddled 4-2 win over the team propping up the rest of the Premiership.
For many, the inclusion of the 22-year-old Republic of Ireland forward in the line-up at kick-off was more than a tad surprising. His performances in the previous outings against Dundee United, a 2-1 loss at Tannadice, and Aberdeen, a 3-1 success at Parkhead, were simply atrocious.
There is no generous way of summing up either of the error-strewn displays.
OOPS…Johnny Kenny misses a low cross from the left smack in front of the Dundee United goal as keeper Dave Richards and his team-mates breathe a sigh of relief.
It’s no exaggeration to say Kenny could – and should – have had a first-half hat-trick on Tayside and the points would have been in the bag with no way back for Jim Goodwin’s side.
The visitors were already leading at the interval through a lightning strike from Daizen Maeda and the game would have been out of sight if his sidekick had been even halfway alert to the opportunities that had fallen at his feet.
Nancy, though, kept faith with the youngster to start him against Aberdeen four days later and, alas, Kenny picked up against the Dons where he had left off against United. Two very reasonable chances came and went in the first-half before Shin Yamada was introduced in the 70th minute.
The Frenchman must be detecting something in the player’s presentation the rest of us are managing to overlook.
Against David Martindale’s side at the weekend, Kenny was reduced to running around the pitch in a fairly aimless and erratic fashion as he simply went through the motions. The timing of his sprints forward were ill-conceived and did little to pressurise the home back lot.
There was no strategy to the haphazard approach. Kenny didn’t appear to be cutting off angles or anticipating forward passes from the opposition.
In truth, it was painful to watch.
HANDS UP…Daizen Maeda could be utilised as attack-leader against Motherwell.
I’m not quite yet pining for the halcyon days of Mo Bangura, Vakoun Issouf Bayo, Patryk Klimala or Amido Balde, but it could be edging in that direction. And please don’t mention Wayne Biggins.
Believe me, this is not a wanton attack on a Celtic player for the sheer hell of it. I would much rather to be singing the praises of Johnny Kenny.
However, you and I surely agree the killings fields of football is no location for sentimentality. Romance lives within the pages of Mills and Boon novels.
This is the real world. If you do not produce, you are very quickly yesterday’s man.
Kenny, who did not get off the substitutes’ bench in the last three matches of Martin O’Neill’s eight-game interim period, has done nothing to suggest he will come good against a Motherwell outfit who have conceded only one league goal in their last seven outings.
Kelechi Iheanacho is, of course, unavailable and Nancy’s choices are limited. Yamada doesn’t look the answer, so once again Maeda comes into focus in an emergency situation.
The Japanese international brings more to the team on the left flank, but it’s a case of needs must and there can be no argument he will give the team more of a threat through the middle than a hollowed-out Kenny.
Nancy should do the Irishman a favour and give him a rest.
Celtic will require eleven fully-functioning and focused players when they line up against Jens Berthel Askou’s well-drilled team tonight.
The champions cannot afford the luxury of carrying even one passenger on this occasion.
The consequences of such folly could be far reaching.
ALEX GORDON
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