Celtic had to summon every ounce of their resilience to book a place in the Scottish Cup final last weekend courtesy of a dramatic victory over Aberdeen.
Matt O’Riley was awarded the Scottish Gas Player of the Match award for his exploits at the national stadium; however, veteran winger James Forrest has to take a share of the adulation for his role in proceedings.
Coming off the bench to replace Hyunjun Yang on 62 minutes, the 32-year-old made a telling impact, driving infield before slotting past Kelle Roos from the edge of the area to get on the scoresheet a minute later.
With Daizen Maeda out with a hamstring injury for the foreseeable future, Celtic are now limited in the wide areas as we head towards our post-split Scottish Premiership fixtures.
Following events at Hampden, Honduras international Luis Palma shed light on his patchy recent form, stating on Instagram: “I’m aware that I’m not at the level that I would like due to many circumstances but I’m working day by day to reach that level that I know I can reach.”
Nicolas Kuhn is likely to maintain his starting berth on the right flank after another impressive display against Aberdeen, though there is a slot on the other side seemingly up for grabs due to a combination of circumstances.
James Forrest has a case to start for Celtic at Dens Park on Sunday
Now we have all calmed down slightly from last weekend’s Scottish Cup drama, Celtic take on Dundee at Dens Park this weekend as they continue their charge for a third successive league title.
In light of his impact last weekend, there is a slow-burning theory among some Hoops supporters that Forrest could be in line for a surprise start on Tayside, which isn’t a madcap theory when you factor in concerns over available wide options.
Per Transfermarkt, the Scotland international has made 23 appearances in all competitions this campaign, registering four goals and one assist. Intriguingly, it should be noted that Forrest has only started three times; meanwhile, he hasn’t completed a single 90 minutes, revelling in his role as an impact substitute.
Brendan Rodgers has explained his lack of starts during his tenure, adding after his impressive cameo against Livingston in the quarter-final of the Scottish Cup: “Sadly, age catches up with every player – or person for that matter. He still has the ability to make a contribution to the game. We saw that for 25 minutes on Sunday.”
At Hampden, Forrest’s introduction sparked a fairly blunt Celtic attack into life, and he was able to commit defenders and progress play by calling on his experience in these situations; meanwhile, the likes of Yang and Palma are probably a bit behind in that respect.
Most importantly, he was always available for a pass and wasn’t afraid to drive at an Aberdeen low-block that picked their moment to counter on Rodgers’ men.
Forrest also played a handy role in our third goal, sliding an inch-perfect ball through to Alistair Johnston before Matt O’Riley smashed home from his cutback.
James Forrest’s starting hopes vs Dundee will depend on fitness
In his limited game-time on league duty, Forrest has amassed an average of 1.3 shots on goal per game alongside creating three big chances for his teammates, demonstrating he still brings something to the table despite fitness problems plaguing his last few years at Parkhead [Sofascore].
Labelled the ‘best winger’ at the club by Rodgers in the context of his all-round quality, there is no doubt he still holds a prominent place in his thoughts heading into the run-in.
Nevertheless, we will have to wait and see if the Irishman has faith in his ability to make an impression from the start, though it is worth at least considering amid our shortage of firing wide-men.