Brendan Rodgers on how he ‘perfectly envisaged’ striker competition at Celtic

Celtic boss Brendan Rodgers has managed to get a tune out of several attacking options at Parkhead as his side continue their title charge.

The Bhoys have three strikers fighting among themselves for first-team minutes; however, Kyogo Furuhashi and Adam Idah have taken on the bulk of our offensive workload in the second half of the campaign.

Hyeongyu Oh has become the forgotten man at Celtic, having not featured for his current employers since mid-February.

Since arriving from Norwich City on loan, Republic of Ireland international Idah has gone on to make a marked impact in green and white, registering six goals and two assists across 11 appearances north of the border [Transfermarkt].

His telling contributions away Hibernian, Motherwell, and Rangers, in particular, have helped alleviate some of the burden on positional competitor Furuhashi, who has struck 15 times in 42 outings circa 2023/24, per the same outlet.

Putting his tally into perspective, the Japan international has struggled to replicate the heights he reached last season, given he found the net on 34 occasions as the Hoops secured a historic domestic treble under Ange Postecoglou.

Nevertheless, the 29-year-old is still a talismanic figure in Glasgow’s east end, which can only bode well in our attempts to claim a Scottish Premiership and Scottish Cup double.

Brendan Rodgers on the striker competition at Celtic

Rodgers has a favourable combination of attacking talent at his disposal, something he can apply game-by-game to capitalise on the defensive weaknesses of his opposition.

Idah’s arrival in January has enabled Celtic a direct route in behind due to his running power and physicality; meanwhile, Furuhasi’s elite movement can undo almost any defensive line in a split second.

Speaking to Celtic TV, our manager has complimented the pair for their diverging qualities. At the same time, Rodgers revealed he ‘perfectly envisaged’ both players to vigorously compete for regular minutes at Celtic.

He explained: “It’s very important. I think Adam is performing a role that I envisaged perfectly in terms of coming in and adding comPetition and a different threat to our Game so that if we do need to change the dynamic of the Game, he can do that.

“Since Adam’s come in, I think Kyogo’s Game has gone back to the level that I would expect him to be at. He’s a brilliant mover, the timing of his runs, everything is so good.

Turning the conversation to their contribution against Rangers, Rodgers continued: “Both of those players are contributing a lot to the performance levels. We had a great first period of the Game from Kyogo.

“When we needed to go a little bit more direct with our build-up play, Adam was great at relieving that sort of pressure and bringing the team into the Game. His strength and physicality was really important for us.”

Celtic will need to rely on Furuhashi and Idah during the run-in

Celtic have no margin for error in their final six league matches, and Rodgers will need to maximise the output of Furuhashi and Idah to ensure we claim title glory for a third year running.

Intriguingly, Idah wasn’t a universally popular signing on deadline day earlier this year; however, he has barely put a foot wrong, offering an alternative threat in the final third when Furuhashi isn’t firing on all cylinders.

Both bring contrasting profiles to the table, though it is anyone’s guess who will start against St Mirren on Saturday following Idah’s goal at Ibrox.

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