Moussa Dembele is back in training.
There is it. The best sentence I could have written here this week.
I am delighted to be able to. We’ve missed him, although that has barely been reflected in the results. Dembele give us something we otherwise lack; a physical presence in the top third of the pitch. His very presence on the pitch gives defenders more to think about than they can handle.
Moussa will want to play on Tuesday, but unless he plays at some stage tomorrow we have to assume that would be a bad idea. He’s not ready to play tomorrow – the manager has made that pretty clear – so I would think Celtic will leave him out of the squad for the opening Champions League game.
Some in the media have talked about it handing us a boost in the run-up to the game; it does, but it shouldn’t make any difference to the manager’s team selection for the game itself. It’s better not to risk him when he’s probably not up to speed.
This is why I’ve sweated every moment of our defensive crisis, and there, too, we’re leaving it awfully late. I think when it comes to the back line we’re going to have no choice but to bite the bullet and play guys who aren’t 100% ready.
But as I said in a recent piece, it is firepower which wins big games and we’re going to need Moussa for the big games still to come. It’s pointless risking him for this one when there are five more huge matches in front of us. We are adequately represented up front at the moment; Leigh has been carrying the water since the big man got injured, and he deserves his chance. If Moussa is on the bench I can see circumstances where he comes on … but he can’t start.
I tend to think, anyway, that it’s an advantage having strong players on the bench, having those options available if you need them.
One look at PSG’s likely subs will be enough to give us all collective heart-attacks, it’s good to know we too might have a trick up our sleeves.
Tomorrow night we’ve got a tricky away tie on another stupid plastic pitch; this is the last thing we needed before a Champions League game of this magnitude. It looks very likely that our young French striker Odsonne Edouard will play some part in the game, and it looks unlikely that Patrick Roberts will as the manager points out he’s not match fit.
He, too, has to be doubtful for Tuesday, as frustrating as that might be.
There is a weird uncertainty about the PSG game; on paper we look like we’re going into it weaker than we were last season when the campaign started. It looks likely we’ll be without Moussa or Patrick (at least in the starting eleven) and our defensive options … man oh man, I couldn’t and wouldn’t even try to predict how that’ll go …
But of course, this is a stronger team.
Our players know their roles now, they know what the manager expects of them, and in front of a home support we’ve always got a right good chance. Aside from a crazy second half in Astana and a majorly tired performance from the club at home against St Johnstone this has been a storming start to this season.
Tomorrow night we’re back in business, after an international break which for all the satisfaction many of us got for seeing Scotland do so well with Celtic players at the core of the squad wasn’t nearly enough to satisfy our urge to watch our team.
We need a win to keep our momentum going into Tuesday night.
Thankfully we’ve got the players to do it, even with our injury problems.
